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Uxbridge Board of Health debates allowing public comments on official social media posts
Summary
At its Oct. 15 meeting the Town of Uxbridge Board of Health debated whether to permit public comments on posts from the department. Board members split between protecting staff from abusive comments and allowing open public discourse; the board agreed to leave routine judgment to staff for now.
The Town of Uxbridge Board of Health on Oct. 15 debated whether to allow public comments on official social media posts, with members sharply divided over the risk of misinformation and staff safety versus preserving an open forum for public input.
Member 1 (Board presiding member) opened the meeting and framed the discussion as a question about how the board posts press releases and public-health updates and whether the town should permit, restrict or disable comments on those posts. Member 2 said a September 30 Facebook post had comments disabled and described that as an "unprecedented" step that merited explanation.
The exchanges became pointed. "Any organization that disables comments is just a propaganda-pushing machine," Member 2 said, arguing that social media implies a "give-and-take" and that residents should be able to respond online as they do at town meetings. Several supporters of keeping comments open compared the practice to historical anonymous political pamphleteering, saying moderation should not equate to censorship.
Board members who favored limiting comments emphasized staff workload and safety. Member 1 said most social-media commentary "is not well thought out" and cited name-calling, threats and veiled illegal acts as reasons to limit open comment threads. Other members raised practical concerns about anonymous accounts and the time staff would need to monitor and remove abusive posts.
Speakers on both sides pointed to a middle path: use the town website for official information, post public-health notices to social media when appropriate, and direct substantive public input to formal channels such as the citizens forum, email, surveys or public hearings. Several members said staff should use judgment in deciding when to allow comments on specific posts.
The board did not adopt a formal new rule at the meeting. Members agreed in principle that staff should continue to exercise discretion when posting and moderating material and moved on to the next agenda item.
