'It's all down to trust,' says Fitton

That is the view of former Swindon Town chairman Andrew Fitton in the wake of the media storm that has engulfed the club this week.

That trust has clearly broken down between the local media and those running the club over the last year, to such an extent that the club are now looking to other avenues to distribute their news.

Fitton has admitted to using the press to help promote the club during his time in charge, but with that, he knew that he would also have to give something back.

“The two relationships I really valued the most were the Advertiser, which in my day was Anthony Marshall, and then the relationship we had with the BBC, with Shaun (Hodgetts),” he said.

“Those were vital channels to inform and so we used them.

“But if you are going to use them, you can’t say that we are only going to give you the good news. You have to be willing to admit when there are issues.”

Fitton said that he created a good relationship with the media through that honest approach, but understands that it is a two-way street.

“I think trust is something you earn and I don’t think you just have it,” added Fitton. “I don’t know what the press thought when we first arrived, but I think, because we were open, we developed a good relationship.

“What that comes down to as well is the press ringing you before they put out a story and asking ‘is this right?’ Or ‘we have got this story, can we have a comment before we print?’.

“My experience was, and I can’t remember an example, if I didn’t want something printed I would say, ‘I prefer you didn’t print that actually and I will tell you about it tomorrow’.

“It is complicated because if the bond gets broken because you are not willing to give the press a comment, or you are not willing to tell them, or you tell them an untruth, then all of a sudden you become fair game for them.

“I do think, and I must emphasise this, that there has to be trust on both sides. If you break that trust, then you deserve everything you get.”