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Taylor Lorenz

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Taylor Lorenz
Lorenz in 2023
BornOctober 21, c. 1984–1987 (age 36–39)[a]
New York City, U.S.
EducationUniversity of Colorado Boulder
Hobart and William Smith College (BA)
EmployerThe Washington Post
Writing career
GenreJournalism
SubjectInternet culture

Taylor Lorenz (born October 21, c. 1984–1987[a]) is an American journalist. She is a columnist 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.

Early life and education

Lorenz was born in New York City[1][a] 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 said 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 its 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] In 2019, she was a visiting fellow at Harvard University's Nieman Foundation for Journalism.[18] From 2019 to 2022, she was a technology reporter for The New York Times.[19]

According to The Caret, Lorenz's reporting frequently concerns "Silicon Valley venture capitalists, marketers and ... anyone curious about how the internet is shaping the ways in which humans express themselves and communicate".[20] Fortune named her to its "40 Under 40" list in 2020, saying that she has "cemented herself as a peerless authority" whose name became "synonymous with youth culture online" during her time at The Daily Beast and The Atlantic.[5] The same year, Adweek included her on its list of "Young Influentials Who Are Shaping Media, Marketing and Tech", saying that she "contextualizes the internet as we live it".[21] Reason magazine credited her with popularizing the term "OK boomer" in a story declaring "the end of friendly generational relations".[22] 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".[23]

The Washington Post

In March 2022, Lorenz left the Times and joined The Washington Post as a columnist.[7][24] Her book Extremely Online: The Untold Story of Fame, Influence, and Power on the Internet was published by Simon & Schuster in October 2023.[25]

In April 2022, Lorenz wrote an article for the Post that publicized the identity of Chaya Raichik as the owner of the right-wing Twitter account Libs of TikTok. The details were retrieved from early iterations of the account.[26] An online version of the article initially included a link to Raichik's real-estate license.[27][28] The article led Lorenz to be accused of doxxing[29] and hypocrisy for having previously spoken out against online harassment.[30][31][32][33][34] Raichik said Lorenz doxxed her and violated her right to free speech.[33][35] 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".[36] 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".[37] Lorenz interviewed Raichik for an article about Libs of TikTok in February 2024.[38]

In June 2022, the Post published an article by Lorenz about the coverage of the Depp v. Heard trial by YouTube personalities; the article incorrectly said that two YouTubers discussed in the article had been contacted for comment. Editorial corrections were made, including an admission that stealth editing had violated the paper's policy.[39] Lorenz said in a tweet that the errors were due to a miscommunication with her editor, leading her to be accused of buck passing, though the tweet was reportedly discussed and agreed on by Lorenz and multiple editors.[23][40][41][42] Lorenz was reportedly moved from the features staff to the technology team and Post senior managing editor Cameron Barr was "asked to review her articles before publication".[41] 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."[23] She added 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".[40]

Twitter owner Elon Musk temporarily suspended Lorenz's Twitter account in December 2022. The suspension followed a series of suspensions of journalists under Musk's new ownership of Twitter.[43] Lorenz said she was suspended after asking Musk for comment on a story.[43] Musk tweeted that the suspension was for "prior doxxing action".[44]

Personal life

Lorenz announced her engagement to Christopher Mims, a technology columnist at The Wall Street Journal, in January 2015.[45][46] She identified herself as a vegan in 2022.[47] She has said she has "severe PTSD" from experiencing online harassment.[37] She has also said she is immunocompromised.[48]

Selected publications

  • Lorenz, Taylor (October 3, 2023), Extremely Online: The Untold Story of Fame, Influence, and Power on the Internet, Simon & Schuster, ISBN 9780753560792

