Taylor Lorenz
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About
Taylor Lorenz is an American journalist and writer best known for her coverage of topics related to internet culture and social media. Her work has appeared in many publications, including The Daily Beast, The New York Times and The Washington Post, earning her several accolades in addition to heightened scrutiny as a journalist. Online, she has become a controversial figure in some media circles due to the subjects she covers and her outspoken social media presence, particularly among conservatives. She has publicly stated that she has been the target of multiple harassment campaigns since beginning her career in 2014.
History
Lorenz was born in New York City in the late 1980s.[1] From 2014 to 2019, she worked for numerous media publications, such as The Daily Mail,[2] The Atlantic, Business Insider and The Daily Beast,[3] during which she primarily focused on covering internet-related issues and topics. She joined the New York Times Style section in September 2019[4] and was named to Forbes' "40 Under 40" list in 2021 for her work to that point. After leaving the New York Times in a purportedly contentious[6] split, she joined The Washington Post in March 2022.[5]
During her career, she has been a prominent voice in explaining various internet trends, such as OK Boomer and Cheugy, among others.[17] Lorenz also has a deal with Simon and Schuster to publish a book titled, Extremely Online: Gen Z, the Rise of Influencers, and the Creation of a New American Dream.[18]
Online Presence
Throughout her career, Lorenz has maintained a large social media following, primarily on Twitter and TikTok. On Twitter,[7] Lorenz has amassed over 286,000 followers in nearly 12 years on the site. On TikTok,[8] she has over 511,000 followers as of April 2022.
Claudia Conway Controversy
In mid-2020, Lorenz was criticized by some for amplifying the left-leaning TikToks of 15-year-old Claudia Conway, the daughter of former Donald Trump advisor Kellyanne Conway] At the time, conservative critics claimed that Lorenz was exploiting a minor for clicks,[10] while others took to lionizing Claudia Conway as a leftist icon.[11]
Ariadna Jacob Lawsuit
In September 2022, a judge dismissed a defamation lawsuit from influencer Ariadna Jacobs against Taylor Lorenz and The New York Times, which claimed she lost clients due to an article by Lorenz published by the Times. Jacob stated that the article contained "numerous false and disparaging statements" about her, including the accusation that she leaked nude images of one of her clients and hiked up the rent on her "content house" tenants. The Times defended Lorenz in the lawsuit, saying, "Ms. Jacob’s main complaint is that The New York Times gave voice to young people who felt they had been mistreated by her. It’s troubling that she has turned to litigation to try to silence those who criticize her business practices. We plan to defend against the suit vigorously."[19]
Marc Andreesen Clubhouse "R-slur" Allegation
In February 2021, Lorenz tweeted that tech entrepreneur Marc Andreesen used the "r-slur" in a Clubhouse chatroom.[12] She later corrected her tweet after it was pointed out that the person who said the word was Ben Horowitz, Andreesen's business partner.
Harassment Claims
In March 2021, Lorenz tweeted that she had faced online harassment for her work, writing, "For international women’s day please consider supporting women enduring online harassment. It’s not an exaggeration to say that the harassment and smear campaign I’ve had to endure over the past year has destroyed my life. No one should have to go through this."[13] The tweet became the lead segment of a March 10th, 2021, episode of Tucker Carlson's Fox News program, who dismissed her claims of harassment as fake. The New York Times defended Lorenz in the incident, writing:
"In a now familiar move, Tucker Carlson opened his show last night by attacking a journalist. It was a calculated and cruel tactic, which he regularly deploys to unleash a wave of harassment and vitriol at his intended target. Taylor Lorenz is a talented New York Times journalist doing timely and essential reporting. Journalists should be able to do their jobs without facing harassment."
In April 2021, Lorenz then appeared on MSNBC to discuss the harassment of female journalists.[14] Tearfully speaking of her own experiences, she said, "I’ve had to remove every single social tie. I have severe PTSD from this. I contemplated suicide. It got really bad. 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."
Libs Of TikTok Article
On April 18th, 2022, Lorenz began receiving backlash from some on Twitter because of an email that was shared from Lorenz to Christina Pushaw,[4] In Pushaw's tweet, the email from Lorenz asked her to comment on an upcoming article from the Washington Post about the LibsOfTikTok account.
During the night of April 18th into the following morning, the controversy surrounding the article and leaked email from Pushaw created a discussion on the topic of how big an anonymous social media account can get before it is fair game to dox or scrutinize as one would a public figure.
Amid the discussion of the article and email, several videos or posts of Lorenz's previous interviews and statements on the topic of doxxing were reposted and scrutinized by those against releasing the actual owner's name, Chaya Raichik. One such video, originally posted on April 1st, 2022, depicts Lorenz on MSNBC talking about the harassment that women face online and how damaging it can be to have their lives in danger of online threats and targeted harassment.
Shortly after, another post of Lorenz's statements from April 3rd, 2022, discussing doxxing and the use of targetted harassment of people online resurfaced, stating in a tweet that was later reuploaded by LibsofTikTok that doing any of the former is not okay "under any situation," which many purported applied to the situation involving the LibsofTikTok account being revealed (shown below).
Once the article was published, debate raged over whether Lorenz's story was ethical or useful journalism. Many defended the story, noting that Lorenz did not "dox" Raichik, as Lorenz was able to discover the supposedly anonymous account by following a trail of publicly available information. Critics claimed that Lorenz had "harassed" family members of Pushaw by appearing at their house to ask them questions about her story, while supporters argued that "door-knocking" was normal, rigorous journalism. Numerous Twitter users expressed their support or critique for Lorenz and the story. For example, on April 19th, Twitter user MattBinder tweeted in support of Lorenz and the WaPo piece, earning over 1,000 likes in roughly two hours (seen below).
right wingers have no idea what Taylor Lorenz published. they’re just making things up based on the outrage. no home addresses or phone numbers were shared by any reporter. pic.twitter.com/oqiGwYkNu4
— Matt Binder (@MattBinder) April 19, 2022
Search Interest
External References
[1] Fortune – 40 under 40 2020
[2] Politico – Taylor Lorenz, head of social media, The Daily Mail/Mail Online
[3] The New York Times – Taylor Lorenz
[4] The New York Times – Taylor Lorenz to Join Styles
[5] Washington Post – Taylor Lorenz Joins Washington Post as a Columnist
[6] Vanity Fair – Taylor Lorenz Leaves New York Times For Washington Post
[7] Twitter – Taylor Lorenz
[8] TikTok – Taylor Lorenz
[9] Commentary – The Case Of Taylor Lorenz
[10] Washington Examiner – Media succeeds in forcing Kellyanne Conway out of the Oval by turning her distressed daughter into a #resistance hero
[11] Slate – Claudia Conway Isn’t a Liberal Hero. She’s a Normal Teenager.
[12] Fox News – New York Times' Taylor Lorenz blasted for false claim tech entrepreneur used 'r-slur' on social media app
[13] The Guardian – New York Times defends reporter Taylor Lorenz after Tucker Carlson's attacks
[14] New York Post – Taylor Lorenz slams MSNBC over harassment segment ‘You f--ed up royally’
[15] International Women's Media Foundation – IWMF Condemns Online Attacks Against Taylor Lorenz
[16] Rolling Stone – Taylor Lorenz Wrote About Libs of TikTok -- and Conservatives Won’t Shut Up About It
[17] Reason – Taylor Lorenz Makes Sense of Online Culture for the Rest of Us
[19] Fox News – Entrepreneur files $6.2 million defamation suit against New York Times, star reporter Taylor Lorenz
