Accompanying an Associated Press story citing “a report,” the Press Herald published this headline of phony “news” on May 1: “Kelly denies that he called Trump ‘idiot’ ” (Page A2).

John Kelly, President Trump’s chief of staff, says that this unverified story is “total BS,” and President Trump tweeted, “The fake news is going crazy making up false stories and using only unnamed sources (who don’t exist).”

Printing such rumors speaks volumes about your journalistic ethics and standards. Is this an example of your vaunted probing and objective journalism?

The public has a right not to have their divine souls assailed with such unsubstantiated and divisive gossip.

Walter J. Eno

Scarborough