A doctored interview of Democratic congressional candidate Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has gone viral on Facebook, where it racked up over a million views in the few hours since it was posted.
CRTV, which created the video, did not say why they created the video. In an emailed statement, they said that, "Satire has a long tradition and plays a valuable role in political discourse. Many comedians, late night hosts, and TV programs like Saturday Night Live have used satire for decades. We love Allie’s creative work and look forward to liberals feigning outrage at satire in future videos."
An update and a winking emoji were added to the video's description 16 hours after it was originally posted saying, "Yes, this is satire created from excerpts of the viral Firing Line interview with Ocasio-Cortez." The original post did not say the video was fake. Facebook told BuzzFeed News that the video did not violate their community standards and pointed to the "satire" disclaimer in the description.
However, some of the video's promotion by the company does not make it clear that the video is "satire." It has been shared more than 18,000 times on Facebook, including to pro-Trump and conspiracy theory groups.
Progressive "it girl" and congressional hopeful @Ocasio208 struggles to answer basic political questions in sit down with CRTV's @conservmillen ... Watch more from Allie at https://t.co/f6LmptSaqq! https://t.co/srrWx0Pjqn
Ocasio-Cortez commented on the video on Twitter, saying, "Republicans are so scared of me that they're faking videos and presenting them as real on Facebook because they can't deal with reality anymore."
Republicans are so scared of me that they’re faking videos and presenting them as real on Facebook because they can’t deal with reality anymore. Here’s one bonafide truth: Election Day is November 6th. https://t.co/Z7MfisgiWl
The fake interview took real moments from Ocasio-Cortez's interview with PBS's Firing Line and edited them to look like she was giving nonsensical responses to basic questions.
"Venezuela is not in the Middle East," CRTV host Allie Beth Stuckey says at one point during the fake interview, as if to correct a misconception stated by Ocasio-Cortez. Stuckey even wore a blue dress to match that of Margaret Hoover, the host of the real interview on PBS.
CRTV is a conservative television station owned by pundit Mark Levin who has also written a book called Rediscovering Americanism: And the Tyranny of Progressivism.
Stuckey defended the doctored interview on Twitter, where she has been retweeting supporters and praise for the video. "Girl — It was a clear joke," she said, responding to Ocasio-Cortez.
Girl— it was a clear joke, not a “fake” video. :) As much as I disagree with you politically, I’ve been public about how impressed I am with your quick rise to prominence. Good luck! https://t.co/CsXByCbGJO
Many people in the comment section pointed out that the video is fake, and some said that faking an interview is not helpful. But some others fell for it and even said they reported it as "fake news" on Facebook.
"This has to be fake," one person commented on Facebook. "And I have to say, fake news from the right is just as damaging and dishonest as fake news from the left. Enough already. If we can't win with the truth, then winning isn't worth it."