Public relations communicators have been flocking to the Occupy Wall Street protests to offer expertise and media relations savvy. Communicators should be careful not to pass off formally planned communications campaigns as spontaneous populist activity. Sure, these protests initially have just sprung up and have gathered momentum. Yet, the potential for misuse and manipulation through Astroturfing is ripe for the picking.

The history of the United States is filled with popular uprisings aimed at political or social change. There was the 1913 Women's Suffarge March, the 1960 Civil Rights sit-in at a Woolworth's lunch counter, the Vietnam Protest March of 1964,  the May Day Protests of 1971, and the 1999 Seattle World Trade Organization protests. Now comes the Tea Party and the Occupy Wall Street groups, two groups poised to demand change despite the risks of becoming hijacked or co-opted by other agendas.

Tea Party protesters hold more conservative views who demand less government intervention and are alleged to be backed by David and Charles Koch, two libertarian owners of the second-largest privately held company in the United States. Meanwhile, Occupy Wall Street started out as a protest by college dropouts, unemployed youth and students protesting inequality in the American economy. It has since been joined by labor unions and has allegedly drawn the support of the Liberal rogue financier George Soros, who has a net worth of more than 20 billion dollars.

It's quickly becoming apparent there is now two movements represented by the conservatives and liberals each fighting to gather support for an agenda that may or may not be the true message of the protesters. The degeneration of the initial message for both groups has all the makings of a repeat of The Storming of the Bastille. Battles between bankers and students in the streets? Soccer moms splashing paint on the mayor? I hope not.

Communicators have a responsibility to be transparent as they advise these popular groundswells of protest. Popular movements in America have been sponsored by corporations and agenda-backed sponsors in the past. And frequently they have become fronts for bigger agendas. The idea of Astroturfing comes to mind quickly when the true backers of such popular movements are revealed.

Astroturfing is a form of advocacy in support of a political, organizational, or corporate agenda, designed to give the appearance of a "grassroots" movement. The goal of such campaigns is to disguise the efforts of a political and/or commercial entity as an independent public reaction to some political entity—a politician, political group, product, service or event. The term is a derivation of AstroTurf, a brand of synthetic carpeting designed to look like natural grass. - Source Wikipedia

As grassroots efforts to change popular opinion become more integral to public affairs programs, and as groups rush to become a part of the movement, communicators face challenges in ensuring they have created authentic campaigns and have not co-opted legitimate protests. The following tips are an ethical start to avoiding the appearance of bias and Astroturfing:

How To Avoid Accusations of Astroturfing

• Create  information and content that provides context and helps educate the public about the issue.
• Announce your participation and the reasons for joining the cause.
• Help the public understand why you support an issue. Be transparent and avoid hiding behind the issue to promote your hidden agenda.
• Understand the public's knowledge of digital tools and how they can be misused.
• Educate activists on the issues and teach them how to be transparent.
• Explain to activists how to communicate the issues. Teach them how to write letters, members of Congress, and become legitimate voices.

In the end, it is better to avoid hiding behind the ideas of the social protest to get your message out. Full disclosure and transparency not only is more effective, it is the right thing to do as a responsible communicator.