It used to be city officials only had to hear how stupid they were during public comment at a council meeting, in the Reader’s Forum pages of The Post-Journal, local radio talk shows or if they were out and about and approached by a constituent.

Those old examples, however, can be instructive as we consider the current “controversy” over whether or not the city of Jamestown has to allow comments on its City of Jamestown Municipal Facebook page. There is no First Amendment right to print letters in the Reader’s Forum. There was no First Amendment right that forces local radio stations to offer call-in talk shows and, when they did, callers could be disconnected or banned when they crossed certain lines. It follows, both legally and logically, that there is no First Amendment right forcing the city of Jamestown to allow comments on its municipal Facebook page.

It’s clear-cut. As long as everyone is treated fairly and the page isn’t used for political purposes, the city is well within its right not to allow comments on its municipal Facebook page. Basically the site has to be used as a bulletin board to make announcements and not on matters of public discussion.

We can’t argue with that, though we note it is up to city officials to make sure that is indeed how the page is used and not to criticize newspaper reporting or a reporter’s work as it was in late July.

It’s also worth noting that for every action there is a reaction. Voters will decide for themselves if this is an issue they care enough about Facebook comments to change their vote when City Council members are elected next year or when the mayor is elected again in three years.

But now, in 2024, has anyone actually been harmed by not allowing comments on the “official” city Facebook page. Not at all. Those who want to congregate on Facebook and express disagreement with city policies or elected officials are free to do so on their own page. They can attend a City Council meeting and voice their disagreement – as some city residents have in the past couple of weeks. They can share the city’s post and comment away amongst themselves. They can create groups and invite members to talk amongst themselves privately without fear of retribution using Facebook just as they can rent a room and have a private meeting.

At worst the city not allowing comments on its official Facebook page is a minor inconvenience. It’s far from an egregious First Amendment violation. It’s not tyranny. It’s not cowardice. It’s a choice with which one can agree or disagree – but let’s not go overboard.

Facebook was never meant to be the official public square, nor were newspaper comment sections or radio talk shows or Twitter/X. They are platforms that allow for interaction, but there is no First Amendment right for those platforms to exist. There is similarly no First Amendment requirement that a local government official have a Facebook account or be required to use the platform to interact with constituents.

There are serious things happening in Jamestown right now – and plenty of places to talk about them. Let’s not waste more time on the city’s “official” Facebook page.