> as long as we understand the “opinions” involved in people’s reputation to be something formed more or less involuntarily as a consequence of receiving information being circulated about them.
What? Involuntarily? My opinions are certainly not formed involuntarily as a consequence of information. That's not something I can "understand".
One's reputation is not their property. How can my opinion be your property? Step off.
> It is wrong, all else equal, to knowingly damage an aspect of other people—like their face or their farm—in which they have strong interests.
No, it is not. If James Taylor has a strong interest in singing, it is not wrong to say he sings flat. It can be mean to criticize people for things they cannot change, but it's hardly wrong.