Astroturf and Manipulation of Media Messages
Beware of those who question those who question authority.
This is a 2015 TEDTalk by journalist Sharyl Attkisson. She lays out the media, corporate and political interests’ playbook in a hypothetical medical scenario that remarkably reflects what we are experiencing today.
From 2015. It is well worth the 10 minutes.
What is “astroturf”? It is a perversion of “grass roots”, as in fake grass roots. Astroturf is when political, corporate or other special interests disguise themselves and publish blogs, start Facebook and Twitter accounts, publish ads, letters to the editor, or simply post comments online to try to fool you into thinking an independent or grass roots movement is speaking. The whole point of astroturf is to try to give the impression there’s widespread support for or against an agenda when there’s not. Astroturf seeks to manipulate you into changing your opinion by making you feel as if you’re an outlier when you’re not.
h/t: Steve Kirsch
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