Veteran investigative journalist, Sharyl Attkisson has famously broken down the phenomenon of astroturfing, i.e.,the fake “grassroots movements” of trolls funded by political, corporate, or other special interests. Here is a TED talk the multiple emmy award winning journalist has given on the subject of Astroturf and manipulation of media messages
They are very effectively in manipulating and distorting media messages, especially on the internet and on Wikipedia in particular. The Australian Skeptics have a huge online presence with a strong message pro vaccination and anybody who challenges vaccinations is labelled an “anti vaxxer” and then perceived as selfish, conspiracy theorist, dangerous. The No Jab No Pay campaign was started by the Daily Telegraph and supported by the Skeptics and SAVN with many messages are contantly being given to the Australian public destroy the credibility of anyone who questions vaccinations such as the thesis of Dr Judy Wilyman Phd. In an informal, non-scientific survey Sheryl Attkisson names Science Blogs such as: Skeptic.com in the list Top 10 Astroturfers .
http://fktv.is/astroturf-and-manipulation-of-media-messages-sharyl-attkisson-27499
