Astroturfing creates an image of authentic public opinion while disguising sponsored persuasion. Drilled Season 3 shows how this strategy changed the conversation around climate change and why disclosure and transparency are still important in today’s PR ethics and laws.
What Drilled Revealed About Astroturfing
One of the most important ethical issues covered in Drilled Season 3 is astrotherfing, especially in Episode 3 (“Psychological Warfare, Astroturfing and Another Tobacco-Oil Connection”). The episode looks into how businesses created “grassroots” campaigns to mislead viewers about scientific consensus and give the idea of public support. These tactics were successful because they conceal the real sponsor of the message while using the credibility of ordinary people. The ethical issue with that concealment is that the public cannot fully verify credibility, motives, or bias if they are unaware of the source or who is financing it.
“Astroturfing creates the illusion of grassroots support while masking corporate influence.”
Why Astroturfing Is a Legal Risk
According to Chapter 3, integrity, honesty, transparency, and accountability are the key elements of public relations ethics, and astroturfing deliberately ignores these values. According to Chapter 4, First Amendment rights do not protect communication from consequences when it becomes false, misleading, or fails to provide what is required. If PR messaging is misleading and has the same function as commercial speech, which is to influence consumer behavior, it can face regulations. Since it lowers the chance of misleading communication and builds trust, disclosure is important from an ethical and legal perspective.
FTC Influencer Disclosure Warnings
A current type of astroturfing happens when sponsored influencer content are shown as independent opinion with no explicit disclaimer. The Federal Trade Commission sent warning letters to trade associations and influencers in November 2023 for their failure to disclose paid relationships on social media. The same basic approach is used in this example: sponsored persuasion that seems casual. When viewers think a piece of information is unbiased but it’s actually sponsored, it lowers credibility and can go against consumer protection laws.
What PR Professionals Should Learn
The PRSA Code of Ethics places a strong emphasis on the free flow of honest information and disclosure in order to promote informed decision-making. Finding stakeholders, clarifying the issue, and putting honesty and transparency ahead of short-term persuaded wins are all part of using an ethical decision-making process. Drilled clearly shows the long-term effect, credibility is damaged by hidden sponsorship. If a message requires hiding who is behind it to be effective, it’s a red flag ethically and potentially legally.
PR professionals should:
- Verify authenticity of campaigns
- Disclose sponsorship clearly
- Follow FTC guidelines
- Prioritize transparency
Sources:
McClennan, M. (Host). (2023). Drilled [Podcast]. https://drilled.media/podcasts/drilled/3/drilleds03-e03
Federal Trade Commission. (2023). Disclosures 101 for social media influencers. https://www.ftc.gov/business-guidance/resources/disclosures-101-social-media-influencers
Public Relations Society of America. (2023). PRSA Code of Ethics. https://www.prsa.org/professional-development/prsa-resources/ethics
Kast, S. (2024). Ethics and public relations. (Course textbook).
Kerr, R. L. (2024). Law and public relations. (Course textbook).
Site Title 
Leave a comment