When Grant asked a week ago if I would write a post about the pros and cons of legal ghost blogging the prospect seemed a lot simpler than it does today. With heated discussions about the ethics of ghost blogging currently taking place on other blogs right now, the topic now seems heavy with significance. In actuality the ethics of ghost blogging has always been heavy with significance, and always will be; this is because “the ethics of ghost blogging” is not just about ghost blogging—and not just about blogging—but about ethics in general. It is also about the wider issue of the responsibility each and every one of us—blogger or no, lawyer or no—has to the people with whom we interact.
The accusation I seem to see flung most frequently is that hiring a ghostwriter is a lie or deception. This seems like a reasonable conclusion, after all, the deception is right there in the title. If you’re giving credit it’s called “guest”, not “ghost”. But I see newsletters, research, website content, and biographical information, even legal documents themselves passed off to associates, paralegals, secretaries, and writers every day— uncredited. Why are these all “ethical” but not blog content? It is because blogs are assumed to be something different: op-ed pieces, legal advice (in spite of all the disclaimers), or personal brilliance. But what if a blog isn’t any of these things? What if it’s just informative? What if a blog is simply the easiest way to keep your readers updated?
It seems to me that the primary issue to be addressed in the ethics of ghost blogging (or ghost writing) debate is “what is the purpose of your blog?” If you want to use your blog to its greatest potential then you must write the content yourself. There is no way around it. A ghostwriter cannot bond with readers the way you the owner can. She can’t respond to questions, post comments or foster the community that is (in my opinion) the greatest value of blogging.
What a ghostwriter can do is relay information. She can let your readers know about news items, information about your firm, upcoming events, and important issues. She can keep your website updated and your readers informed. This doesn’t mean that attorneys, writers or blog owners are off the hook as far as responsibility is concerned. As a business owner you are responsible for anything and everything that is published under the name of your business; this includes documents, letters, website and blog content, articles, reviews… everything—whether it is written by you, your most trusted research assistant, a ghost writer, or a guest writer.
Is using your blog for this purpose making the most of the blogging medium? No. But it is hardly unethical. Anyone who says that blogs are limited to a single purpose or definition—and that if you don’t fit into that single purpose or definition you’re wrong—is doing the blogging community a disservice.
