With Great Power Comes Great Responsibility

James Clark 

jc270403@ohio.edu

 

As a source of news and information, public relations professionals are charged with upholding the same strict code of ethics as other journalists.  An organizations credibility is only as strong as its commitment to ethical standards.  There for it is the responsibility of every leader to set ethical standards and enforce them, especially in the realm of public relations communication. 

 

Picture source: marketmaven.com

Ethics, fundamentally, come from the top down.  The organizations culture of what is acceptable is a reflection of its leadership.  The community alone will not enforce these standards.  The art of journalism is too competitive for that.  Credibility is fragile; one slight, one misstep and you could tarnish your company’s, your team’s, and your own reputation for decades.  The following recommendations will help you succeed in your commitment to ethics.

Establish a track record of ethical behavior is essential to enforcing ethical practices.  That starts with holding people that work for you accountable, holding those that work with you accountable, and creating an environment where ethical practices are applauded.  There should also be a mode to address lapses, in which others feel safe to speak to any topic with contemplation and resolution in mind, preferably before information is communicated to the general public.  

Many companies are now participating in the annual EthicsMonth, generally celebrated in March every year.  This is a perfect opportunity to rectify your organizations' commitment and address any cultural issues inside your organization that may need tuning.

Also, publish your commitment to ethical practices in a place that is easily accessible reassuring the public of your pledge.  It also serves as a reminder to those in your ranks that they are accountable to that commitment.  And allows for you to be open to public scrutiny, should you fall short.  Remind those around you what the possible effects of undermining the overall commitment.

According to a job description of paladinstaff.com, public relation managers not only “create a public image but they are charged with maintaining it”.  One laps in judgement can stick with you for your entire professional career. 

This responsibility falls on your shoulders.

 

 “With great power, comes great responsibility”. 

                                             -Uncle Ben, Marvel Comics

 

Astroturfing & Conflicts of Interest

Jamie Janda

jj643119@ohio.edu

Astroturfing is essentially a business or company masking the supporters of a movement and making it appear as though the supporters are real supporters, but are usually fake supporters being paid or the actual business itself. It is an extremely harmful and deceptive method used by large companies that pushes their own agendas without regard for the effects of their actions. The act of astroturfing is something that can be very difficult to monitor or stop. With the internet, it is super easy to hide your identity or pay others discretely to do the work. 

One of most recent examples of Astroturfing in the world today is discussed in an article by The Washington Post. Astroturfing by companies and automated bots that post comments in regards to different political stances and ideas in an attempt to sway ideas and actions in between election years. These automated bots have become increasingly difficult to manage and detect. One of the huge downfalls of this specific situation is that democracy is its truest form is being disrupted and altered. With thousands, even millions, of fake posts and comments flooding the internet in regards to politicians and their ideas, it makes it nearly impossible to filter our who is actually stating their ideas and who is a paid bot. 

Another unusual, but true example of astroturfing came from McDonald's in Japan back when the Quarter Pounder burger was released. According to JapanToday, McDonald's hired roughly 1,000 people (including some of their own employees) to stand in line at a specific branch of the restaurant as a way to draw people's interest in to the new sandwich. In a way, I don't think this is the most harmful form of Astroturfing, but it still is a form of it and still deceptive. 

Physical example of Astroturfing: Fameable.com

Astroturfing is not only a negative act, but it can definitely create some serious conflicts of interest. As companies pay others or even their own employees to pose online and persuade outsiders to their products/ideas. I think that one of the most serious conflicts of interest is the backlash that can come if the company/business is discovered for their acts. Honestly, at the end of the day, these groups are not doing themselves any favors because without real input from real consumers or outside sources, it makes it nearly impossible to see where there is room for change or where they should keep things exactly as they are. Without real input, how are companies supposed to know where they stand with the actual world?

Astroturfing

Charlotte Bailey

cb908718@gmail.com

What is Astroturfing?

According to Wikipedia "AstroTurf is an American subsidiary that produces artificial turf for playing surfaces in sports," and while this is what you typically think of when you think of astroturf in recent years astroturfing has gained a new, more malicious meaning in on the internet.

