What Is Astroturfing? PR Tactic Used Alleged Smear Campaign Against Blake Lively [Video]

Blake Lively is at the center of a legal battle that sheds light on a controversial PR tactic known as astroturfing. In a complaint filed last Friday, the It Ends with Us actress accused her co-star and director, Justin Baldoni, of sexual harassment and alleged that his PR team orchestrated a calculated, retaliatory smear campaign to damage her reputation and disrupt her businesses.

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 claims 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 shared on Monday, Dec. 23, lawyer Bryan Freedman defended Baldoni’s crisis publicists at The Agency Group (TAG PR), stating that they “operated as any other crisis management firm would when hired by a client experiencing threats by two extremely powerful people with unlimited resources,” and emphasizing that …