Reply To: Responsibility and the Jewish Blogger

shlishi–

Whether or not it’s explicitly stated in halocha, I’d assume shmiras haloshon applies equally to written or spoken speech. This is because the issue isn’t the physical method with which the words are produced (unlike brachos and shofar, where electronic transmission causes one not to be yotzeh), but rather the conveyance of info. That’s why LH applies equally by phone or in person.

mw13–

My assumption (which has zero halachik validity) notwithstanding, do you know of a place where written speech is paskened to be equal to the spoken word re: shmiras haloshon?

am yisrael chai–

A better answer than my original one to your prior statement would be:

Kudos to Klal Yisroel, who are aware of these issues and make an effort to do what’s right, as opposed to the secular world where this type of post would be laughed out of the room, and entire industries are built on gossip.