According to Wikipedia "Astroturfing is the practice of masking the sponsors of a message or organization (e.g., political, advertising, religious or public relations) to make it appear as though it originates from and is supported by grassroots participants." The term astroturfing is derived from the a fore mentioned AstroTurf, with the grassroot members being the real members and the astroturfers being the fake ones.

 Some examples include:

• Fake followers on social media.
• Fake comments or reviews for a product.
• Fake campaigns opposing certain parties.

You get the idea. It is all false users deceiving the public for the gain of someone else.

How Advanced is Astroturfing? 

According to The Gaurdian, The Daily Kos has reported emails that show:

Picture source: https://patlin.com.my/2019/05/02/astroturfing-why-you-should-avoid-doing-this/

 

• Companies now use "persona management software", which multiplies the efforts of each astroturfer, creating the impression that there's major support for what a corporation or government is trying to do.
• This software creates all the online furniture a real person would possess: a name, email accounts, web pages and social media. In other words, it automatically generates what look like authentic profiles, making it hard to tell the difference between a virtual robot and a real commentator.
• Fake accounts can be kept updated by automatically reposting or linking to content generated elsewhere, reinforcing the impression that the account holders are real and active.
• Human astroturfers can then be assigned these "pre-aged" accounts to create a back story, suggesting that they've been busy linking and retweeting for months. No one would suspect that they came onto the scene for the first time a moment ago, for the sole purpose of attacking an article on climate science or arguing against new controls on salt in junk food.
• With some clever use of social media, astroturfers can, in the security firm's words, "make it appear as if a persona was actually at a conference and introduce himself/herself to key individuals as part of the exercise … There are a variety of social media tricks we can use to add a level of realness to fictitious personas."

This makes it difficult to differentiate between real users and fake ones. Add in the use of VPNs, software that modifies the IP or identifier of your device while online, and it is near impossible for even the websites themselves to keep astroturfers at bay.

What is the Purpose of Astroturfing?

"In political science, it (astroturfing) is defined as the process of seeking electoral victory or legislative relief for grievances by helping political actors find and mobilize a sympathetic public, and is designed to create the image of public consensus where there is none."Wikipedia

It deceives people into believing that something is the popular opinion. It can be used to convince people into buying a certain product or voting a certain way.

Conclusion?

Astroturfing is a dishonest practice the preys upon the trust of those influenced by it.

Thank You.

Do we really need to lie?

Chad Williams 

cmwilliams3110@gmail.com

 

Showtime had a multi-season hit espionage series called Homeland. In one of the seasons, a Russian agent was creating havoc in the US by creating fake social media messages that looked like they originated from hundreds of Americans. 

It seemed like a stretch of the imagination to believe that the public could be fooled by these fake pictures and videos even if they were expertly created.  

But we don't need to imagine the public being fooled because companies, organizations, and even governments do it all the time, and it must be working well.

It even has a name Astroturfing. 

According to Merriam-Webster, atsroturfing is organized activity that is intended to create a false impression of a widespread moment but that is in reality the work of  a concealed company or organization. 

 

Senator Lloyd Bentsen,
Source: US Senate Historical Office

 

 

The term came to be from a quote by Texas Democratic senator Lloyd Bentsen. Senator Bentsen said, "A fellow from Texas can tell the difference between grass roots and Astroturf." Astroturf for those not familiar is a fake grass surface usually found at sports arenas.

What Senator Bentsen was referring to some 36 years ago was the mountainous amount of letters he received in support of a specific cause. It was easy for him to figure out these letters weren't coming from the public. Some organization was sending him all this mail.

Unfortunately, with the coming of the digital and internet age, it is no longer as easy to tell the difference between real grass and Astroturf. 

 In an article by the Business Insider from 2011, it listed organizations that had engaged in astroturfing. They included such big businesses as:

• WalMart
• Exxon Mobile
• McDonalds
• Phillip Morris
• Comcast

 Are companies and organizations not able to get their messages out while being straight forward? These tactics feel like weapons warring nations would use against each other. 

In today's everything goes political climate, I expect political entities to behave unethically. I'm embarrassed to see astroturfing happening else where.

