Hearsay and slander,
Libel and gossip
Are the news we cannot trust-
We need to fix it.
A juicy piece of news
Travels like a forest fire
And social media platforms
Are here for the hire.
“This is the gospel”
“I know it for sure”
“This is from a reliable source”
But there are more.
“You must believe me”
“From the horse’s mouth”
News from the east to west
From north to south.
News about politicians
And about pastors too,
News about the church-goers
From pulpit to pew.
Hearsay and slander
Libel and gossip,
Are the news we cannot trust-
We need to fix it.
Had an old pastor
That condemned gossip,
You could not take news to him
Yes, he fixed it.
One thing he required
And this before listening
Was for that one to be present
Meaning the victim.
If this couldn’t be done
It was simply, “case dismissed”
For he had better things to do,
In fact, a long list.
Re news we can’t trust,
We must be very careful
For we often end up hurting
Innocent people.
And it is embarrassing
When it is not true
Though from reliable sources
Like me and you.
If it is positive news
Then there is no problem
But if they bring the negative
We must reject them.
Hearsay and slander,
Libel and gossip
Are the news we cannot trust-
We need to fix it.
It is at every level:
High, medium and low
And if it is generally expected,
You’d hear, “I felt so.”
Let’s be more positive
Encourage the unfortunate,
Glorying in one’s misfortune
Is a pathetic mistake.
And be careful too
With this “in confidence”,
It is often said to titillate
A captive audience.
One thing we can try
Is a “don’t need to know”
And be that considerate person
To interrupt the flow.
The flow of such news
That we cannot trust
And for that unfortunate one
Causes much fuss.
Hearsay and slander,
Libel and gossip
Are the news we cannot trust-
We need to fix it.
Stewart Russell © June 18, 2024
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