EXOD763 Even those of us who acknowledge speaking lashon hara believe that we never spread malicious lies. And yet, if we pass on rumors, we inevitably end up disseminating lies as well. That is because rumors, in general, are not positive ("Hey, did you hear that so-and so is a wonderful person?"). Many, perhaps most, rumors are negative. If they also turn out to be false, then we have helped to pass on a damaging lie. "But I didn't know it wasn't true," we will say. This, however, is not a valid defense. Someone who drinks alcohol before driving does not intend to go out and kill anyone with their car. Yet, if a person routinely drinks and drives, he will, sooner or later, get into an accident and cause an innocent person grave injury. If we don't resist passing on rumors, then sooner or later-probably sooner-some of these rumors will be both negative and untrue. That we did not inflict the harm intentionally is as much of a consolation to the victim as is the claim of the drunk driver that he did not mean to maim his victim. Transmitting a false rumor also puts us in violation of a specific biblical command: "You shall not carry false reports" [this verse].