Social Media Policy

City of Jackson Social Media Policy for Users 

Revised Feb. 28, 2022


The City of Jackson, Michigan maintains social media platforms to keep residents informed on the latest happenings with City government and the community. Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube accounts are maintained and monitored by City staff. Content that is posted on these platforms often invites comments from resident users, who have chosen to “like” or “follow” the City’s social media accounts. Occasionally, inappropriate comments are posted by users, which often devolve into further improper comment exchanges. 

To maintain the integrity of our social media platforms and to keep comments civil, the City of Jackson reserves the right to have its staff delete comments which include the following content:

  • Any obscenity, defamation, fraud, or incitement to violence. 
  • Any true threat (including personal, targeted, racial, ethnic, or gender-based threats) or criminal conduct.
  • Foul or sexually explicit language, including sexual innuendos and references.  
  • Personal identifying information or sensitive personal information of another individual. 
  • Defamation (libel/slander). 
  • Comments or links that are off topic and do not relate to the original post. 
  • Illegal activity which violates any local, state or federal law.
  • Language that compromises the safety or security of the public or public systems information including but not limited to, current investigations, police tactics, and the safety of City staff and officers.  
  • Links to unverified and misleading online information.  
  • Promotion or advertising of any businesses or commercial enterprises, unless they are providing support to City services. 
  • Random or unintelligible text.  
  • Viruses or computer code.
  • Apparent spam.
  • Copyrighted material. 
  • Images, videos or links to sites that do not conform to these guidelines. 

Comments reported as abuse or flagged by City staff may be removed by staff following review by the City Attorney's Office. Repeated violations of the comment policy will cause the user to be permanently blocked from the City’s social media platforms. 

Users may report comment violations to City staff for review through the direct message feature on social media platforms. Comment violation reports will be responded to during regular City business hours. 

City staff also have the ability to turn off the ability to comment on posts that do not solicit public feedback. 

The City of Jackson is not responsible for the content provided on “related,” “promoted” or “sponsored” ads that are accessible on social media platforms. All viewers should note that these related ads and comments expressed on them do not reflect the opinions and position of the City of Jackson government, its officers or employees. 

A posted comment (which could be in the form of text, image, video or hyperlink) is the personal opinion of the original author, not the City of Jackson, and publication of a comment does not imply endorsement or agreement by the City of Jackson. 

The City of Jackson does not collect, maintain or otherwise use the personal information stored on any third-party site in any way other than to communicate with users on that site. Users should be aware that third party websites have their own privacy policies and follow these policies accordingly. 

Social media platforms are not monitored 24/7. Violations will be addressed during regular City business hours at the earliest convenience of staff. 

This comment policy may be revised at any time to ensure its continued use is consistent with its intended purpose as a limited forum. If you have any questions or comments about this policy, please direct them to the City Manager’s Office at 517-788-4035.