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%T Grassroots, astroturf, or something in between? Semi-official WeChat accounts as covert vectors of party-state influence in contemporary China %A Neagli, Jackson %J Journal of Current Chinese Affairs %N 2 %P 180-208 %V 50 %D 2021 %K Manipulation von Meinung; Verhältnis Politik - Medien; WeChat %@ 1868-4874 %~ GIGA %U https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/1868102621989717 %X This article explores a facet of the Chinese propaganda apparatus that has yet to receive sufficient academic attention: the murky ecosystem of "semi-official" party-state presences on Chinese social media. With a particular focus on WeChat public accounts, this investigation responds to two critical research questions: first, what differentiates official party-state social media presences from semi-official presences, and second, what unique role do semi-official WeChat accounts play in the contemporary Chinese propaganda apparatus? This article samples content published by five dyads of official and semi-official WeChat public accounts during the first fifteen days of June 2019. The results of this comparative, case-study-based discourse analysis support two conclusions. First, semi-official WeChat accounts posture as independent from the party-state in order to attract large followings and gain credibility. Second, semi-official WeChat public accounts operate as "astroturfed influencers," enabling the Chinese propaganda apparatus to covertly manipulate online discourse with extraordinary efficiency. %C GBR %G en %9 Zeitschriftenartikel %W GESIS - http://www.gesis.org %~ SSOAR - http://www.ssoar.info