While some of you are enjoying
your summers abroad or off vacationing with family and friends, others have
been occupied with the drama between rappers, Drake and Meek Mill. For those of
you who have a life during the summer: don’t worry, I have you covered. Recently, I’ve been occupied with
trolling the Internet and analyzing the beef between the two. It all started
when Meek Mill called out Drake for using ghostwriter, Quentin Miller, to write
popular tracks on his latest album, If You’re Reading This, It’s Too Late.
Ghostwriting is viewed as a
dishonest practice in the rap world… but what about in the
communications world? The practice of writing material for another person,
without a byline, in exchange for profit is common in organizations that have
PR professionals working to meet communication objectives. The public is
typically aware of ghostwriting when it comes to speeches and autobiographies,
but in some instances ghostwriting can be deceiving.
At some point as a PR
practitioner, you will be asked to write blog post, an op-ed or a speech from
the voice of your client or spokesperson of your organization. Sometimes
organizations need a Quentin Miller due to time restraints or because the CEO
of an organization may not be the best writer. PR pros are hired to
strategically position clients to receive publicity in a highly saturated world
of endless content. The ethical dilemma comes down to what the content is, how
it is delivered and the transparency of the message.
Content
In the world of academia and
medical journals, it is never acceptable to have a ghostwriter. It is unethical
to distort medical facts to sway the opinion of the reader towards or away from
a certain pharmaceutical drug or medical technology. Distortion of medical
facts is punishable by law. However, by time the case reaches court the damage
may have already been done onto readers who read published ghostwritten pieces
in high impact factor journals. Having a ghostwriter develop content for a medical
journal also lessens credibility since the credentials and qualifications of
the ghostwriter are typically unknown. This also places mistrust on the person
whose name the article is under.
Delivery
Back in 2013, Samsung was fined
$340,000 for paying people to write online comments praising their company and
dissing their competition. Clearly, this draws the line in terms of PR ethics.
Organizations should not deceive their audiences by paying ghostwriters to post
fake reviews. Some suggest TARES (the PR ethics code of blogging consisting of
truthfulness, authenticity, respect, equity and social responsibility) be
enforced to prevent further deceitful communication efforts.
Transparency
It is crucial that the
communications professional works closely and collaboratively with the person
hosting the byline name. If the audience understands that there is another
writer involved with the published blog, article or speech, then ghostwriting
can be considered ethical. It is also important that the article accurately
reflects the ideas of the bylined name. Consultation and approval by your
client or CEO must be completed prior to making the piece public.
This guest blog post was written by PRowl Account Executive Olivia Noble.
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