Astroturf
From RationalWiki
Astroturf is a term used to describe organizations or movements that are created or funded by large corporations, that have been contrived to appear to be "grassroots" movements formed by regular folks. It is named for a brand of artificial grass used in sports arenas and elsewhere (pioneered at the Astrodome - get it?).
One example an editor remembers encountering was a slick glossy publication called The New Hampshire Smoker, which tried to present itself as the journal of a grassroots group formed to "protect smoker's rights". However, in the fine print it said "Published by Philip-Morris" -- a major cigarette manufacturer.
In the real world, it is sometimes difficult to discern between hard-core "astroturf" and genuine "grassroots" organisations, since interested commercial entities will often provide some funding to groups that were formed by real people. Although it is theoretically possible for a determined group of individuals to take over and wrest control away from a corporate sponsor, turning astroturf into the real thing, the odds are strongly against this, since money is the backbone of modern political activism.
