Backbiting

The president-elect's cabinet selection process appeared in disarray, even as his fawning acolytes disputed multiple news reports of backbiting, vendettas, infighting and persistent, bitter acrimony. With the constantly ongoing palace intrigue, it was difficult to know for certain who was in charge.

Mark tactfully removed himself from any conversation involving backbiting.

[…]ending his epistle by saying, "that his uncle having doubtless lent his ear to some old woman's tales and backbiting, he did not choose to place his property in the hands of a spendthrift,[…]

She was not given to backbiting—though, when stirred by any motive near to her own belongings, she would say an illnatured word or two.

Backbiting talk that flattering blabs know wily how to blenge.

Am I to have a backbiting wife?

If the world’s premier A.I. start-up can so easily plunge into crisis over backbiting behavior and slippery ideas of wrongdoing, can it be trusted to advance a technology that may have untold effects on billions of people?