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Farragut adopts social‑media policy after heated debate over moderation and free‑speech safeguards
Summary
The Farragut Board approved an amended social‑media policy 3–1 on Feb. 12 after public commenters raised First Amendment concerns and board members pressed for clearer procedures and an appeals path; the policy was changed to allow the town to disable comments on certain posts, including public‑safety notices.
The Farragut Board of Mayor and Aldermen approved an amended social‑media policy (Resolution R26‑03) by a 3–1 vote on Feb. 12, ending hours of public comment and debate about how town‑sponsored platforms should be moderated.
The measure, introduced by staff and presented by Communications Manager Wendy Smith, lays out categories of content town staff may remove from town pages — including defamation, threats, spam and personally identifiable information — and clarifies that the town must avoid viewpoint discrimination. "I've been using social media to communicate with the town for nine years," Wendy Smith said, describing the policy as a safeguard against misuse and fraud. Smith said the policy is intended for rare interventions, not routine removal of disagreement.
During public comment, local resident Kim Parks argued the policy was…
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