An otherwise good discussion can be destroyed by slandering another person.

At the end of Hilchot Deot, Maimonides presents four levels of slander:

• Rechilut: Telling stories that can cause dissention, even though they are not inherently evil
• Lashon Hara: Telling evil things about another, even though they are true
• Motzi Shem Ra: Telling evil things that are not true, about another person
• Baalei Lashon Hara: Those who are regularly involved in Lashon Hara, such as the propaganda on the mass media. They listen to and believe Lashon Hara.