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Is tweeting bad things about a Jew not allowed?

Question:

Dear Rabbis,

I have a question that touches upon the spheres of journalism and lashon hara.

I recently watched an excellent Netflix program which paints a rather unflattering picture of ,,,,,,,, — alleging that he is something of a slumlord and that the company he controls has a long history of treating tenants poorly.

Is it possible to express the support for such programming on a public forum like Twitter?

And what about criticizing the conduct and decisions of individual politicians in Israel — as many of us have cause to do at the moment?

Is there any general guidance about when and where we are permitted to publicly criticize the conduct of Jews and Jewish leaders without violating the precept of lashon hara?

Thank you in advance!

Answer:

Tweeting, speaking or writing lashon hora about a Jew is not permitted, (unless he is anti torah). Expressing your supportive opinion  has other issues to it, firstly, that we are not allowed to accept the lashon hora that is being spoken, and by showing your support for the lashon hora you are surely believing it. Secondly, we are not allowed to show support for an aveiro that is being done, therefore you should not show your support for these things. If the eperson you are talking about is an anti torah person and you want to show how his ways are incorrect, then it would be l’toeles and permitted.

Best wishes

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