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There is a mitzva to save people from harm. Therefore, if a person witnesses someone’s property being damaged (whether intentionally or unintentionally), and it is clear the perpetrators will not take the initiative to admit guilt and pay, one may report this to the injured party, thus enabling them to sue for damages. As a general principle, the prohibition of lashon ha-ra is meant to prevent causing people needless pain, not to protect criminals and hooligans.
Let us say Reuven wants to do business with Levi, and asks Shimon if Levi is honest. If Shimon knows Levi is dishonest, he must tell Reuven to protect him. At the same time, Shimon should make sure not to overstate his criticisms. If his information about Levi is not definite, he must make that clear. Shimon should also not speak out of animosity. Rather, he should be motivated by his desire to save Reuven from making a mistake and suffering the consequences. When Reuven receives the negative report, he must thank Shimon for his help. At the same time, he should not take Shimon’s word as absolute truth. For even one who is extremely righteous may still misjudge another person. Similarly, it is possible Levi was dishonest in the past, but has since corrected his ways. Therefore, even though Reuven will make sure not to do business with Levi to avoid getting cheated, he should still retain a positive attitude towards him and treat him with respect.
The same thing applies to people running for office. It is permitted to report facts about them for the public benefit. This is on condition that a full picture is presented that includes both virtues and vices, without animosity or exaggeration. All this applies when the candidate is someone who is fundamentally decent like most people, but who has serious flaws which might lead others to prefer a different, better candidate. However, if a candidate is truly wicked – whether the wickedness stems from corrupt character or hatred for all that is sacred – they may be spoken of with hostility, to keep people from mistakenly following them. Yet even in such a case, it is still forbidden to lie or overstate the candidate’s shortcomings.
