Difference between revisions of "Astroturfing"

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|wikipedia=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Astroturfing
 
|wikipedia=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Astroturfing
 
|type=propaganda
 
|type=propaganda
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|image=Astroturfing.jpg
 
|description=Rolling out of fake grassroots movements
 
|description=Rolling out of fake grassroots movements
 
|interests=Sharyl Attkisson
 
|interests=Sharyl Attkisson
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|caption=Astroturf and manipulation of media messages<br>TEDx University of Nevada
 
|caption=Astroturf and manipulation of media messages<br>TEDx University of Nevada
 
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|align=left
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}}'''Astroturfing''' is a method of selling a message, organization or agenda. It is to make belief others (experts, politicians, the public in general or any targeted group), that for the promoted goal does exist support by, for example: a larger number of interested individuals or experts in their respective fields. The same tactic is used to deny a message that is unwanted. It may or may not have developed in the field of advertising, but it can serve as a tool to anyone with enough founding to get their own message across (smaller agendas with the help of social media and sock puppet accounts will not even cost much). An appropriate example in the early 20th century is [[Water/Fluoridation]], for which the Kettering Laboratory, the University of Rochester and the Mellon Institute were instrumental to deliver the message that fluoridation does have health benefits and no risks. Astroturf in a nutshell, according to [[Sharyl Attkisson]], is: "to try to convince you there’s widespread support for or against an agenda when there’s not.".<ref>https://sharylattkisson.com/2016/07/28/top-10-astroturfers/</ref> Identifying which is an original viewpoint and what is not can get difficult when there is to much interference involved.  
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}}
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'''Astroturfing''' is a method of selling a message, organization or agenda. It is to make others (experts, politicians, the public in general or any targeted group) believe that for the promoted goal exists support by, for example: a larger number of interested individuals or experts in their respective fields. The same tactic is used to deny a message that is unwanted. It may or may not have developed in the field of advertising, but it can serve as a tool to anyone with enough founding to get their own message across (smaller agendas with the help of social media and sock puppet accounts will not even cost much).
  
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==Political applications==
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Astroturf in a nutshell, according to [[Sharyl Attkisson]], is: "to try to convince you there’s widespread support for or against an agenda when there’s not."<ref>https://sharylattkisson.com/2016/07/28/top-10-astroturfers/ saved at [https://web.archive.org/web/20190503230115/https://sharylattkisson.com/2016/07/top-10-astroturfers/ Archive.org] saved at [http://archive.is/h0mUT Archive.is]</ref> Identifying which is an original viewpoint and what is not can get difficult when there is to much interference involved.
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Funding of whole media organizations of any political spectrum, from foundations or any other special interest group, makes it complicated to see genuine opinion. According to Brian Salter: "big establishment foundations are likely to seek out 'alternative' media that is more bark than bite, which they can rely on to ignore and dismiss sensitive topics like those mentioned above -- and many more -- as 'irrelevant distractions' or 'conspiracy theory'. Recipients of funding will always protest that they are not swayed by any conflicts of interest and don't allow the sources of funding to affect their decisions, but whether or not these claims are actually true is already somewhat of a red herring. The more important question is, what sort of 'alternative' journalism garners the goodwill of the Ford Foundation corporate rogues gallery in the first place? Or the Rockefeller Foundation? Or Carnegie, Soros, and Schumann? Judging by the journalism being offered (and not offered) by Nation magazine, FAIR, Pacifica, Progressive magazine, IPA, Mother Jones, Alternet, and other recipients of their funding, the big establishment foundations are successfully sponsoring the kind of 'opposition' that the US ruling elite can tolerate and live with."<ref>https://web.archive.org/web/20040417004858/http://www.questionsquestions.net:80/docs0209/0929_ford_trustees.html</ref>
 
  
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==Science==
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An appropriate example for astroturfing in science is the effort to push for the acceptance of [[Water/Fluoridation]] in the early 20th century, for which the Kettering Laboratory, the University of Rochester and the Mellon Institute were instrumental to deliver the message that fluoridation does have health benefits and no risks.
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==Foundation funding==
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{{FA|Foundation funding}}
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While not as direct as building up an organization that serves to specifically promote a standpoint, ''foundation funding'' can in a way have a similar effect on a grander scale over a longer period of time.
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===Examples===
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An example for a foundation that offers funding to help to create movements or public support that would otherwise may not be as substantial or noticable is the [[Open Society Foundations | Open Society Foundation]].
  
 
{{SMWDocs}}
 
{{SMWDocs}}
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==References==
 
==References==
 
{{reflist}}
 
{{reflist}}
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Revision as of 14:58, 15 September 2020

Concept.png Astroturfing Rdf-entity.pngRdf-icon.png
Astroturfing.jpg
Typepropaganda
Interest ofHBGary
Rolling out of fake grassroots movements
Astroturf and manipulation of media messages
TEDx University of Nevada

Astroturfing is a method of selling a message, organization or agenda. It is to make others (experts, politicians, the public in general or any targeted group) believe that for the promoted goal exists support by, for example: a larger number of interested individuals or experts in their respective fields. The same tactic is used to deny a message that is unwanted. It may or may not have developed in the field of advertising, but it can serve as a tool to anyone with enough founding to get their own message across (smaller agendas with the help of social media and sock puppet accounts will not even cost much).

Astroturf in a nutshell, according to Sharyl Attkisson, is: "to try to convince you there’s widespread support for or against an agenda when there’s not."[1] Identifying which is an original viewpoint and what is not can get difficult when there is to much interference involved.

Science

An appropriate example for astroturfing in science is the effort to push for the acceptance of Water/Fluoridation in the early 20th century, for which the Kettering Laboratory, the University of Rochester and the Mellon Institute were instrumental to deliver the message that fluoridation does have health benefits and no risks.

Foundation funding

Full article: Foundation funding

While not as direct as building up an organization that serves to specifically promote a standpoint, foundation funding can in a way have a similar effect on a grander scale over a longer period of time.

Examples

An example for a foundation that offers funding to help to create movements or public support that would otherwise may not be as substantial or noticable is the Open Society Foundation.


 

Examples

Page nameDescription
38 DegreesBritish Avaaz.
Center for Medicine in the Public Interest"nonprofit, non-partisan" big pharma astroturf
Conservative Inc."Big Con enforce the guidelines of Big Tech and punish conservatives on their behalf"
Patriot FrontAmerican white nationalist group that bears many hallmarks of an FBI entrapment operation, setting the stage for a false flag terrorism event
Sock puppetA person or online persona whose actions are controlled by somebody else.
TiananmenA Chinese mass protest in hundreds of cities turned violent. Questions remain about the sequence of events, CIA involvement and the scope of the aftermath after a media blackout occurred as media were mentioning threats of civil war to be increasing. Chinese media banned the mentioning of the event entirely, while atrocity stories are trotted out regularly by Western corporate media to maintain an enemy image.

 

Related Document

TitleTypePublication dateAuthor(s)Description
Document:Not All Propaganda is EqualArticle30 May 2012Barrett Brown

 

An official example

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References

  1. ↑ https://sharylattkisson.com/2016/07/28/top-10-astroturfers/ saved at Archive.org saved at Archive.is
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