Some Anniston, Alabama leaders are pushing for restrictions on city employees’ negative opinions about their employers and government. There is opposition, but from intentions that are quite disheartening.
In February 2011, Anniston City Manager Don Hoyt proposed a policy that restricts city employees from saying anything negative about their employer on personal Facebook accounts. In interviews with The Anniston Star, Councilman Ben Little claimed city employees “are obligated to present the city of Anniston, its officials, employees, and citizens in a positive light” and suggested disciplinary actions for those who post anything “inappropriate or embarrassing to the city or its citizens.” If something smells like horse-squeeze but is described “in a positive light” as a bed of roses, that strikes me as a false truth. If it walks like a politician…
The Fight for Facebook Freedoms
Not all city leaders feel the same way, however. Councilman John Spain said Hoyt’s proposal is too vague. Mayor Gene Robinson added the proposal might infringe on First Amendment rights and “open up the city for more lawsuits, and lawsuits are expensive.” The Anniston city council knows ‘expensive’ all too well—a city inquisition that has wasted months of time and a boat-load of cash is a great basis of their knowledge. Robinson’s remark is indeed a fact, but should something like money even have to be a factor in deciding an outcome for such a blatantly oppressive city policy? If it talks like a politician…
Criticizing public figures is a civil liberty virtually all people exercise on a regular basis. Whether someone is #WINNING on Twitter or casting their vote for “moron of the year” on Facebook, the remarks will forever swarm the internet. It seems the City Council’s real problem is not with individual Facebook posts, but rather the growing number of critical remarks. The fear of an employee losing a job these days is already a powerful thing, but employees regardlessly post their personal opinions. For me, a red flag goes up when the employer wants to make the fight against this fear a crime. If it walks and talks as such, it probably is.
Hopefully the council members will realize the most effective way to solve this problem doesn’t lie with a single talking point on some random Tuesday. A restriction may stop critical remarks, but the critical sentiment will still linger. Egos might be saved, but not without losing respect from those who are targeted by a growing number of policies. The more numerous restrictions will only lead to a deeper feeling of contempt for city leaders, and isn’t that feeling the real problem in this situation? “A long habit of not thinking a thing wrong, gives it a superficial appearance of being right, and raises at first a formidable outcry in defence of custom.” It’s Common Sense.
-MDS