I understand your point and agree with it.

However, it only calls to further discussion and hardly answers the question I haven’t managed to find a certain answer to myself.

What I mean is, so many factors are involved here, that it impossible to come to a clear yes or a definite no.

Furthermore, we should assess every special situation separately taking into account such aspects as the product/service to be advertised, general brand credibility, your own subjective opinion on the above, etc.

One can’t draw parallels between diet pills, escort services, poison and bazookas. And again, the world has more colors than just black and white. It is possible that what seems crap to you will be a panacea to your neighbor. What is more, one can’t be responsible for the people around.

So, I believe, a copywriter should take a practical rather than philosophical approach to the jobs she’s taking and always compare presumed benefits with the potential harm, sticking to fundamental moral rules.

I believe that if we don’t take responsibility for our recommendations then the value of them decreases and the more times we recommend badly the lower our reputation will fall. In fact with each bad recommendation I believe your reputation falls expontially i.e. it drops like a stone.

However the copywriter is the agent of the client and it is the client making the false claims not the copywriter per se. But I make one caveat, if the copywriter believes the client is doing something that will harm people including ripping them off financially or that the product is immoral then they also have a moral responsibility for lending their skills to help a “bad” client further their immoral pursuits. At some time we all have to accept responsibility for our contribution and refuse to hide behind excuses such as I am only doing my job.

I am certainly not pointing the finger at you with this comment, only adding my point of view to your interesting moral dilemma and does it apply to copywriting and by extension to the copywriter?