Dylan Reines
dr183518@ohio.edu
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.
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.
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