astroturfing

See also: Astroturfing

English

 

English Wikipedia has an article on:

astroturfing

Wikipedia

Etymology

From AstroTurf (“a synthetic substitute for grass”), as wordplay on "grass roots", as in "fake grass roots". Attributed to U.S. Senator Lloyd Bentsen in an unidentified 1985 public statement: "[A] fellow from Texas can tell the difference between grassroots and Astroturf." (Henry Young, "Astroturf Lobbying Organizations: Do Fake Grassroots Need Real Regulation", Illinois Business Law Journal, 2 November 2009)

Noun

astroturfing (uncountable)

1. (US politics) The disguising of an orchestrated campaign as a "grass-roots" event – i.e., a spontaneous upwelling of public opinion.
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Synonyms

• front organization

Translations

disguising of an orchestrated campaign

Chinese: Mandarin: please add this translation if you can Finnish: astroturffaus (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}} German: Vortäuschen einer Basisbewegung n, Tarnung einer Kampagne als Volksbewegung f Portuguese: please add this translation if you can

Related terms

• astroturf
• astroturfer