Who are running these companies and organizations? What type of people are they and how did they get to those positions with such a lack of ethical intelligence?

Astroturfing: An Orchestrated Movement

Tracie Wall

tw041219@ohio.edu

Grassroots movements are powerful, they are a natural, independent effort to force change. Think the United Farm Workers Movement that started in 1962, that fought to protect the rights of laborers and migrant workers employed in agriculture - or even The Temperance Movement in the early 1800s-1933, an effort to make the production and consumption of alcohol illegal. In both examples provided by Street Civics, the efforts of these activists were wildly successful.

What is Astroturfing?

Companies have been trying to harness the power of a grassroots movement to work in their favor. U.S. Senator Lloyd Bentsen was the first to go on record, coining the name 'astroturfing'. An act defined by Merriam-Webster to mean, An organized activity that is intended to create a false impression of a widespread, spontaneously arising, grassroots movement in support of or in opposition to something - such as a political policy - but that is in reality initiated and controlled by a concealed group or organization (such as a corporation). 

Picture source: ChangeMeme

Why is astroturfing used?

Examples of astroturfing can be anything from company paid bloggers writing product reviews pretending to be unbiased, to advertisements appearing to be from private websites or public-interest groups, redirecting to corporate written pages. According to Big Commerce, astroturfing hides the financial and business associates between the originating company and they message, potentially making corporate messaging more palatable to a public that might reject outspoken propaganda.

What are the latest astroturfing trends?

As reported by the Guardian, some big companies now use sophisticated "persona management software" to create droves of virtual astroturfers, complete with a fake IP address, non-political interests, and online histories. These profiles look authentic and are fabricated months or years before they are being put into use for campaigns - corporate or political.

Alarming isn't a strong enough word

This software is becoming more and more intelligent, getting better at looking and feeling real. With access to computers and someone to operate them, large masses of supporters, protesters, and the like can appear out of thin air. Distorting reality.

The Consequences

In the United States and the E.U. laws surround astroturfing, which include promoters of a product must disclose the financial relationship with that company, that also includes bloggers and social media influencers. 

Astroturfing is a fairly common practice, and Big Commerce states that in estimated third of all online reviews are falsified. If it is uncovered that a company is participating in astroturfing, they can be fined and their credibility ruined.

Astroturfing - What is it?

Greg Schultz

gregschultzbasketball@gmail.com 

 

 

Astroturfing 

 

Astroturfing, according to The Guardian is "the attempt to create an impression of widespread grassroots support for a policy, individual, or product, where little such support exists. Multiple online identities and fake pressure groups are used to mislead the public into believing that the position of the astroturfer is the commonly held view." There have been a number of cases where astroturfing has taken place. People will go to blog posts or newspaper articles online, and leave comments without giving away their identity. 

This can be damaging because anybody with online access can support these grassroots policies, or products where there is no support behind it. Some even used what is known as "persona management software" and they can create armies of virtual astroturfers, replete with fictitious IP addresses, non-political hobbies, and internet histories. Before being used in a political or business campaign, authentic-looking profiles are produced automatically and developed over months or years. As software advances, these astroturf armies will become more difficult to detect, and the future of open discussion online will be jeopardized.

None of these examples from the United Kingdom come close to the scale of the operation witnessed in Russia. New software allows any organization with the finances and know-how to undertake astroturfing on a much larger scale than even the Kremlin could dream for. According to the Guardian, several large corporations are already using sophisticated "persona management software" to generate legions of virtual astroturfers.

This means that as time goes by we could see many more fake accounts or fake comments by astroturfers. This could jeopardize the natural experience of engaging with different opinions and people online. Along with social media platforms and Twitter as a main example, this has giving millions of people voices and allow more genuine opposition movements. The demand for astroturfing will only increase in the future. 

People can also use astroturfing to make themselves look better. For instance a celebrity can post things that are fake just so in the long run it can make them look better. They want their average fan to think that the life they live is significant and different from the average person. So they can show things and say things that are not really true but it goes along with the narrative that they want to live. This is happening more than ever nowadays as people try to be popular for social media and show that they have a voice.

