[Avodah] Exempt from Loshon Hara

[Richard Wolpoe]

On Thu, Apr 17, 2008 at 6:30 AM, Cantor Wolberg <cantorwolberg at cox.net>
wrote:

> I have a very interesting question for Avodah.  Is a newspaper exempt
> from loshon hara?
> In other words, if a prominent Jewish person is charged with any
> crime, is the publishing
> of the story by a newspaper loshon hara and/or rechilus?  Without
> going into specifics,
> (otherwise I would be perpetuating the salacious story), if a
> prominent (or even average)
> Jewish person were charged with having been involved in an adulterous
> relationship (whether
> it was true or not) and it was put in the newspaper, is the newspaper
> guilty of loshon hara?
>
> Also, would there be different standards if it were true or not true?
>
> ri


I would say NOT exempt.

At most a news disseminator can state that there are allegations, but in no
way can take any side on the FACTS, unless perhaps the  writer is an eye
witness.

And this assumes all the other restrictions are in place [to'eles, etc.]

AISI the biggest problem with newsmedia is reporting allegations as facts.


Willie Helmreich - author of the world of the Yeshiva - was asked the
following question:
"We work here on miracles- how can you report THAT in your book?"

His reply:
"I will report that you claim that you work on miracles"

IOW, the author will present the statement because he witnessed it himself
[ear witness?] but he cannot report miracles he has not seen but only heard
about as facts. OTOH he is not so cynical as to deny that there wre indeed
nissim keeping these yeshivos going. He would simply give a neutral tone:
That Yeshiva X claims it survives by miracles.

So newspaperse must play by the Halachah, and not present claims as facts.
While there are numerous other  Halachos, too, this just seems to me to be
"the biggie".
-- 
Kol Tuv / Best Regards,
RabbiRichWolpoe at Gmail.com
see: http://nishmablog.blogspot.com/
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