Can I ever say something negative about another person?

[per4mer530]

I was reading what the Catechism says about detraction…

He becomes guilty … of detraction who, without objectively valid reason, discloses another’s faults and failings to persons who did not know them (CCC 2477).

What I’m confused about is that it doesn’t say what an “objectively valid reason” would be. For example, is venting an objectively valid reason? Sometimes we need to vent to others about something irritating that happened, and that almost always involves disclosing a failing of another person. What are we to do in these situations?

 

[Michelle_Arnold]

While “venting” may at times be necessary, care should be taken in choosing the person to whom one vents and in how much indulgence one gives to the venting. One rule of thumb might be that you ordinarily do not vent to anyone who is not closely-involved in the situation enough to already know the faults of the person about whom you are venting. So, for example, you wouldn’t vent about a family member to an outsider. You should also take care that any venting serves a constructive purpose (e.g., seeking a remedy of some sort) and is not merely idle gossip.