8. Loshon Hora and Disputes
Just a short while ago, defaming someone was not easy. When printing derogatory or potentially slanderous remarks, journalistic pride and ethics caused journalists to (at least attempt to appear to) be impartial,
providing balance by including the response of the defamed party.
Reaching a large audience with defamation was expensive; you had either to own a publication yourself or else pay a publisher to disseminate libelous content — and then a distributor might draw the line. The printed word was generally traceable, as printing houses and periodicals concerned for their own reputation and afraid of being sued made sure to publish writers’ names.
The Internet has dramatically changed the playing field. Anyone can create a website anonymously, in a snap, for free. Search engines ensure that whoever has an interest in the content can reach it with relative ease. Once a website is discovered, new posts can often be followed via RSS feed, Facebook, Twitter, etc. Furthermore, our respect for the printed word (due in large measure to the constraints on print media listed above) is often transferred unthinkingly to written words online.
This situation has brought about an enormous proliferation of loshon hora and rechilus, whether on special websites devoted to their dissemination or as articles or comments on news websites. Even worse, the “regular” yetzer hara for salacious material is compounded by a culture of online vigilantism. This culture leads people to erroneously believe that they are doing a community service by publicizing misdeeds of other members of the community.