ASTROTURFING AS A CONTROVERSIAL MEDIA RELATIONS TOOL

The article is focused on one of Media Relations tools, which is, despite of being highly controversial and frequently criticised by Media Relations specialists, used very often. The aim of the article is to offer a complex set of theoretical as well as practical knowledge on astroturfing. The text is divided into four chapters. The first chapter deals with theoretical outlines of Media Relations and also provides classification of Media Relations tools. The second part of the text aims to discuss the issue of astroturfing. Placing emphasis on the practical implementation of astroturfing, the third chapter offers real cases of astroturfing and therefore an overview of astroturfing and its use in Slovakia as well as abroad. The fourth chapter, Conclusion, gives the author an opportunity to state that astroturfing has become a really searing problem, mostly in terms of Internet communication - unfortunately, online technologies, more than any other media before, have provided this unfair communication practice with a substantial amount of possibilities of being used effectively.