Taylor Lorenz

Taylor Lorenz (born October 21 c. 1984–1987[lower-alpha 1]) is an American journalist for The Washington Post. She was previously a technology reporter for The New York Times, The Daily Beast, and Business Insider, and social media editor for the Daily Mail. She is particularly known for covering Internet culture.

Taylor Lorenz
Taylor Lorenz on stage during a Q&A
Lorenz in 2019
BornOctober 21 c. 1984–1987[lower-alpha 1]
New York City, U.S.
Alma materHobart and William Smith College
EmployerThe Washington Post
Writing career
GenreJournalism
SubjectInternet culture
WebsiteOfficial website Edit this at Wikidata

Early life and education

Lorenz was born in New York City[1][lower-alpha 1] and grew up in Old Greenwich, Connecticut, attending nearby Greenwich High School.[6] She attended college at the University of Colorado Boulder and later transferred to Hobart and William Smith College where she graduated with a degree in political science.[7][8] Lorenz has stated that the social media site Tumblr caused her to become interested in internet culture.[9]

Career

Lorenz worked as a social media editor for the Daily Mail from 2011 to 2014, becoming their head of social media.[10] After a short stint writing for The Daily Dot in 2014,[11] she was a technology reporter for Business Insider from 2014 to 2017.[12] In 2017, she wrote briefly for The Hill's blog section,[13][14] and was assaulted by a counter-protester[15] while covering the Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, Virginia.[16] From 2017 to 2018, she worked as a technology reporter for The Daily Beast.[17] From 2019 to 2022, she was a technology reporter for The New York Times.[18] In March 2022, Lorenz left the The New York Times and joined The Washington Post as a columnist.[7][19]

In 2019, Lorenz was made a Visiting Fellow at Harvard University's Berkman Klein Center for Internet & Society by the Nieman Foundation for Journalism.[20]

According to The Caret, her reporting is consumed frequently by "Silicon Valley venture capitalists, marketers and...anyone curious about how the internet is shaping the ways in which humans express themselves and communicate."[21] According to TheWrap, "since her time at the Times, she's attracted an inordinate amount of online criticism, particularly from those in the right-wing media."[22] Fortune stated that she has "cemented herself as a peerless authority" whose name became "synonymous with youth culture online" during her time with The Daily Beast and The Atlantic.[5] Reason magazine credited her with popularizing the term "OK boomer" in a story declaring "the end of friendly generational relations."[23]

In August 2021, Lorenz and The New York Times were sued by influencer talent agent and entrepreneur Ariadna Jacob for defamation in an August 2020 article about her company, Influences.[24] In September 2022, a judge dismissed the lawsuit, saying that Jacob had failed to prove defamation.[25]

In December 2022, Lorenz was temporarily suspended from Twitter following a series of suspensions of journalists under Elon Musk's ownership of Twitter.[26] Lorenz was suspended after asking Musk for comment on a story.[26] He later tweeted the suspension was for "prior doxxing action".[27]

Accolades

Lorenz was named to Fortune's 40 Under 40 listing for 2020 under the Media and Entertainment category.[5] That same year, Adweek included her in their "2020 Young Influentials Who Are Shaping Media, Marketing and Tech" listing, stating of Lorenz that she "contextualizes the internet as we live it."[28]

Coverage of Libs of TikTok

On April 19, 2022, The Washington Post published an article by Lorenz about the right-wing Twitter account Libs of TikTok and publicized the identity of the account owner as Chaya Raichik, an Orthodox Jew who worked in real estate. These details were retrieved from early iterations of the Libs of TikTok Twitter account.[29] The online version of the article initially included a link to Raichik's real estate license.[30][31]

The article proved controversial, with Lorenz accused of doxxing,[32] antisemitism for mentioning Raichik's religion,[33] and hypocrisy for having previously spoken out against online harassment.[34][35][36][37][38] Raichik herself accused Lorenz of doxxing and told the New York Post that she "will never be silenced".[37][39] Raichik also accused Lorenz of violating her right to free speech.[40] According to The Times of London, "supporters of Lorenz meanwhile pointed out that Raichik's followers were only too enthusiastic about doxing when it came to teachers being smeared as paedophiles."[41] In a tweet, Lorenz said that her "whole family was doxed again this morning...trolls have now moved on to doxing and stalking any random friends I've tagged on Instagram."[33] YouTuber Tim Pool and The Daily Wire CEO Jeremy Boreing purchased a billboard in Times Square to accuse Lorenz of doxxing. In response, Lorenz called the billboard "so idiotic it's hilarious".[42]

Lorenz argued that Raichik's information was already publicly available.[40]

