Columbus bars public comments on city-owned Facebook pages, council says contact info will remain available

The Columbus City Council on April 21 adopted Resolution No. R25-67 to disable public comments on all city-owned Facebook pages, including the police and fire pages.

An official reading presented to the council said the city launched Facebook pages in February 2011 and has seen an increasing number of “false, negative, and harmful comments” that the city says compromise the platforms’ purpose of sharing city news and updates. Under the new policy, future posts will have public comments disabled; each post will include phone, email and other contact information so residents may convey questions or concerns directly.

Mayor James B. Bulkley (reading the policy) said the change is intended to preserve the city’s ability to share trustworthy information while retaining direct lines of communication. “City Facebook will continue to share news, events, and stories, and we strongly encourage residents to reach out through direct messages, emails, or phone,” the reading states. The policy says relevant contact information will be included in every post.

Council discussion included a legal question about the First Amendment; city legal staff told the council that an “all-or-nothing” approach (disabling all comments on city-managed pages) avoids selective censorship concerns. A council member also noted that much constructive feedback already arrives by phone or direct message.

Why it matters: The change alters how residents can publicly respond to city posts on Facebook and centralizes feedback to direct channels. Officials said the goal is to reduce what they described as harmful commentary while preserving channels for constructive input.

Discussion vs. decision: The council’s formal action was adoption of Resolution R25-67; discussion covered legal defensibility and alternative feedback routes. No appeals or amendments were recorded.