AFL chief executive Gillon McLachlan believes there's merit in Collingwood coach Nathan Buckley's call to ban journalists in certain circumstances.
Buckley made the extraordinary suggestion after Brad Hardie sensationally claimed on 6PR that Fremantle coach Ross Lyon had sounded out the Pies about the possibility of coaching the club.
The outraged Dockers took the unusual step of denouncing the "spurious claims" in a press release, with Magpies president Eddie McGuire labelling Hardie's contention "a total lie" on the Nine Network.
Hardie, a Brownlow Medal winner, has stood by his claim.
But McLachlan will consider the possibility of stripping journalists of their AFL media accreditation in light of the episode.
"I actually thought it was quite a good idea," McLachlan said on 3AW on Friday.
"There's a responsibility everywhere, our players, coaches, officials, everyone is held incredibly accountable every day. We are also talking about people's livelihood and careers and this allegation talked to integrity.
"The thought that someone (could) actually just make something up that has such significant ramifications.
"I think there almost has to be an accountability for that and taking accreditation away seems to me to be a fairly logical outcome of that, so I reckon that it is worth looking at."
When it was suggested the measure was akin to censorship, McLachlan said the penalty wouldn't be imposed for an unpopular opinion.
But he conceded there would be difficulties in proving beyond doubt that a journalist had fabricated a story.
"That's the issue, how do you prove it to be true?" he said.
"That they lied or it's not true? So you end up in a bit of a nil-all draw. But the serious accountability for people making stuff up should hold."
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