What is “astroturfing,” this sneaky form of online denigration that threatens to ruin Blake Lively's reputation?

This is the new explosive affair that is shaking Hollywood. Friday December 20, Blake Lively filed a complaint against the director and actor of the film Never againJustin Baldoni, in which she plays the main role. According to the actress' statements, the latter would have, during filming, forced the actress to shoot a kissing scene initially absent from the script, and would have had indiscreet conversations with her about her sex life, during which he would have confided that he had not obtained the consent of some of his partners. Note that the producer of the feature film, Jamey Heath, was also accused of inappropriate actions. The latter allegedly entered the actress's dressing room naked and showed her videos of his wife, also naked, giving birth. Before she went to court, Blake Lively had requested the implementation of a certain number of measures: thirty in total, in order to better preserve her space. In vain.

In an investigation by New York Times we learn that the 37-year-old American actress is now accusing Justin Baldoni of sexual harassment and inappropriate behavior, but not only that. She also attacks him for using “astroturfing”. In short, for having led a smear campaign against her with a specific objective: to harm the reputation of Blake Lively.

“Sneaky form of disinformation”

While the manipulation of public opinion is not new, “astroturfing” – the misused name of the artificial turf manufacturer Astro Turf – is a more insidious technique. In this case, it consists of giving the illusion of a movement of mass opinion, for example with an artificial increase in the number of likes on social networks. The expression was coined in the United States and designates “a particularly sneaky form of disinformation”, we read in a decryption from France Inter. “We pretend to relay a message coming from the base, from “real people”, when in fact, these are campaigns organized by lobbies for the benefit of industries, but also political parties.” To do this, this “propaganda” practice will be based on the creation of false spontaneous citizen movements, to influence public policies or consumption.

“The impression that she could be buried”

In the case of Blake Lively, the star of Gossip Girl claims that Justin Baldoni and his collaborators organized a smear campaign against him, spreading false stories to tarnish his reputation. According to the New York Timesmessages sent by the director to his team show that he feared that Blake Lively would speak out about the sexual harassment she would have suffered during the filming of the film in 2023. The investigation by the American daily also reveals that Melissa Nathan, a public relations expert who worked for Johnny Depp at the time of his divorce from Amber Heard, would have played a key role in such a campaign for the actor's benefit.

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In the case of Blake Lively, the communications team reportedly blocked the publication of articles about Baldoni's potentially problematic behavior. On the other hand, they would have promoted content aimed at lowering the image of Blake Lively among the general public. And the bet paid off since online criticism of the actress has exploded in recent weeks. On the X platform, hateful publications towards Blake Lively have indeed multiplied at lightning speed. Internet users have notably unearthed old interviews deemed “problematic” and criticized his silence on domestic violence, the main theme of the film. never again. But here again, the communications team would be in on the action.

“He wants to feel like she can be buried,” a public relations executive working with Justin Baldoni and Wayfarer Studios, the company that produced Never againin an August 2 message addressed to crisis management expert Melissa Nathan and cited by the New York Times. Response from Mrs. Nathan: “You know very well that we can bury anyone.”

An investigation contested by the studio

Questioned by the American daily at the origin of these revelations, the lawyer for Wayfarer Studios, Bryan Freedman, denies any attempt at disinformation. He said the studio, its executives and its public relations representatives “did nothing proactive” against Blake Lively, and accused the actress of “another desperate attempt to 'fix' her tarnished reputation.” “These claims are completely false, outrageous and intentionally salacious with the intent to cause public harm and repeat a narrative in the media,” attorney Bryan Freedman said in a written statement. Then claiming that Blake Lively “spread negative and completely fabricated and untrue stories in the media” about Justin Baldoni, which he said “was another reason Wayfarer Studios made the decision to hire a crisis management professional. A defense contradicted by the investigation of New York Timeswhich retraced the entire thread of this story. In another message revealed by the newspaper, Justin Baldoni would even have worried about this subject with his publicist: “How can we prove that we did not cause all this – it looks like we are trying to kill her. » And it’s up to her to reassure him by affirming that the accounts deployed online are all “untraceable” and “are not robots”. Not so untraceable, obviously…

Celebrities are not the only victims of astroturfing. This technique is, for example, used in e-commerce where content troll farms issue false opinions in favor of or to the detriment of a product or service. The goal? Truly influence purchasing behavior. This is the case for the chemical, oil and tobacco industries, which are regularly under fire from critics.