Editorial Pages Fight 'AstroTurf' With Listserv (Editor and Publisher) Editor and Publisher - NEW YORK For years, editorial page editors at newspapers across the country have battled "AstroTurf" -- form letters to the editor generated on political Web sites and by other means, then passed off as original submissions. The AstroTurf moniker came because the letters are considered fake grassroots initiatives. But The National Conference of Editorial Writers (NCEW) is taking the issue seriously.