Astroturfing

I just learnt about astroturfing (no, not putting artificial grass in a stadium) but the not-very-nice activity of formal public relations campaigns in politics and advertising that tries to give the impression of being spontaneous grass-roots movements. The link is astroturf = fake grass. These campaigns are many times paid for by big corporations trying to get sympathy for their own agenda. So, beware what you read on the internet - read it with a critical mind.

To learn more, check out these websites: Astroturfing explained and AntiAstroturfing