Watch the full episode on TVO here: Astroturfing: Paid to Protest?

Beatrice Wayne, our Director of Research and Policy at the Samara Centre, recently appeared on TVO’s Big [If True] to discuss astroturfing—the practice of hiding the sponsors of a message to make it appear as though the message originates from, and is supported by, grassroots participants, in an attempt to manipulate public opinion.

The conversation focused on how this plays out in real time online, why it’s difficult to spot while you’re scrolling or reacting in the moment, and clues that messages that look widely supported may not be genuine at all.

Beatrice Explains: “What is Astroturfing?”

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In the episode, Beatrice went into depth answering the following questions:

• Are there tips to identify if an in-person protest or petition is inauthentic?
• What do we need to watch for online?
• What will happen if we cannot get a handle on astroturfing campaigns or be able to spot them in some way?
• Are there any events that might be vulnerable in 2026 to these types of campaigns?

Looking for the answers? Watch the full episode on TVO here: Astroturfing: Paid to Protest?

Astroturfing has surfaced in our research before in Astroturfing and Abuse: The 2023 SAMbot Alberta General Election Report. That work examined how inauthentic online activity, including astroturfing, shaped election-related conversations during Alberta’s 2023 provincial election. The findings provide important context for Beatrice’s discussion on TVO, grounding the conversation in real-world evidence of how manufactured activity can blend into everyday online spaces and influence what people see and respond to.