NBC News is getting flamed online after it posted an in-depth analysis of a joke account mocking Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.
"A Twitter account mocking Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has skyrocketed in followers and engagement over the last two days, with some help from Elon Musk," NBC News tweeted on Wednesday.
The parody account has gone viral in recent days, only growing in popularity after Ocasio-Cortez lashed out at the poster in a tweet Tuesday.
"FYI there’s a fake account on here impersonating me and going viral. The Twitter CEO has engaged it, boosting visibility. It is releasing false policy statements and gaining spread. I am assessing with my team how to move forward. In the meantime, be careful of what you see," she wrote.
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Some users pointed out that while the parody account uses the same photo as the congresswoman, it makes it clear to Twitter users that the account is fake, posting under the name "Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Press Release (parody)."
"I can't believe people would think these parody tweets are from our office when they are clearly fake. Come on y'all you know I would never say something as stupid as that," the parody account joked in response to AOC's criticism.
Journalists and political commentators also poked fun at NBC News’ detailed analysis of AOC’s parody account, with defense attorney Marina Medvin asking the outlet if there wasn't anything more important to cover.
"Slow news day?" Medvin asked NBC News.
RedState editor-at-large Ben Kew posted laughing emojis in response to "viral tweets" posted by AOC’s parody account as described by NBC News.
"Among other viral tweets Ocasio-Cortez may have been referencing is one that pledged $3 trillion in reparations to the transgender community and another that suggested sending 10 million Americans to Ukraine," the outlet wrote.
Other users joked that AOC's parody account was more "entertaining" than the congresswoman's real account.
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NBC News claimed that AOC's parody account has existed "since November 2018 but the following year, under Twitter founder Jack Dorsey’s leadership, it was permanently suspended for its ‘misleading’ parody content."
The account only made a comeback after billionaire Elon Musk completed his takeover of the company in 2022, according to the outlet.
The article also argued that another popular conservative account, "@catturd," may be behind AOC's parody account, tweeting on May 22 that "I can’t confirm or deny that, but hey, you might want to follow."
The account @catturd posts as an imaginary cat with glasses and has over 1.7 million followers.
Fox News’ Aubrie Spady contributed to this report.
