Ghostwritten speeches: Ethics isn't the only lesson

Ghostwriting has long been a subject of controversy within the field of Speech Communication. Much of that controversy, however, has focussed on the relatively narrow question of the “ethics”; of ghostwriting. Important as the question of “ethics”; is, there are other lessons to be learned from the study of ghostwritten speeches. This article examines ghostwriting as source, process, and relationship, and suggests five specific ways in which the study of ghostwritten texts can enrich rhetorical studies.