I’m writing this now as my puppy is sleeping on the sofa in my office, the AC is on and I’m comfortable at work, and in my own skin; at least I hope I’ve accepted my limitations, weirdness and quirks after all these years.

We at OffBeat have devoted our time and energy since 1988 to produce a magazine, a website, a newsletter, social media and events that we hope that our readers enjoy, read, savor, discuss and use to educate themselves on the vast treasure of music and culture that is New Orleans.

Since I publish this magazine, every month in my column and in my Mojo Mouth blog (online at offbeat.com), I tend to inject my personality and some of my beliefs into what I write as Editor-­in-­Chief of this media.

There are some things I feel very strongly about vis a vis music which I write about regularly; I have tried (mostly, but not always successfully) to keep my personal political leanings and agenda out of what I write for the magazine. OffBeat’s social media page is devoted to keeping our readers abreast of things that we think—as media—are important to our readers. Most of our OffBeat posts are included on our website. My own personal Facebook page, however, is another story.

Frankly, I rarely post to Facebook; I don’t even look at it daily, as many people do (some many, many times a day), as I’m way too busy trying to keep OffBeat around. As you can imagine, this is not easy when integrity in journalism is becoming a scarce commodity, and when print and digital advertising is being superseded by posts on social media, as if sharing a photo of food or a band is the be-­all and end­-all of promoting your product. I disagree and think social media has its place in the marketing mix, but that’s for another time.

Therefore, I was shocked and troubled to get an email from an old friend and client who accused OffBeat of promoting a left-wing agenda that threatened his business, country and family. Admittedly, I have occasionally put up personal Facebook posts in the wake of terrible incidents like the recent Orlando massacre, or as commentary on politicians (remember, these are personal, and not part of OffBeat). OffBeat’s focus is on our music, and will continue to be. Personal politics and OffBeat politics are two different animals.

I do wish my friend could have sat in on conversations and phone calls I had with my dear mother, whose political philosophies differed 180 degrees from mine (we loved each other anyway for as long as she lived).

So my question is: Do my personal Facebook posts have a clear negative effect on our media’s reputation as a supporter and representative of the local music community? Obviously my personal posts are shared with many on social media, but they do not represent OffBeat’s “political agenda.” OffBeat has no political agenda except where it impacts local musicians and the music community. Then we will speak out, or cover a political event that has an obvious effect on local musicians and the music community.

Aren’t we all free to express our personal opinions in a public forum? Even if our opinions differ radically from someone else’s?

One thought: If my personal opinions have seeped into my OffBeat editorials, that is unintentional. So if you really want to know what I think about politics, follow me personally on Facebook. Or not. Your choice. But please continue to follow OffBeat for information on music. Now if we’re not doing a good job there, I do want to know about that.