Gossip

Gossip is "idle talk or rumor, esp. about the personal or private affairs of others."

Problems with gossip

Leviticus 19:16:"Do not go about spreading slander among your people."

Gossip is widely considered to be ethically wrong or sinful to the extent it:

• damages the reputation of the object of the gossip
• perpetrates or encourages injustice or lack of charity towards others
• wastes time and distracts from productive endeavors

Sources of gossip

Leading publications of gossip include the National Enquirer. Wikipedia is a leading purveyor of gossip on the internet, routinely abusing its founder's claim that it is "a free encyclopedia of the highest possible quality" by allowing disproportionately large numbers of pages that contain such content.

Gossip in Buddhism

In Buddhist morality, the Five Precepts, which are required to receive as a formal oath or vow in order to be a Buddhist (unlike many liberals who call themselves Buddhists while ignoring morality), specifically forbid gossip or "divisive speech" in the Fourth Precept which also forbids lying, lewd or lascivious speech (profanity), and harsh speech.

See Also

• Yellow journalism
• Journalistic malpractice
• National Enquirer
• People magazine

External Links

Biblical verses on gossip