http://www.greenpeace.org/international/news/exposed-oil-tricks190809
Astroturfing: a word in English describing formal political, advertising, or public relations campaigns seeking to create the impression of being spontaneous “grassroots” behavior, hence the reference to the artificial grass, AstroTurf.
Greenpeace has exposed the tactics of the American Petroleum Institute (API), a lobbyist organizations paid by oil companies, to create fake grassroots campaigns against the Climate Bill. A leaked API memo has been posted on the Greenpeace website here, which urges employees to go to climate action rallies to masquerade as “concerned citizens.”
