A Washington Post reporter is being accused of hypocrisy after linking to a piece of information that gave the home address (popularly referred to as “doxxing”) of the creator of a popular Twitter account that lampoons leftists. Taylor Lorenz, a tech writer for the Post, recently broke down in tears in an MSNBC interview where she claimed she suffered from “severe PTSD” over such incidents allegedly directed at her.
After backlash over the incident, The Washington Post removed the link, but the damage was already done.
The Twitter account in question is known as “Libs of TikTok” and it lampoons far-left personalities, often by just showing videos of those personalities speaking. A large part of the account’s content is simply posting TikTok videos featuring leftists themselves documenting the promotion of far-left ideology and the promotion of transgenderism and other LGBTQ talking points in schools.
But according to Lorenz, allowing people to see those agendas from their own supporters is a form of “harassment.”
“Harassment is a tool to silence people — especially women and people of color, people from marginalized identities — for speaking out,” Lorenz said recently, before doing the exact same thing to someone else.
In an interview with MSNBC only two weeks before, Lorenz decried such doxxing when it was done to her. “There’s many people that are tweeting, you know, ‘these are Taylor Lorenz’s loved ones,’ … they’ll threaten children, they’ll threaten my parents. I’ve had to remove every single social tie. I have severe PTSD from this. I contemplated suicide, it got really bad.”
Lorenz is accused of not only giving out the home address of the woman who anonymously runs the account, but also of showing up at the doors of extended relatives of Libs of TikTok’s creator.
All of this is terribly ironic because, in her interview with MSNBC, Lorenz states, “You feel like any little piece of information that gets out on you will be used by the worst people on the Internet to destroy your life. And it’s so isolating. It’s horrifying.”
Calling Libs of TikTok a “powerful online figure” — which many people have never heard of prior to today — Lorenz lamented that the true meaning of her story is not getting out.
“Lots of convo about the ‘harm’ of covering a powerful online figure, but not much abt the harm done to the average LGBTQ+ ppl the acct seeks to drive out of schools and public life. I hope people read this whole story and understand this account’s impact,” Lorenz tweeted.
Backlash against Lorenz has been swift and vicious. Conservative radio host and Daily Wire founder Ben Shapiro criticized her as “a terrible journalist and worse human.”
“Targeting a Twitter account that literally just posts Leftists owning themselves because that account damages the Left is pure Lorenz,” Shapiro added.
Journalist Glenn Greenwald pointed out the blatant hypocrisy of the situation: “The same people who — just 2 weeks ago — were insisting that criticizing Taylor Lorenz is wrong because it generates ‘harassment’ toward her are now cheering as she shows up at the homes of the relatives of Twitter users to dox them.”
Lorenz claimed that her decision to publish the home address of the woman who runs Libs of TikTok was simply “journalism.”
“Reporters make phone calls, send messages, show up places, and knock on doors when reporting out a story,” Lorenz tweeted. “I reported this story out extensively, using every tool I had, to ensure I had the correct woman.”
Okay, but what about the hypocrisy of the situation — decrying such methods publicly, claiming that she had PTSD about such tactics even to the point of contemplating suicide?
“The account has emerged as a powerful force on the Internet, shaping right-wing media, impacting anti-LGBTQ+ legislation and influencing millions by posting viral videos aimed at inciting outrage among the right,” Lorenz said of Libs of TikTok — again, an account which mainly features TikTok videos of far-left individuals speaking for themselves.
Lorenz claims that the woman she attacked “isn’t just some average woman with a social media account” but a “powerful influencer operating a massively impactful right wing media shaping discourse around LGBTQ+ rights.”
As for the woman who was attacked by Lorenz, she is keeping a low profile today, planning her next move in the social-media wars.
“Thankfully I’m currently holed up in a safe location. I’m confident we will get through this and come out even stronger. Grateful for all the thoughts and prayers,” Libs of TikTok’s creator wrote.
