South Bend Common Council members will soon have guidelines on how its elected officials should act on social media. The rules are needed after the Facebook and Twitter controversies created by councilman Henry Davis Jr. earlier this year. The South Bend Tribune reports the guidelnes include topics such as integrity, responsibility, assuming everything online is public and considering social media as a risk-based decision…also, where the line is drawn between a personal account and professional account. The Tribune reports the new guidelines make it clear that if an elected official’s social media account makes any reference to his or her position with the city, they open themselves to Council rules and scrutiny. Possible punishments for breaking the guidelines are still being considered.
