The Democratic National Convention formally nominated Joe Biden as its presidential candidate on Tuesday night, but the roll call of states and territories also included the votes for runner-up Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.). Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), a prominent Sanders supporter, seconded his nomination, and this is how NBC News recapped her short nominating speech: "In one of the shortest speeches of the DNC, Rep. Ocasio-Cortez did not endorse Joe Biden." After being criticized for political illiteracy, NBC News deleted the tweet and issued a clarification about how conventions work.
The framing had already spread by that point:
And Ocasio-Cortez — who tweeted her congratulations to Biden and said she "deeply look[s] forward to fighting for our future together and reclaiming our democracy in November" right after her speed aired — was not impressed with NBC's "clarification."
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
"This is completely unacceptable, disappointing, and appalling," Ocasio-Cortez added. "The DNC shared the procedural purpose of my remarks to media WELL in advance. @NBC knew what was going to happen & that it was routine." And she finished with a question: "So @NBCNews how are you going to fix the incredible amount of damage and misinformation that you are now responsible for? Because a 1:15am tweet to slip under the radar after blowing up a totally false and divisive narrative across networks isn't it."
Continue reading for free
We hope you're enjoying The Week's refreshingly open-minded journalism.
Subscribed to The Week? Register your account with the same email as your subscription.