Jun 23, 2022 - News

A Facebook spoof takes on Des Moines

A spoof of the city of Des Moines' Facebook page.

Screenshot of a since-deleted satirical Facebook account that spoofed the city of Des Moines' page

A satire of the city of Des Moines' Facebook page that launched this month has been removed.

  • It had nearly 18,000 followers, slightly more than the real deal, as of late last week.

State of play: We don't know why the account was deleted but know the city had contacted Facebook previously about its content. Here are a few examples of text from now-deleted posts:

  • "DSM unanimously voted to take over Cumming for the benefit of all residents."
  • "Pineapple on pizza was criminalized under a mayoral proclamation, which applies to all areas of the city, 'including the newly acquired deep south.'"

What they're saying: In messages with Axios last week, the page's author declined to identify themselves but claimed to be a DSM resident that is proud of the city.

  • Poking fun at DSM is intended to get more people involved with local civics, the person wrote.

The other side: Before the account was deleted, the city contacted Facebook and it was labeled as satire. That created a clear distinction between the two pages and the city did not have issues with confusion between them, city spokesperson Al Setka told Axios Wednesday.

  • There was initially a slight increase in visits and followers to the city’s Facebook page but that tapered off, Setka said.

Of note: We were unable to follow up with the account user this week after the account had been deactivated.

A spoof of the city of Des Moines' Facebook page.
Screenshot of a since-deleted satirical Facebook account that spoofed the city of Des Moines' page
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