Conflicts of Interests in Environmental Issues: Astroturfing

Joe Nurre 

joenurre@gmail.com 

 

 

Astroturfing is a growing issue for many political and societal conflicts across the nation, and the most common situations are between public groups versus wealthy private corporations are seen. A great example of this is the public clashing with the fossil fuel industry to improve environmental regulations.

 

Picture source: https://www.adweek.com/brand-marketing/how-the-original-fake-grass-became-an-nfl-favorite/ 

 

In their article How Fossil Fuel Lobbyists Used "Astroturf" Front Groups to Confuse the Public, the Union of Concerned Scientists details the lengths the Western States Petroleum Association (WSPA) go in distributing misinformation about climate science through artificially created fossil fuels fuel support groups. The article states, “WSPA’s strategy was to use these fabricated organizations to falsely represent grassroots opposition to forward-looking policy on climate change and clean technologies. WSPA and its member companies oppose science-based climate policies that are critically needed to mitigate the damaging impacts of global warming.”

 

These fabricated organizations employed expensive advertising campaigns, influenced political figures, and dispersed misinformation all to confuse the public on how damaging fossil fuels are to the environment. This use of astroturfing is an example of the unethical use of corporate money in gatekeeping a business industry from public and political intervention.

 

Another major use of astroturfing appears online in social media and online forums. “Sockpuppeting” is the method of using false identities, especially in large quantities, to create an artificially public voice in favor of the person or group funding the astroturf.

 

The Iowa Law Review, in their investigative article Ripping Up the Astroturf: Regulating Deceptive Corporate Advertising Methods, tracked down a whistleblower for one of these sockpuppet teams, describing his experience as “Like the other members of the team, he posed as a disinterested member of the public. Or, to be more accurate, as a crowd of disinterested members of the public: he used 70 personas, both to avoid detection and to create the impression there was widespread support for his pro-corporate arguments.

 

Sockpuppeting is a more recent form of astroturf and mainly appears in politically charged platforms such as Twitter and topic-specific text forums. The danger of this method is that it is relatively easy and cheap to produce, so it could impact many smaller-scale issues. The more common sockpuppeting becomes, the more skeptical and paranoid internet discussions will become on their user legitimacy, which can destroy the opportunity of authentic conversations occurring. 

 

These forms of astroturfing are wildly different, but they both prove to show that artificial voices are only developed to silence and confuse authentic grassroots movements. Astroturfing is just another weapon in the arsenal of monolithic corporations maintaining their powerful status through the unethical use of their financial reserves. As Journalists, this is a growing problem with a responsibility to seek transparency through all activists groups, exploring if their motive is authentic or fake as turf-grass.

Astroturfing: Who's Behind the Mask?

Liza Schumacher

ls605210@ohio.edu

 

What is Astroturfing?

Astroturfing is when individuals, companies, or organizations mask their motives to get support for a certain cause, policy, or product. These are often presented as grassroots campaigns, when in reality they are funded by a company. 

It can be quite misleading when you see the advertisements for some of the campaigns, if I didn't know any better I might believe them myself. The stories are carefully crafted to look like they are in the best interest of the public or consumer, but those who are funding it have something to gain. 

John Oliver had an informative piece on astroturfing that brought a few examples to viewers attention. 

Save Our Tips

One of the campaigns in John Oliver's video that peaked my attention was called Save Our Tips. Seeing as I have been in the service industry for ten years, and currently work full time as a bartender this is a cause that I can relate to. 

Picture source: saveourtips.com

Picture source: saveourtips.com

The Save Our Tips campaign is against the minimum wage increase in Washington D.C. stating that this would take away the incredible earning potential that restaurant workers have through tips. The campaign claims that restaurant workers typically take home between $20-$40 dollars an hour, but the minimum  wage for tipped workers is a mere $2.33. 

