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Questions on this page If a Jew is forbidden to speak lashon hara is he/she allowed to be a reporter? What if they are supposed to mention bad things about other people?      Question: If a Jew is forbidden to speak lashon hara is he/she allowed to be a reporter? What if they are supposed to mention bad things about other people? Answer: The laws of lashon hara certainly apply to reporters. They apply to everyone. This does not mean the end of the reporting profession, because there is still plenty that reporters can write. It does mean that reporters have to be careful about what they write, and as with any complex halachic issue, they should probably consult a competent halachic authority on a regular basis. This issur is especially serious, because it involves the livelihood (parnasah) and social standing of real people. There are instances in which one is permitted to report things that another person does (for example to help others avoid being scammed, or harmed etc). Yet, even in these instances there are limitations: who may be notified (everyone, or only those who may be harmed?), exactly what and how a person can relate the events and more. These laws are complex, and would require a long explanation. To further understand the subject I would recommend that you read up on it. The most basic book available on the laws of lashon hara is the sefer of the Chofetz Chaim, called: Sefer Chofetz Chaim (that's how the Chofetz Chaim became known by this name). This book has been republished in recent years in a halacha-a-day over the course of a year format. A few books summarizing these laws have come out. One that I would recommend is: Guard your Tongue (in English, in Hebrew it's called: N'tzor L'shoncha), written by Rabbi Zelig Pliskin.

"Shalom. Thanks for the question, which brings up an issue that we always need to be reminded of. Rabbi Zalman Melamed - the Rosh Yeshiva of Yeshivat Beit El, Rabbi of Beit El, and one of the founders of Arutz-7 - is the rabbinic authority of Arutz-7. His guiding principle is, first of all, that something that is already known (public knowledge) can not always be publicized - as publicizing it further is at least avak lashon hara (Avak lashon hara- a statement which is not lashon hara itself, but will cause lashon hara to be spoken). However, one is permitted to speak bad of someone if that will bring benefit to the public or to many people, if this benefit cannot be effected in another way. For instance, if a businessman presents himself as an honest man but is really a crook, it is often mandatory to publicize this. Obviously, this principle can be abused, and therefore requires the writer in a Torah publication to be constantly on guard and to always remind and check himself regarding the goals and the guidelines.

Equally obviously, the above rules out all sorts of gossip columns, which have absolutely no place in a Torah publication. Similarly, crime stories usually should not have any names mentioned. Even political figures, who are often justifiably criticized based on the above principle of "benefit to the public," should not be mentioned by name in cases that can bring no such benefit - such as how many times he was divorced, or the like. There have been several cases when we have specifically left out names, even though in a "normal" newspaper they would have been mentioned totally matter-of factly".

I think the bottom line is that it's important to learn the details of hilchot lashon hara.

In memory of Esther and Irving Harris z"l and Esther and Tzvi Lerner z"l

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