Lashon Hara & Celeb Slander
Question
Hi. I am trying to learn more about Lashon Hara. Specifically about whether speaking about celebrities is considered Lashon Hara. Is it? Do you have any sources about Lashon Hara and specifically about speaking about celebrities or other people in power who make their lives known that I can look at?
Also, would submitting a rating to my school or on an online forum about a professor be considered Lashon Hara? Do you have sources on this? Thank you so much.
Answers
According to the Laws of Lashon Hara, talking about celebrities would be permitted because their lives are pretty much public knowledge anyway. Another reason why it could be permissible for most celebrities is that there is no prohibition against speaking Lashon Hara about non-Jews, although the Rabbis recommend not to so the speaker should not become accustomed to speaking Lashon Hara.
However, having said all that, perhaps the real question is whether it is correct to speak about others (certainly derogatorily) even if it is permitted to do so.
The same is applicable to rating schools and professors. If the school or the professor is Jewish, it is forbidden to rate unless you are going to give only a positive rating. If they are not Jewish, it would be permissible, but I would highly recommend that you not do so, as a negative rating can have a direct impact on the income of the school or the professor, which would be a terrible thing to cause.
Best wishes from the AskTheRabbi.org Team