NBC tech reporter Kate Tenbarge reported on reactions to Meta’s new policy, including Equal Access Public Media’s unique response. Chief of editorial Stacy Kess answered questions about why EAPM chose to simply post a statement, then leave our accounts dormant.

Stacy Kess, founder of the nonprofit news organization Equal Access Public Media, told NBC News that she was “disheartened” to see other people and organizations in the disability community continue to post on Meta platforms after the policy on hateful conduct was updated to allow calling LGBTQ people mentally ill.

“I just saw so many people still actively posting on Instagram, and I wondered how many of them knew about the policy change,” Kess said. “That should be a hard line for both the disability and the LGBTQ community.”

Equal Access Public Media has accounts on Facebook, Instagram and Threads, which issued statements concerning the policy change Tuesday that said “EAPM condemns this policy allowing dehumanizing and ableist language. We will continue to post elsewhere.” The organization, which is raising funds to produce accessible news products in video, audio, American Sign Language and simplified English, has its largest following on Bluesky. 

“We don’t feel like we’re taking a moral absolutism kind of stance, we feel like we’re just living our values by saying ‘This is not OK,’” Kess said. “We’ll continue to explore other options, because we know that there are other options.”

Read Tenbarge’s full article on NBC News.