The prohibition which forbids acceptance of loshon hora or rechilus, which we have translated “Do not accept a false report,” uses the term “shav,” which literally means vain or meaningless. Clearly, the inference is that negative speech is not often to be given credence.
It is often difficult, if not impossible, for a speaker to convey every detail and all background information that is crucial for an accurate understanding of a given occurrence. Certainly, if the speaker is violating halachah by relating rechilus, one dare not assume that he is being careful to speak only the truth. Therefore, as in the case of loshon hora, belief of secondhand information in a way that could cause ill feelings among people is unjustified and prohibited.
