A fabricated article published by the obscure website "NYC Journals" falsely claimed that Instagram suspended New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani's account for being "too socialist," citing a nonexistent leaked memo. The article, which included purported quotes from Mamdani and a political communications expert, claimed the account was down for three hours and that the content violated US national interests. However, Meta spokesperson Ryan Daniels and Mamdani campaign spokesperson Dora Pekec both confirmed that the story, the attributed quotes, and the account suspension are entirely false. The article spread rapidly across social media platforms including Bluesky, Reddit, Mastodon, and X. NYC Journals provided no contact information and offers little information about its editorial process.

The false narrative follows a pattern of misinformation surrounding Mamdani's candidacy, which has attracted national attention. Following his presumptive Democratic nomination in June, Donald Trump promoted false claims regarding Mamdani's immigration status.

Impact Statement: The incident highlights the rapid spread of disinformation online and its potential impact on local elections, particularly in a highly contested race.