LondonKillieIII
18-08-2015, 09:41 AM
A FORMER Premier League football club chairman has lost a long-running dispute with with BBC over comments made by a pundit.
Michael Johnston, who earlier this year stepped down as chairman of Kilmarnock FC after ten years, was upset at claims made by former Hearts and Hibernian player Michael Stewart on the BBC Sportscene programme.
Mr Stewart said Mr Johnston had "acted in bad faith" in a row over bonuses due to the players depending where the team finished in the league.
However Mr Johnston, a solicitor, insisted he should have had a right of reply to the comments and the BBC was wrong not to seek his opinion.
Now Mr Johnston has indicated he may take further action against Mr Stewart personally over what he considers was a "defamatory comment".
Mr Johnston, who remains as Kilmarnock secretary, took his fight for fairness to the BBC Trust on appeal citing the original complaint and then the way it was rejected by the Editor of BBC TV Sport and the Editorial Complaints
Michael Johnston, who earlier this year stepped down as chairman of Kilmarnock FC after ten years, was upset at claims made by former Hearts and Hibernian player Michael Stewart on the BBC Sportscene programme.
Mr Stewart said Mr Johnston had "acted in bad faith" in a row over bonuses due to the players depending where the team finished in the league.
However Mr Johnston, a solicitor, insisted he should have had a right of reply to the comments and the BBC was wrong not to seek his opinion.
Now Mr Johnston has indicated he may take further action against Mr Stewart personally over what he considers was a "defamatory comment".
Mr Johnston, who remains as Kilmarnock secretary, took his fight for fairness to the BBC Trust on appeal citing the original complaint and then the way it was rejected by the Editor of BBC TV Sport and the Editorial Complaints