New York — Over the weekend, News Corp. CEO Rupert Murdoch joined Twitter and his wife, Wendi Deng-Murdoch, soon followed. But, incidentally, several news outlets inadvertently reported that Wendi Deng Murdoch scolded her media magnate husband on Twitter after the site: News International confirmed that the @wendi_deng account was a spoof.
Surprisingly, the reality came to light when the anonymous impostor tweeted Tuesday: “Hello Twitter. As News International has finally come to their senses, it is time to confirm that yes, this is a fake account. I’m not Wendi.”
It is not clear how the fake account was verified, but Twitter apologized after a “verified” account in the name of Wendi Deng Murdoch, wife of global media tycoon Rupert Murdoch, turned out to be bogus.
Murdoch, 83, and Wendi Deng, 43, have been married since 1999 (AFP/File, Philippe Lopez)
A Twitter spokeswoman in a statement said, “We do not comment on our verification process but can confirm that the @wendi_deng account was mistakenly verified for a short period of time.”
“We apologize for the confusion this caused.”
The fake account was verified late on Monday evening, adding a blue symbol next to the username. According to Twitter’s website, states that it verifies accounts to “establish authenticity of well known accounts so users can trust that a legitimate source is authoring their Tweets”.
It adds: “Linking to your Twitter profile from an official website is the easiest way to confirm your identity to your followers.”
The fake Wendi Deng account briefly had a verified stamp before the mistake was discovered… “Joining my husband @rupertmurdoch in our new digital adventure on Twitter,” read its profile, alongside a photo of the smiling Murdochs at the November 2008 premiere in New York of the film “Australia.”
The impostor behind the Twitter account has not revealed his or her true identity, and it seems that the fake account was set up on New Year’s Day, a day after Murdoch himself — according to a spokesman for his British newspaper unit News International in London — made his Twitter debut.
Twitter on Tuesday confirmed that the Rupert Murdoch account was verified.
While Murdoch “tweets” concerned with politics, films, his vacation and the weather, there were no mentions of his wife’s impersonator at Twitter.
“To those of you who kept maintaining the account was fake, even after being verified, good on you for being suspicious,” added the mystery @Wendi_Deng in a lively exchange with his or her nearly 10,000 followers.
“Besides, this was a bit of fun. If you do not think it was, then you would better ask Twitter to remove every other spoof account too.”
The debacle brings into question Twitter’s verification process. According to Twitter, which says it grants “a Verified Badge” to well-known users, such as celebrities, once it has established their authenticity, for example through a link with an official website.
Curiously, the identity of @wendi_deng remains a mystery, though the tweeter was quick to deny that it was Johnnie Marbles.
According BBC reports that Jonathan May-Bowles, also known as Jonnie Marbles, was sentenced to six weeks in jail last August after pushing a plate of foam into Rupert Murdoch’s face at a House of Commons committee hearing. The punishment was later reduced to four weeks.
“Oh, and I’m not Jonny Marbles either. Really. I”m a nobody. Not an aspiring comedy writer. Not anything,” the hoaxer tweeted. However the impersonator promised: “I might say more later. I hope you would not at all unfollow in complete disappointment that this account is fake.”
According to Cnet reports, The bogus Mrs. Murdoch pulled a fast one in response to a real tweet Monday from Rupert Murdoch: “Maybe Brits have too many holidays for broke country!”
His wife’s impersonator responded: “RUPERT!!! Delete tweet!”
Screenshot Credit: (Chris Matyszczyk/CNET)
Australian-born Murdoch, 83, and Chinese-born Deng, 43, have been married since 1999, two years after they met at a party in Hong Kong. Meanwhile, Rupert Murdoch’s account (@rupertmurdoch) has garnered more than 90,000 followers since it started on New Year’s Eve. He did not address the controversy about his wife’s alleged Twitter account, and @wendi_deng is not among the seven people he follows.