Another key factor to focus on is who is funding this campaign? According to an article by the Columbia Journal Review  one conservative group has successfully infiltrated the media through the Save Our Tips campaign. The restaurant workers often speaking up against these wage increases consists of six restaurant employees on the board of Restaurant Workers of America, or RWA. The RWA is funded by restaurant owners. Yes, you read that right. Restaurant owners fund this campaign against raising the minimum wage for tipped workers. The article also goes on to explain that the RWA "regularly appears with restaurant industry trade groups and Republican politicians to praise the exception to the minimum wage that is made for tipped waiters and bartenders. Its most prominent spokespeople are tipped waitstaff who publicly support the interests of restaurant owners."

The problem is that it has been found out that the board members are being bought-out. Ryan Aston who is a RWA board member has been quoted multiple times explaining that he is your bartender, and he doesn't want a raise. It later was found that Aston had been paid $800 from the National Restaurant Association for advertising. This is a clear conflict of interest. 

Another interesting fact about the Save Our Tips campaign from The Intercept is that "the Save Our Tips campaign is managed in part by Lincoln Strategy Group, a company that did $600,000 worth of work in 2016 canvassing for the Trump presidential campaign. Lincoln Strategy Group is a firm co-founded and currently managed by Nathan Sproul."

The Intercept also notes that Nathan Sproul was accused in 2016 for mobilizing fake grassroots campaigns against the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, an agency who protects consumers from exploitation by financial companies. 

What's to Gain?

If the Save Our Tips campaign was really for the average restaurant worker, than the restaurant workers should have the most to gain. Unfortunately, that is not true within this situation. Those who stand to benefit from denying the raise in minimum wage would be the restaurant owners, restaurant lobbyists, and many corporate entities. 

The Intercept article featured an economist named David Cooper who stated that there have already been other places who have increased the tipped minimum wage and “in those places, there still are restaurants, customers still tip when they go into those restaurants, and in fact, servers in those states make on average about 17 percent more per hour than tipped workers in states that have a lower minimum wage.”

Journalists Beware 

As journalists how can we protect ourselves from these organizations who are posing as something they're not? It could damage our credibility if we cite these astroturfing campaigns if they are not vetted before hand. This happened to Buzzfeed when they did a profile on the RWA, and a month later had to come back and fix their mistakes noting that the RWA was funded by restaurant owners. 

These astroturfing methods can be dangerous, and are being used now more than ever to manipulate messages in the media. Astroturfing is contributing to the spread of misinformation, and it is important that consumers are able to recognize it when they see it. This is why it is important to ask ourselves; who is behind the mask? As responsible media consumers and responsible journalists this is another example of why it is so important to know where our information is coming from.

Did COVID-19 Affect Public Relations?

Abbey Blashinsky

ab659218@ohio.edu

 

What is Public Relations?

To simplify public relations, Agility PR Solutions gave a great example mentioning how “a fire destroys an Ohio shoe manufacturing plant killing hundreds, capturing the nation’s attention, and every publicist on the planet representing everything from safety technology to shoe brands is pitching stories to the media trying to wedge into the news hole. At the same time, as national news carries the story, every local news outlet nationwide works to report on the tragedy and find some semblance of a tie between that plant and their region.”

This example gives someone reading this more of a grasp of how the public relation world works. With that being said, things sure did take a turn during one of the world's biggest pandemics, COVID-19.

Picture source: Rotary District 7030

                                                                    

Here Comes the Storm

This is one of the biggest stories reporters and publicists may cover in their career because at the moment, there is no finish line. Who knows when the pandemic will end because what we are seeing now is another wave about to hit the United States. 

In the public relations world, crisis and reputation management became in high demand due to the fact all of these corporate companies were in panic mode during the pandemic. PR agencies stepped up and took the lead for companies internal communication agendas according to The Business Journal 

The article from the Business Journal is a fantastic read, giving people insight on what the public relations world truly does in times of crises like COVID-19. Thankfully, PR agencies were already adapting to the virtual setting when the pandemic hit and good thing they are known for reacting quickly during a crisis. 

Diversity and Equality

Not only during 2020 did the pandemic hit but on top of that, the Black Lives Matter movement took place. When this came to light, many brands found issues with their promotional work and needed to readjust their brand in an attempt to be supportive. The Business Journal effectively explains the roles PR agencies take in changing a company's brand to properly support diversity, equality, and more. 

