Can we analyze three practical scenarios?
A) I am the editor of a newspaper, and print a notice stating that the hashgacha on a certain restaurant is less than reliable.
B) I am the editor of a newspaper, and print a notice saying that a certain restaurant features burnt food and poor service.
C) My friend approaches me privately and asks, “I’m thinking of dining at restaurant abc, can you tell me if you think I’ll like it?” I reply that restaurant abc features burnt food and poor servive.
Which of the above scenarios would be considered Loshon hora? Why?
What guidelines would you use in differentiating between permitted and forbidden speech?