Thank you all for your comments!!
Pratt, Granny, and others who rightfully point out that JW's are not alone in gossip: How right that is. I experiance it daily at work. The distinction is that JW's not only preach against such behaviour, they ask you to examine all religions for fruits of the spirit. One of these is brotherly love. Gossiping is certainly contrary to that. I'm no expert, but in the Catholic and Protestant churches I attended before I became JW, I saw MUCH less (albeit some) gossiping. I never saw this when studying, as JW's tend to be on their best behavior around budding converts. Had I known about the gossiping while I was studying, it would have disproved one of their key arguments as to why they are the true religion. Think about it.
Will