Mental Health and its Importance

Companies have thoroughly developed their internal agendas and understand now more than ever how important mental health is. The pandemic shined a light on all businesses in how they should be more considerate towards their employees health issues.

This affects PR agencies because they are experts on how to fully communicate to an audience mindfully. With health on the rise of importance, all businesses need to be on the front in their PR approach.

Transparency and conflicts of interest

Amber Dossenback

ad413517@ohio.edu 

 

 

Understanding conflict of interest

A journalist's intentions and influences can be a bit deceiving at times. Most consumers are not fully aware of the agreements that take place behind the scenes. Using SPJ's code of ethics, as well as other reputable sources, I was able to better understand the meaning behind the phrase "conflict of interest" and its impact on the relationship between consumers and media outlets.

Defining the phrase

Conflict of interest is a phrase that describes instances where supposedly impartial bodies in media hold personal stakes in a situation or issue. The University of Texas explains the concept as, "arising when what is in a person’s best interest is not in the best interest of another person or organization to which that individual owes loyalty." This blurs the line between consumers and media because consumers expect journalists to work independently and be transparent. Some codes to take into considerations when referencing SPJ's code of ethics are, "avoid conflicts of interest; real or perceived, refuse gifts, beware of sources offering information or favors,  and expose unethical conduct." 

The Rosenthal rule

Abe Rosenthal was executive editor of the New York Times in 1970. He was known for his zero tolerance policy on opinionated reporters in journalism, especially within his organization. A new reporter was welcomed to NYT followed by an unhesitant termination by Rosenthal. The reporter in question admitted to accepting gifts from and having romantic involvement with a politician she often covered for stories. Based on this instance, Rosenthal was then known for his rule regarding conflicts of interest in journalism. The rule reads, "I don’t care if you (fornicate with) an elephant on your own time, but if you do, you can’t cover the circus for this paper,” according to Observer-Reporter. This metaphor has since set the tone for journalist C.O.I. expectations, emphasizing the ethical issues that come with inappropriate relationships during work. 

Picture source: Jerz's literacy weblog

                                                           

Avoiding conflicts of interest

It is important for journalists to avoid conflicts of interest at all costs in order to maintain/build the trust between consumers and media. Though this can be challenging when faced with temptation, there are many ways to handle this professionally in order to uphold ethical standards of journalists. From my knowledge based on what I have learned in the class so far, I would offer journalists the following suggestions to avoid conflicts of interest.

• Avoid covering those you have a relationship with. Reporting on spouses, parents, family members, and friends provides consumers with unreliable journalism, because biases on individuals have already been built.

• Do not accept any gifts, favors, money, or time from sources or other organizations in exchange for an act.

• Avoid participation in political activities including movements, protests, or rallies. Publicly supporting one party will imply you report with a bias mindset based on your political preferences. It is better to remain neutral to the public.

• Successfully distinguish between work relationships and personal relationships. Building personal relationships through your organizational network can rely a message of suspicion to viewers. In order to maintain transparency within the media, avoid having relationships with clients and sources beyond work. 

The Dangers of Astroturfing

Juliana Croce 

julzc314@gmail.com 

Astroturfing Concerns 

The growing issue of astroturfing continues to press on the ethical issues that journalists have fought so hard to combat. Astroturfing is dangerous because of its root in truth, and how easily it can deceive and disguise to fit a narrative. 

The use of astroturfing is ultimately to effect the way society perceives what issue the deception is based on. Those who practice this concept have a goal to get their community to support a political or economic agenda, which is hidden behind the guise of an actual cause. 

The dangers of astroturfing stem from the issue that these so-called "causes" do not in any way actually benefit those communities. Astroturfing brings about a level of distrust within organizations that are actually trying to make change happen, because of the bad reputation astroturfing can give campaigns. 

Picture source: unitedhumanists.com

Ethically Challenging 

Astroturfing contrasts one of the biggest ethical codes and values of journalists, and that is transparency and independence. Astroturfing continues to follow the latest trends of new software to continue to reach a larger scale of audience. This leads to difficulty in spotting when astroturfing is present or if a movement is genuine. 

