Look, I get it, every once in a while we mishear something, we get a false version of a story. It happens to all of us. It’s happened to me. I read something, my preconceived notions allow me to assume it is true and accurate. I share it with others.

But here’s one thing we need to understand: The more you share gossip, the bigger the problem is, and you have to think seriously about what needs to be done to stop. Even if it means kicking yourself off that platform.

If you continually and purposefully share rumors from disreputable sources of information (most notably chain emails, and hasty memes from a FB group that has no journalists on staff), and you continually ignore or make excuses when someone points out that your info is incorrect and misleading, you are morally in the wrong and have to start making a change. You are in violation of the commandment not to bear false witness. It is a big deal.

Again, if you continue this pattern, you do not deserve to be “left alone” on the media platform you choose to share this stuff on. You invite public criticism for every time you publicly share that garbage with other people.

It is not “trolling” for someone to point out that you told an untrue story. It is a mercy.

If the person is hateful in the way they point out the error, that is on them, but urgency and harshness is not the same as a mean spirit. If you choose to use these spaces to gossip and slander people without checking to see what is accurate, and you don’t show any sign of trying to change that behavior, you have become a living toxin.

If you can’t invest the time to check into the validity of the info and commentary you share in public, either stop investing time in it or delete your profile on the platform you use. It’s your responsibility. Own up to it.