The authorities are paying bloggers 50 cents a go to push messages on online forums: John McCain's campaign team has been at it. Wal-Mart was revealed as doing it. Sony in the past dabbled with it. Online, astroturfing - whereby stealth PR tactics are passed off as grassroots enthusiasm for a product or candidate - is flourishing. But in China, things have gone one step further - with the establishment of the country's 50-cent army.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2008/sep/22/chinathemedia.marketingandpr
