A slight dilemma

A few months ago I was looking to earn a bit of cash, so I contacted the editor of the Hull Daily Mail, a mister Paul Johnson about the possibility of writing an article for the paper. He was very eager to give me some space, and set out to pay me £80 for the article as soon as it was published. I was due to go to the UK a short while afterwards so I gave him the details of my English Nationwide bank account, which he claimed to have paid the money to. I got back to England only to find that the money wasn't in there, as only a meager £5 lay in the account. I assumed that it was the standard cock-up either with the bank or with the HDM.
After relatives and friends pressured me to do something about the money, I decided to go into the Hull Daily Mail and have a word with Paul. I got into the offices and talked to the receptionist, explaining my problem. She called Paul upstairs and handed the phone to me, telling me to "calm him down", which I thought was an odd thing to say.

We spoke over the phone; Paul said he couldn't come down and talk to me face-to-face because he had a deadline to work up to, which I assumed was a suitable enough thing to say. We exchanged phone numbers, so we could contact each other, and I left. I spoke to him later in the day, and he told me it was probably a mix-up in the financial department. He said he'd email them and let me know once he'd gotten a reply from them. On Thursday I called him again and he still hadn't received a reply. I called him on Friday, and someone answered the phone, saying that Paul had left for the weekend.

My question is this: Have I been ripped off? Now, don't get me wrong, I'm happy that I got a very generous full page spread for my article and that I also got the chance to write something and get it published. Nevertheless, I do want my money. People have said that he's messing me about but he's appeared very cooperative and friendly. I don't have a cause to believe that he's cheated me of my money, I just want to know what the hell's going on.

What do you think I should do? I would really appreciate any advice.

Cheers, and 'till next time!