[Avodah] Celebrity Gossip; Muttar/Assur and Why/Why Not?

[Harvey Benton]

Celebrity Gossip: Muttar/Assur and Why?
1. Is there a difference in talking about loshon hora (lh from herein) when it 
refers to a jew, or a non-jew. do we go according to the rov (majority of the 
person's religious status) if/when making this distinction? (this would apply 
here as most-rov hollywood movie-stars/celebrities are not-jewish). Would there 
be a difference if the person being talked about was a hollywood/movie/music, 
etc, celebrity, or a national/regional/israeli jewish/not-jewish 
political/banking/public figure??
2a. must there be a presumption of truthfullness about a topic that makes 
discussing it muttar? for instance, when a state-controlled media such as iran 
or n. korea issues a report about something, are we allowed to discuss it, or, 
since we can probably assume it is false, or at the least slanted (this would 
probably apply to slanted arab coverage of jewish events) we would be forbidden 
from discussing it? If the halacha is that we are NOT allowed to discuss it, 
would  the applicable issur-halacha be a lh one? or a midvar sheker tirchak one? 
or any other one?
2b. Some people believe celebrity gossip to be basically false, and mostly 
engendered to sell magazine/print copies. What preponderance of truthfulness of 
a possible story would make it muttar/assur to discuss? e.g. If 80% of gossip 
stories are false (=20% true) can we discuss it? or need it be 50%-50% 
true/false? or 51% or above likelihood of truth (rov-majority)? or any other 
yardstick?
3. If something is a public matter, certain halachos apply making it more 
permissible to discuss. Would such lieniencies apply to celebrity gossip, any 
more/less so than yesterday's superbowl game highlights?
4. Many stories in chazal are midrashim, guzmas, as well as rebbeshe maisos and 
baal shem tov stories. These are taught and told to inspire us and to teach us 
to behave in a torah-derech. However, some of these stories are not true. Would 
the same yardsticks of  truthfullness (as asked in question 2a above) be 
applicable to torah inyanim, being as they are meant to instruct us and can 
therefore be argued to be doing a useful and positive purpose? Or, would they 
not be permitted to be discussed (highly doubtful as they are chazal's). Either 
way, would these storie's /chazal's fall under the same yardsticks as asked in 
2a above, and if so, why/why not? What if any distinction(s) would be made for 
discussing them vs. the superbowl highlights or current events or gossip 
columns? Would the applicable halachos again fall under the distinctions of 
lhora, midvar sheker tirchak, chukas hagoyim, etc. ?
Thanks much. 


      
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