Social Media Policy

City of Ferndale Social Media Disclaimer

The City of Ferndale is committed to maintaining its social media spaces as welcoming, respectful, and constructive environments for public engagement. To support this goal, the City has developed formal Social Media Policies that establish clear guidelines for the use and moderation of its official social media accounts.

These policies have been carefully reviewed and approved by City of Ferndale Senior Staff and the City Attorney to ensure compliance with all applicable legal requirements, including the First Amendment and public records laws. As such, the City cannot remove comments or content from its social media platforms without an established, legally sound policy in place.

The City’s Social Media Policies will be published on the City website, shared across official social media channels, and referenced in comment threads when appropriate—especially during contentious discussions or in response to public concerns.

Social Media—defined as third-party hosted online technologies that facilitate social interaction and dialogue—enhances the City’s ability to communicate timely, relevant information directly to the community and news media. These platforms include, but are not limited to, social networking sites like Facebook, Reddit, and Instagram; micro-blogging tools such as Twitter; and audio-visual sharing platforms like YouTube.

The City encourages the responsible use of these tools by designated City employees to further the goals of the organization and the missions of its departments, where appropriate.

You may review the City of Ferndale's Social Media Policies here:

City of Ferndale Social Media Policy (Internal) (PDF)

City of Ferndale Posted Content and Commentary Policy (PDF)