According to an article by The Guardian  "Twitter and blogging have given a voice to millions and allowed genuine opposition movements to take their case to the masses." 

This means that society is starting to understand what it happening, and wants to find ways to expose what is happening. The more organizations that get away with deceiving their audiences means more people give their money to corporations that hide where their funding actually comes from. 

The idea behind making people believe that a company is being unbiased and transparent, when really they are doing the opposite, challenges the core belief of ethics. Ethics in Public Relations is there to keep honesty and truth at the forefront of buying, selling, and trade. 

Further Harm 

Because of the way astroturfing is usually large corporations seeking more money faster, small businesses and local organizations feel the setbacks that it causes. 

With an already taxing year for small businesses and organizations, the continued rise of astroturfing will only harm them further. The more that people begin to dive in to who is behind ads and campaigns, the truth will find its way to the surface. 

These campaigns try to cover their tracks so that people won't find out what is really happening behind the scenes, and many times get away with it. 

One video from ABC explains astroturfing in the 21st century, and where it thrives. The video gives insight into how easily these companies can disguise their messages in immediate emotional response. Astroturfing thrives off of the rapid spread of information that occurs when hot button topics are talked about. 

Ultimately, it is a good idea for communities to continue to ask themselves important questions regarding where their information is coming from, and how they can spot astroturfing in the media.

The Hidden Practice of Astroturfing

Dylan Reines

dr183518@ohio.edu

Am I the only one who was blatantly unaware of the concept of astroturfing? I have seen groups such as The American Council on Science and Health (ACSH), but I was never aware of the complete falsehood that stood behind them. It's unimaginable that laws haven't been passed to prevent astroturfing, and I can only imagine how many other citizens have been fooled by fake organizations like myself.

When even the authentic becomes fake it's tough to know what to trust as a consumer. At first glance, the ACSH appears as an organization fighting for the betterment of Americans, but according to leaked documents from 2013, "ACSH donors in the second half of 2012 included Chevron ($18,500), Coca-Cola ($50,000), the Bristol Myers Squibb Foundation ($15,000), Dr. Pepper/Snapple ($5,000), Bayer Cropscience ($30,000), Procter and Gamble ($6,000), agribusiness giant Syngenta ($22,500), 3M ($30,000), McDonald’s ($30,000), and tobacco conglomerate Altria ($25,000)." It's odd that McDonald's and various soda brands would back an organization focused on "health", but there is much more at play than meets the eye.

To quote John Oliver, Astroturfing is the world of "opposite land". The ACSH and similar groups are actually fighting against the mission in their name. McDonald's and soda brands are investing in the ACSH not because they're getting ready to roll out new low-carb products, but because the ACSH and groups like it have the power to fight back against health-conscious regulations. For example, if a new bill was proposed to get rid of processed food, McDonald's could leverage the ACSH to help fight against this proposal. A real American health group would be for this proposal, but the ACSH would take McDonald's money and convinces the public that processed foods are actually good for us (they're not).

Astroturfing is a practice that is ethically wrong but yet still continues. The simple solution is to pass laws that prevent these organizations from being anonymously formed, but that solution becomes trickier once money gets involved. The enterprises supporting some of these groups are corporate giants, and most will fight you tooth and nail if you try to mess with their profit.

I think generating awareness may be one of the best ways to battle astroturfing. Even though astroturfing is fairly prominent, I believe there is still plenty of Americans who could fall victim to biased organizations. If some sort of movement was created to expose the truth behind companies that fake authenticity it could lower the credibility of all motivated organizations. Astroturfing is contributing to the recent spread of misinformation, and it's important that citizens are informed of unethical practices.

How to handle a Public Relation Crisis

Dannella Laury

dl783619@ohio.edu 

 

 

Public relations' (P.R.) responsibility is to establish and enhance a positive image of a company to the public. In addition, by ensuring that the company maintains a beneficial relationship between the organization and the public. Public relations contribute to the basic systems of an organization.

Crisis Management -

When a crisis strikes, that’s when P.R. managers have their work cut out for them. A P.R manager must always be prepared for the inevitable crisis.

