astroturf
Creating the impression of public support by paying people in the public to pretend to be supportive.The false support can take the form of letters to the editor, postings on message boards in response to criticism, and writing to politicians in support of
the cause.
Astroturfing is the opposite of "
grassroots", genuine public support of an issue.
astroturf
by fugitive on Oct 10, 2004 07:17:43
v. The technique of using
boiler plate text to advance a political agenda. "
Astroturfing" is typically done by sending the same letter to every newspaper one can find. A certain number of newspapers will be
duped into thinking that the letter is original and heartfelt when it is neither.
Example:
Many newspapers were
astroturfed with the
pro-Bush letters posted at
the pResident's web site. Many newspapers were convinced that a number of soldiers worship Bush as the Messiah incarnate.
astroturf
by Rossy boy on Aug 09, 2006 23:05:57
astroturf
by Kung-Fu Jesus on May 01, 2004 19:32:31
(n.) Plastic grass for those too lazy to do any real
gardening.
(n.) false hair, such as a
wig or someone on "re-gain for men", or a dumbass hair thickening
spray.
astroturf
by Xtine Max on Jan 02, 2004 19:18:37
Astroturf, astroturfing
by blobby on Dec 30, 2003 05:25:29
A form of spamming public opinion from political organisations via the media.
Specifically where a media operation of a Campaign or
political party distributes a press release to voulunteers who forward it
en masse by letter and e-mail to media organisations in an attempt to distort the media organisations perception of public opinion, and distort the media organisations
output.
Example:
The effort to (get)
Astroturf printed appears to have worked in
Hattiesburg, Mississippi
In Arizona, xxxxxx got the
astroturf accepted as a grassroots effort.
Astroturfing
by iloveastroturfing on Apr 24, 2017 19:33:53
Astroturf
by That-Guy-You-Know on May 03, 2014 05:33:37
Pretending to be a
grassroots movement, when in reality the agenda and strategy are controlled by a hidden, non-grassroots organization. In this manner, a faux show is presented, consisting of
robotic individuals pretending to be
voicing their own opinions.
Astroturf
by Urbane Gorilla on Jun 08, 2005 17:55:33
astroturfing
by The Return of Light Joker on Oct 05, 2008 11:12:03
the act of creating a small organization and making it appear to represent something popular for the purpose of promoting a particular entity, cause, etc. (a play on
grassroots in the sense of a popular movement originating among the common people, ultimately from
AstroTurf, a brand of
artificial grass)