What is Astroturfing? PR tactic used alleged smear campaign against Blake Lively

Blake Lively is at the center of a lawsuit that sheds light on a controversial PR tactic called “astroturfing.” A complaint filed last Friday said It ends with us The actress accused her co-star and director Justin Baldoni of sexual harassment, claiming his PR team orchestrated a calculated retaliation campaign to tarnish her reputation and disrupt her business.

At the core of Lively’s allegations is astroturfing – a strategy designed to manipulate public opinion by creating the illusion of grassroots support or backlash. The complaint alleges that Baldoni’s crisis PR firm, The Agency Group (TAG PR), coordinated social media efforts to portray her as “controlling” and “difficult” during the film’s production.

In a statement released on Monday, December 23, attorney Bryan Freedman defended Baldoni’s crisis publicists at The Agency Group (TAG PR), saying they “acted like any other crisis management firm when hired by a client who made threats.” by two extremely powerful people. “People with unlimited resources” and emphasized that they were simply doing their job.

PEOPLE reported back in August that Baldoni hired crisis PR manager Melissa Nathan — known for representing Johnny Depp during his high-profile legal battles — and worked with publicist Jennifer Abel during the release of his film adaptation of Colleen Hoover’s bestselling novel.

In a statement to The New York TimesSharing her motivations for filing the complaint, Lively said: “I hope my legal action will help lift the curtain on these sinister retaliatory tactics to harm people who speak out about wrongdoing and protect others who may be targeted.”

Baldoni’s legal team pushed back against the claims, with Freedman telling PEOPLE that the allegations were “false” and “intentionally salacious with the intent to publicly offend.”

What is Astroturfing?

Named after artificial turf, artificial turf mimics grassroots movements to create the illusion of public consensus. Dr. Joan Donovan, a professor at Boston University and an expert on disinformation, told PEOPLE: “It’s about faking a crowd. When social media accounts – whether fake or real – are coordinated to advance a narrative, it is astroturfing. These campaigns are not organic. They are designed to look like real public opinion, but they are completely artificial.”

Dr. Chico Camargo, a research fellow at the Oxford Internet Institute, notes that astroturfing tactics have evolved alongside social media. “It’s not just bots anymore. Real people are often paid or incentivized to post coordinated content,” says Camargo. “This makes it harder to distinguish real engagement from made-up campaigns.”

He added: “Astroturfing goes back to propaganda itself. Spreading a rumor is an early form of this. The honest way to do crisis management, for example, would be to make a statement or address problems directly. But then you have gray areas, like sending someone to an event to make them look good or like they support certain causes.”

He continued: “You see it a lot in politics – getting a crowd to welcome a candidate, make it look like they are loved. Whether it’s corporate politics, sports, or even Hollywood, you’ll see artificial turf construction. For example, if you want to generate buzz for a movie, maybe pay people to show up at a theater or post it on social media with a hashtag to get things started. Although this sounds harmless, it is still artificial turf.

Using misogyny as a weapon

The complaint alleges that TAG PR exploited misogynistic stereotypes to further the smear campaign against Lively. According to experts, this tactic is common in Hollywood and beyond.

“PR firms know how to use stereotypes,” Donovan explains. “In this case it is the image of women in power who are controlling or demanding. These narratives resonate deeply with audiences, and astroturfing reinforces them to devastating effect.”

Donovan draws parallels to alleged tactics during the trial of Johnny Depp and Amber Heard, where coordinated narratives disproportionately targeted Heard. “Misogyny is rampant on social media,” says Donovan. “PR firms know this and use it to their advantage by relying on these biases.”

Legal and ethical implications

While astroturfing operates in a legal gray area, it often crosses ethical boundaries. “Encouraging people to post hashtags or opinions is usually fine,” says Camargo. “But when it comes to fake accounts, harassment or disinformation, it enters unethical – and sometimes illegal – territory.”

The way forward

Whether this case goes to trial or is quietly settled, experts say it raises important questions about Hollywood public relations practices. “Astroturfing operates in the shadows,” says Camargo. “It is a tool PR firms use to control public perception, but it is rarely openly discussed.”