Uber's Crisis-

Uber is example of company who has dealt with P.R. crisis.

Uber is one of the success stories of the sharing economy and has changed the way we now travel. The ride-sharing app earned the company $50 billion in market value. However, the company has had its share of scandals and P.R. disasters over the years, which caused CEO Travis Kalanick to resign in June 2017. In 2019, Uber was hit with its biggest P.R. crisis when a report was released where passengers and drivers reported alleged sexual assault. NBC News published a report from Uber that there were 5,981 reports of sexual abuse between 2017 and 2018. 

For the last few years, Uber has tried to distance itself from the past scandals, by launching several national “image repair” campaigns, which featured ads pledging its commitment to safety between passengers and drivers, in addition to their new in-app safety tools.

This clips shows how Uber is attempting to address their sexual assaults scandals.

An organization’s reputation is of vital importance to its success. The organization’s credibility is at stake, while public mistrust affects the investment markets. Reputation accounts for a large portion of a company’s market capitalization and is one of its most important long-term assets.

“13 Golden Rule Of PR Crisis Management”

Forbes published a list rules for P.R. crisis management that organizations should stick follow:

1. Take Responsibility
2. Be Proactive, Be Transparent, Be Accountable
3. Get Ahead Of The Story
4. Be Ready For Social Media Backlash
5. Remember To Be Human
6. First Apologize, Then Take Action
7. Monitor, Plan, And Communicate
8. Seek First To Understand The Situation
9. Listen To Your Team First
10. Develop Strong Organizational Brand Culture
11. Turn Off The Fan
12. Avoid Knee-Jerk Reactions
13. Be Prepared

During a crisis, it is important to communicate with the media and provide them with detailed information about the situation. Those tasks require the P.R. manager to recognize the crisis and form a plan to manage and address the situation.

 
Maintaining the organization’s reputation through the face of crisis is an important role in maintaining the confidence of customers and building new relationships for organizations.

Picture source: acclaimllc.com

Whether the public should believe the news

Yichen Wei

yw130215@ohio.edu

 

The phenomenon of astroturfing nowadays is growing by a considerable number and whether it is conceived by the public is hard to say. 

 

Picture Source: https://rdi.org/democracy-examined/2020/12/1/the-bizarre-world-of-astroturfing-and-no-not-the-kind-on-the-football-field/

For a series of purposes, the media outlets intend to make use of the commerce, governments,  etcetera to leave the reader an impression of widespread support they have from the grassroots. Social media and other media platforms are commonly used by the public every day and they could be displayed everywhere. Depending on this situation the companies or other backstage stakeholders are trying to utilize various approaches to exhibit tons of information in front of the public. We all understand the natural way of how human brains function, in other words, a kind of content that keeps repeating itself and may use some disguises, and leave the reader with a deep memory.

 

Some approaches would be used as the way of astroturfing such as the personal software, the fake accounts, and the human astroturfers. It is an internet era so that the information of everything could be found by the seamless connection of everything. Also, information security is becoming a serious issue as personal records could be easily gained in different ways. So the companies and outlets could find out the data resources they want anytime for creating astroturfing. Along with the fast development of high technologies, these ways become easier to initiate and apply. And of course, the skills are gradually becoming more mature and hard to be recognized by the public. So whether people should still believe the information concluded in the news it is hard to give a judgment.

 

However, these phenomenons are already becoming a trend and latent rule in this industry since they have to achieve the commercial or political aims most of the time. The breaking of the rules is inevitable if this situation tends to be improved. The system of censorship on these operations needed to be improved and authoritarian governments hopefully would interfere to give it more pressure. The creation and maintenance of an ethical and regulated media environment are critical to society and it is also a way to improve the credibility of the news outlets. it is the mutual function to each side whatever to the public or to the news companies either. For the news media companies, they are required to hold their ethical codes and principles to set an example inside the whole industry and create a good environment. For the audience the information they received from the news is the content they could give one hundred trusts and obviously they would give its support and bring companies the profit they want. Doing your own research is important when people receive various information and consult different media platforms and confirm the messages. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-bYAQ-ZZtEU