Gossip, Shoptalk, and Small Talk : Page 244

A good Christian and a cultivated conversationalist neither indulges in it nor tolerates it in his presence. When he knows a remark to be slander he registers his protest. He may say, "Mr. Jones, in asserting that Mrs. Todd carries on with the iceman — or, that Manly does not pay his bills — you are misinformed. I am in as good a position as anyone to know the facts, and I assure you that is not true. I hope you will correct any impression to the contrary which you may have given elsewhere as well as here." Some sort of check to slander, it is your duty to give. If you are not positive of your facts but reasonably suspect slander, you may say, "Mr. Jones, while I am not in a position to be absolutely sure, I nevertheless strongly suspect that you have been misinformed in this matter. Do you have incontrovertible proof of this, or are you reporting it merely from hearsay?" This is usually enough to check the slander, or to discredit it.