Brookline discusses tighter media and social‑media rules, delays vote for more review

Christina Metcalf, Brookline’s communications officer, presented an updated media engagement policy and a revised social‑media policy during the Select Board’s July 1 meeting, then the board agreed to delay final approval to allow more review and follow‑up.

Metcalf described the media engagement policy as a codification of the procedures she already follows: departmental staff should loop her in when they receive media inquiries so the town can coordinate responses and avoid contradictory statements. “It clarifies the rules,” she said, explaining the policy asks staff to note deadlines, identify who can speak on behalf of departments and escalate questions to division heads when necessary.

The social‑media policy update, Metcalf told the board, modernizes a 2017 document and addresses account creation, authorized users, training, naming conventions and archiving. “We have a social@brooklinema account,” she said, describing a goal that accounts remain town‑owned so they transfer cleanly when staff change roles. The draft also outlines comment moderation, removal protocols and annual review by the town administrator’s office, HR and IT.

Members of the Select Board praised the work but raised multiple operational and policy questions. Several members pressed Metcalf for a full inventory of town accounts; she said, from her review, Brookline currently has around 14 Facebook pages, 18 Instagram accounts, 20 Twitter accounts and multiple YouTube and LinkedIn pages, though some are inactive or unofficial. The board discussed whether individual departments should join high‑traffic community groups such as the Townwide Facebook page or Reddit. “It’s one thing to have a social media account where we’re pushing information out; it’s another to go into the fray of a group,” Select Board Member Paul Warren said, urging caution around staff engagement in large community forums.

Board members also raised capacity and strategy questions: if the town centralized monitoring and response, would the communications office have the staffing to do that? Metcalf said she plans monthly meetings of town communicators, will gather a full inventory of accounts and recommended streamlining rather than immediate expansion. She described technical constraints and federal guidance that currently preclude active use of TikTok and noted that the town uses Hootsuite (a third‑party scheduler/analytics tool) and that she can generate performance insights for departments.

Because the presentation generated detailed operational questions — including which departments should participate in large, public community groups, how to define “success” metrics across different accounts and how to staff a consolidated approach — the board declined to vote and asked staff to return with additional information at the next meeting. The Select Board asked Metcalf to provide a consolidated account inventory, proposed thresholds or criteria for departmental participation in townwide groups, and recommended language addressing how staff should handle tagged posts or third‑party pages.

The Select Board and Metcalf agreed the policy is an incremental improvement over the 2017 rules, but members said further refinements and a discussion of social media strategy and staffing are needed before formal adoption. Paul Warren and other members asked the administration to consider targeted exercises (an inventory matrix and a short white paper on pros/cons) so the board can approve a policy that pairs clear rules with an enforceable communications strategy.

The board will take the policies up again at its July 15 meeting.