Coverage of the Depp v. Heard trial

In June 2022, Lorenz published an article on the coverage of the Depp v. Heard trial by YouTube personalities, which originally claimed that two of the YouTubers discussed in the article, LegalBytes and ThatUmbrellaGuy, were contacted for comment prior to publication.[43] Both YouTubers later denied being contacted by Lorenz, prompting a series of editorial corrections to the article which eventually included an admission that stealth editing had violated the paper's policy. In a tweet, Lorenz blamed the errors on a miscommunication with her editor, leading some critics to accuse her of buck passing. The tweet was discussed and agreed on by Lorenz and multiple editors according to three people with knowledge of the discussions.[22][44][45][46][47] The New York Times subsequently reported that Lorenz had been moved from the features staff to the technology team, and that Cameron Barr, a senior managing editor at The Washington Post, had "been asked to review her articles before publication".[46] Lorenz denied that she had moved teams, writing on Twitter, "I have absolutely not been demoted, not even remotely. My job has not changed at all."[22] She further asserted that news coverage of the errors by CNN and others was in "bad faith", "irresponsible and dangerous", and designed to "amplify a manufactured outrage campaign by right wing media & radicalized influencers, which is driving a vicious harassment/smear campaign against me."[45]

Personal life

In January 2015, Lorenz announced her engagement to Christopher Mims, a technology columnist at The Wall Street Journal.[48][49] In a 2022 interview with Zagat, Lorenz identified herself as vegan.[50] In an interview with MSNBC, Lorenz said that she has "severe PTSD" from experiencing online harassment.[33]

Notes
  1. According to Politico, Lorenz's birthday is October 21.[2] In February 2016, CBS News stated that she was 30,[3] in August 2018 – prior to her employment with the newspaper – The New York Times stated that her age was 31,[4] and in September 2020, Fortune listed her age as 35.[5]

