Astroturf
Definition
A funded campaign, letter drive, or online movement designed to look like spontaneous grassroots support or opposition, while actually organized and paid for by a corporation, industry group, or political operative that conceals its role.
Why it matters
Astroturfing exploits the credibility that genuine public sentiment carries with lawmakers and the media. By hiding the sponsor, it lets a narrow interest simulate broad public demand, pressuring officials to act as though a policy has grassroots backing it does not actually have.
Seen in the wild
The term traces to Senator Lloyd Bentsen's 1985 remark distinguishing real "grass roots" from insurance-industry-funded "Astroturf" mail campaigns. In 2010, a major telecom company was found funding ostensible consumer advocacy groups that opposed net neutrality rules while concealing the corporate funding behind them.1