"Idle gossip" refers to talking about other people's personal lives without any purpose or importance. It usually involves spreading rumors or discussing trivial matters that don't add value or meaning to a conversation.
Full definition
Old - fashioned and melodramatic it may be, but playwright Lillian Hellman's tale of decent lives destroyed
by idle gossip still hits hard.
There does NOT seem to be any press release, just
idle gossip along the lines of «The dog underwent a risky surgery and is now recovering well...»
The court was not dealing
with idle gossip, or public curiosity about what in truth were trivialities.
It is not responsible and as the article that I noted focused
on idle gossip, it has a ripple effect.
But they were also more than
idle gossip.
For example, when you are speaking about your previous teaching positions and fellow teachers, do not stoop to
idle gossip or petty statements.