Comment on John Oliver explains how to spot 'astroturfing,' admits it isn't easy, warns that cynicism is 'toxic'

John Oliver explains how to spot 'astroturfing,' admits it isn't easy, warns that cynicism is 'toxic'

On Sunday's Last Week Tonight, John Oliver tackled the phenomenon of "astroturfing," and he kicked it off with a pretty vulgar joke. Then he got down to business: "Astroturfing is the practice of corporations or political groups disguising themselves as spontaneous, authentic popular movements. It's basically fake grassroots — that's why they call it 'astroturfing.'" Some of these campaigns are pretty obvious, he said, playing one example, but "with dark money surging in the wake of decisions like Citizens United, astroturfing techniques are becoming more sophisticated, effective, and dangerous, and they are not going away." Oliver proposed exploring those techniques "to better spot them in the future," and he started with the nomenclature, specifically the gallingly deceitful names some groups adopt.

 

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