Governor, Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi of Rivers State has said he supports the Freedom of Information Bill and called on the media to be accountable to the public in the reportage of events and activities in society.

Speaking in a keynote address at the 6th All Nigerian Editors Conference in Port Harcourt, he, however, said the bill should have a provision for criminal libel against any media practitioner that deliberately publishes what is inaccurate.

The governor, who highlighted the many advantages of a responsible media culture, urged media practitioners to be accountable to the public through factual reportage of events, emphasizing that it was the same way elected officers should be held accountable to the people that elected them.

He reasoned that Nigeria stands on the threshold of history towards the 2011 elections and charged the media to play its agenda setting role through their editorials in the various media organizations.