References
  1. Esposito, Brad (February 8, 2021). "Very Fine Day #2: Taylor Lorenz". Very Fine Day. Retrieved February 28, 2021 – via Substack.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  2. Sherman, Jake; Palmer, Anna (October 21, 2020). "Politico Playbook: New poll: Biden edges Trump on the economy". Politico. Retrieved February 27, 2021. Birthdays: ... NYT's Taylor Lorenz ...{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  3. CBS News staff (February 1, 2016). "Cries of "oh my God" heard on moving Amtrak train". CBS News. Retrieved March 6, 2021.
  4. La Ferla, Ruth (August 29, 2018). "These Companies Really, Really, Really Want to Freeze Your Eggs". The New York Times. Retrieved March 6, 2021.
  5. Fortune staff (September 2, 2020). "Taylor Lorenz | 2020 40 under 40 in Media and Entertainment". Fortune. Retrieved September 3, 2020.
  6. Marchant, Robert (March 18, 2021). "CT native Taylor Lorenz got attacked on Twitter. She's not the only woman to face online harassment". Greenwich Time. Retrieved March 24, 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  7. Klein, Charlotte (February 1, 2022). "Taylor Lorenz Hopes The New York Times Will "Evolve in Their Ways" As She Leaves for The Washington Post". Vanity Fair. Retrieved March 1, 2022.
  8. Roush, Chris (April 30, 2018). "Lorenz hired by The Atlantic to cover tech". Talking Biz News. Retrieved February 28, 2021.
  9. Lammer, Aaron; Linsky, Max (August 19, 2019). "Longform Podcast #355: Taylor Lorenz". Longform.org (Podcast). Retrieved January 8, 2021.
  10. Capital staff (July 18, 2014). "The 60-second interview: Taylor Lorenz, head of social media, The Daily Mail/Mail Online". Politico. Retrieved February 28, 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  11. "Taylor Lorenz". The Daily Dot. Retrieved June 28, 2022.
  12. "Taylor Lorenz". Business Insider. Insider Inc. Retrieved February 28, 2021.
  13. "Watch: Trump jostles for position at NATO". The Hill. Nexstar, Inc. May 25, 2017. Retrieved May 26, 2017.
  14. "Juggalos, pro-Trump activists descend on DC". The Hill. Nexstar, Inc. September 16, 2017. Retrieved September 16, 2017.
  15. "Locals march against alt-right rally in C'ville". The Central Virginian. Retrieved August 17, 2017.
  16. "Horror and hate in Charlottesville". The Hill. Nexstar, Inc. Retrieved August 12, 2017.
  17. Roush, Chris (October 30, 2017). "Lorenz joining Daily Beast as tech reporter". Talking Biz News. Retrieved June 30, 2022.
  18. "Taylor Lorenz". The New York Times. Retrieved June 28, 2022.
  19. "Taylor Lorenz joins The Washington Post as a columnist". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved March 1, 2022.
  20. "Nieman Foundation announces the 2019 Knight Visiting Nieman Fellows". NIEMAN NEWS. The President and Fellows of Harvard College. Retrieved June 27, 2022.
  21. "Taylor Lorenz – Interview". The Caret. February 13, 2020. Retrieved July 2, 2020.
  22. Welk, Brian (June 18, 2022). "Taylor Lorenz Denies NY Times Report That She's Moved Teams at Washington Post and Must Have Stories Reviewed by Top Editor". The Wrap. Retrieved June 21, 2022.
  23. Gillespie, Nick (February 26, 2020). "Taylor Lorenz Makes Sense of Online Culture for the Rest of Us". Reason.com. Retrieved July 2, 2020.
  24. Smythe, Christie (August 13, 2019). ""Canceled" TikTok influencer agent Ari Jacob is suing the New York Times for at least $6.2 million". The Business of Business.
  25. Schultz, Ray (September 15, 2022). "Judge Dismisses Libel Suit Against 'New York Times' and Taylor Lorenz". Media Post. Retrieved September 15, 2022.
  26. Knodel, Jamie (December 17, 2022). "Musk reinstates suspended journalists after Twitter poll". NBC News. Retrieved December 18, 2022.
  27. Burga, Solcyre (December 18, 2022). "Twitter Temporarily Bans Washington Post Reporter After Other Journalists Reinstated". Time.
  28. Adweek staff (August 9, 2020). "Meet Adweek's 2020 Young Influentials Who Are Shaping Media, Marketing and Tech". Adweek. Retrieved September 4, 2020.
  29. Lorenz, Taylor (April 19, 2022). "Meet the woman behind Libs of TikTok, secretly fueling the right's outrage machine". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on April 19, 2022. Retrieved April 19, 2022.
  30. Hajjaji, Danya (April 21, 2022). "U.S. Libs of TikTok's Unmasking Raises Tough Questions About Right to Anonymity". Newsweek. Archived from the original on July 24, 2022.
  31. Leeman, Zachary (April 20, 2022). "Washington Post Called Out For False Claim in Statement Defending Taylor Lorenz Report". Mediaite.
  32. Schemmel, Alec (April 19, 2022). "Reporter slammed as hypocrite for 'doxxing' Libs of TikTok Twitter account". ABCNews4. Retrieved July 11, 2022.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  33. Starr, Michael (April 21, 2022). "US Right, Left clash on orthodox Jewish activist's 'doxxing'". The Jerusalem Post. Retrieved April 24, 2022.
  34. Mastrangelo, Dominic (April 19, 2022). "Washington Post defends Taylor Lorenz reporting after story on 'Libs of TikTok' Twitter account". The Hill. Retrieved April 20, 2022.
  35. Kampeas, Ron (April 21, 2022). "Twitter activist behind far-right 'Libs of TikTok' revealed to be US Orthodox Jew". The Times of Israel. Retrieved April 22, 2022.
  36. Quay, Grayson (April 19, 2022). "Conservatives complain of 'doxxing' after exposé reveals woman behind 'Libs of TikTok' account". The Week. Retrieved April 19, 2022.
  37. Tiffany, Kaitlyn (April 22, 2022). "'Doxxing' Means Whatever You Want It To". The Atlantic. Retrieved April 24, 2022.
  38. Sarkar, Shankhyaneel (June 14, 2022). "Libs Of TikTok Receives Death, Bomb Threats, Alleges Twitter Staff Discussed Deplatforming Her". News18.com. Retrieved June 14, 2022.
  39. Tracer, Dan (April 20, 2022). "'Libs of TikTok' deletes thousands of tweets after owner is exposed, but the Internet remembers forever". Queerty.
  40. Sultan, Reina (September 30, 2022). "How Libs of TikTok Became an Anti-LGBTQ+ Hate Machine". Them. Retrieved September 30, 2022.
  41. Tomlinson, Hugh (April 22, 2022). "Libs of Tiktok: Twitter provocateur gives Republicans new weapon in war on liberals". The Times. London. ISSN 0140-0460. Retrieved April 22, 2022.
  42. Allsop, Jon (April 27, 2022). "Piers Morgan, Donald Trump, and the doomed transatlantic culture wars". Columbia Journalism Review. Retrieved April 28, 2022.
  43. Lorenz, Taylor (June 2, 2022). "Analysis | Who won the Depp-Heard trial? Content creators that went all-in". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Archived from the original on September 28, 2022. Retrieved January 22, 2023.
  44. Downey, Caroline (June 3, 2022). "Youtubers Claim WaPo's Taylor Lorenz Lied about Requesting Comment for Hit Piece". National Review. Retrieved June 11, 2022.
  45. Wemple, Erik (June 10, 2022). "Taylor Lorenz said an editor was to blame. Is that okay?". The Washington Post. Retrieved June 11, 2022.
  46. Robertson, Katie (June 17, 2022). "Infighting Overshadows Big Plans at The Washington Post". The New York Times. Retrieved June 21, 2022.
  47. Wulfsohn, Joseph (June 3, 2022). "Washington Post issues two corrections after stealth-edit scrubbed false claim from Taylor Lorenz report". Fox News. Retrieved January 22, 2023.
  48. Lorenz, Taylor (January 10, 2015). "We're engaged!". TaylorLorenz.com. Archived from the original on February 17, 2020. Retrieved February 28, 2021.
  49. Campbell, Colin (May 4, 2015). "Man stabbed to death outside Health Care for the Homeless". The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved February 28, 2021.
  50. "Taylor Lorenz On The Stress And Strangeness Of Pandemic Dining Out". Zagat Stories. Retrieved March 22, 2022.
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