The journalist whose reports were criticised in the Hutton report wants to carry on working for the BBC.
"Unfounded" claims by Andrew Gilligan on Radio 4's Today programme sparked the row which eventually led to Dr David Kelly's death, Lord Hutton ruled.
He rejected Mr Gilligan's report that No 10 "sexed up" a defence dossier.
But Jeremy Dear, of journalists' union the NUJ, defended Mr Gilligan's record and said he was meeting BBC managers to discuss his future role.
'Public service'
Mr Dear, the NUJ general secretary, who is representing Mr Gilligan in discussions with the BBC, rejected calls for him to be sacked and said he "hoped to hear him back on the airwaves".
THE HUTTON REPORT
Although there had been mistakes in his original report in May, the "thrust" of it had been correct and he had done a "public service" by exposing concerns about the government's intelligence dossier, Mr Dear said.
"He (Gilligan) does admit mistakes. I think the BBC have admitted mistakes as well.
"But we think the (Hutton) report is selective, grossly one-sided and agree with much of media coverage this morning (Thursday) that it is a bit of a whitewash," Mr Dear told Today.
'Track record'
Asked if he thought it was realistic that Mr Gilligan could carry on working for the BBC, in the light of the criticism levelled at him by Lord Hutton, Mr Dear said he "certainly hoped" so.
INQUIRY BACKGROUND
He said he would be speaking to BBC management "over the next few days" to talk about Mr Gilligan's future.
"He has a good track record in journalism and we hope to hear him back on the airwaves," he added.
The NUJ is concerned the Hutton report could deter whistleblowers from coming forward to expose wrongdoing and hamper the work of investigative journalists, Mr Dear said.
But he also called for a review of BBC procedures on "live two-ways", the unscripted exchanges between journalists of the type used by Mr Gilligan in May, and the use of single-source stories.
And he said there had to be a "discussion" with BBC journalists about how they can "hold government and politicians to account while at the same time making sure their reports are as accurate as they can be".
Mr Gilligan was asked to take part in Thursday's edition of the Today programme, but did not appear on the advice of his lawyers.
Since the beginning of the Hutton inquiry he has been working on other projects within the BBC and has not been filing reports as Today's defence correspondent, although no one has been appointed to replace him.
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