The ABC is challenging Facebook's decision to take down a "cheeky" photo of a nude Greek protester which was uploaded as part of a news marketing campaign.

Facebook removed the post, part of the #knowthestory campaign, citing it as a violation of their community guidelines.

The photo, which is also displayed on a billboard outside the ABC in Ultimo, depicts a protester running through Athens during a violent protest over austerity measures last year.

The ABC has applied for a formal review of the decision, but it is understood that it is unlikely to be reversed.

In terms and conditions listed online, Facebook says it has a strict policy that imposes limitations on the display of nudity.

However, the community standards also say: "We aspire to respect people's right to share content of personal importance, whether those are photos of a sculpture like Michelangelo's David or family photos of a child breastfeeding."

A company spokesperson says everyone on Facebook agrees to Facebook's statement of rights and responsibilities (SRR) when they create an account.

"We want Facebook to be a place where people can openly discuss issues and express their views, while respecting the rights and feelings of others," the spokesperson said.

"Our policies are designed to strike a balance between giving people the ability to express themselves and maintaining a safe and trusted environment.

"Our SRR forbids content that includes pornography, bullying, and actionable threats of violence and we also impose limitations on the display of nudity. We remove any content reported to us that violates these policies."

The ABC says the picture was purchased from news agency Reuters and is a powerful and vivid image portraying a compelling news story.

"The ABC stands by the image in the #knowthestory ABC News campaign," a spokesperson said in a statement.

"We acknowledge some people might find the image a bit cheeky, but we believe it is a powerful and legitimate news image and feedback indicates that Australians are indeed interested to #knowthestory.

"The ABC is disappointed with Facebook and are continuing to ask them to reverse their decision."

Earlier this year Facebook was criticised for its response to pages that promoted violence against women.

According to an email distributed to staff last week, the #knowthestory campaign is designed to "attract audiences to ABC News at a time of heightened interest in news and current affairs".

"The campaign uses striking news and current affairs photos, video and audio, combined with powerful music tracks, to create visually and aurally captivating sequences that are designed to draw audiences in to ABC News," the email said.

"The campaign uses the #knowthestory hashtag ... to highlight the ABC as a digital, multi-platform news provider."