Notes

  1. ^ Jump up to: a b c According to Politico, Lorenz's birthday is October 21.[2] In February 2016, CBS News said that she was 30;[3] in August 2018, prior to her employment with the newspaper, The New York Times said 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. Archived from the original on March 11, 2021. Retrieved February 28, 2021 – via Substack.
  2. ^ Sherman, Jake; Palmer, Anna (October 21, 2020). "Politico Playbook: New poll: Biden edges Trump on the economy". Politico. Archived from the original on March 5, 2021. Retrieved February 27, 2021. Birthdays: ... NYT's Taylor Lorenz ...
  3. ^ CBS News staff (February 1, 2016). "Cries of "oh my God" heard on moving Amtrak train". CBS News. Archived from the original on April 17, 2021. 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. Archived from the original on February 3, 2021. Retrieved March 6, 2021.
  5. ^ Jump up to: a b Fortune staff (September 2, 2020). "Taylor Lorenz | 2020 40 under 40 in Media and Entertainment". Fortune. Archived from the original on October 23, 2020. 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. Archived from the original on March 20, 2021. Retrieved March 24, 2021.
  7. ^ Jump up to: a b 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. Archived from the original on February 23, 2022. Retrieved March 1, 2022.
  8. ^ Roush, Chris (April 30, 2018). "Lorenz hired by The Atlantic to cover tech". Talking Biz News. Archived from the original on January 10, 2021. Retrieved February 28, 2021.
  9. ^ Lammer, Aaron; Linsky, Max (August 19, 2019). "Longform Podcast #355: Taylor Lorenz". Longform.org (Podcast). Archived from the original on January 9, 2021. 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. Archived from the original on February 10, 2021. Retrieved February 28, 2021.
  11. ^ "Taylor Lorenz". The Daily Dot. Archived from the original on September 7, 2022. Retrieved June 28, 2022.
  12. ^ "Taylor Lorenz". Business Insider. Insider Inc. Archived from the original on October 23, 2020. Retrieved February 28, 2021.
  13. ^ "Watch: Trump jostles for position at NATO". The Hill. Nexstar, Inc. May 25, 2017. Archived from the original on May 27, 2017. Retrieved May 26, 2017.
  14. ^ "Juggalos, pro-Trump activists descend on DC". The Hill. Nexstar, Inc. September 16, 2017. Archived from the original on September 17, 2017. Retrieved September 16, 2017.
  15. ^ "Locals march against alt-right rally in C'ville". The Central Virginian. Archived from the original on June 30, 2022. Retrieved August 17, 2017.
  16. ^ "Horror and hate in Charlottesville". The Hill. Nexstar, Inc. Archived from the original on August 13, 2017. Retrieved August 12, 2017.
  17. ^ Roush, Chris (October 30, 2017). "Lorenz joining Daily Beast as tech reporter". Talking Biz News. Archived from the original on June 30, 2022. Retrieved June 30, 2022.
  18. ^ "Nieman Foundation announces the 2019 Knight Visiting Nieman Fellows". NIEMAN NEWS. The President and Fellows of Harvard College. Archived from the original on July 10, 2022. Retrieved June 27, 2022.
  19. ^ "Taylor Lorenz". The New York Times. Archived from the original on June 29, 2022. Retrieved June 28, 2022.
  20. ^ "Taylor Lorenz – Interview". The Caret. February 13, 2020. Archived from the original on July 3, 2020. Retrieved July 2, 2020.
  21. ^ Adweek staff (August 9, 2020). "Meet Adweek's 2020 Young Influentials Who Are Shaping Media, Marketing and Tech". Adweek. Archived from the original on August 31, 2020. Retrieved September 4, 2020.
  22. ^ Gillespie, Nick (February 26, 2020). "Taylor Lorenz Makes Sense of Online Culture for the Rest of Us". Reason.com. Archived from the original on July 2, 2020. Retrieved July 2, 2020.
  23. ^ Jump up to: a b c 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. Archived from the original on June 20, 2022. Retrieved June 21, 2022.
  24. ^ "Taylor Lorenz joins The Washington Post as a columnist". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Archived from the original on February 5, 2022. Retrieved March 1, 2022.
  25. ^ Seo, Rachel (2023). "'Facebook F—ed Up': Taylor Lorenz Tells the Untold History of the Internet in Upcoming Book 'Extremely Online'". Variety.
  26. ^ 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.
  27. ^ 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.
  28. ^ Leeman, Zachary (April 20, 2022). "Washington Post Called Out For False Claim in Statement Defending Taylor Lorenz Report". Mediaite. Archived from the original on July 5, 2022. Retrieved June 24, 2022.
  29. ^ Schemmel, Alec (April 19, 2022). "Reporter slammed as hypocrite for 'doxxing' Libs of TikTok Twitter account". ABCNews4. Archived from the original on July 12, 2022. Retrieved July 11, 2022.
  30. ^ Mastrangelo, Dominic (April 19, 2022). "Washington Post defends Taylor Lorenz reporting after story on 'Libs of TikTok' Twitter account". The Hill. Archived from the original on April 20, 2022. Retrieved April 20, 2022.
  31. ^ Kampeas, Ron (April 21, 2022). "Twitter activist behind far-right 'Libs of TikTok' revealed to be US Orthodox Jew". The Times of Israel. Archived from the original on April 22, 2022. Retrieved April 22, 2022.
  32. ^ Quay, Grayson (April 19, 2022). "Conservatives complain of 'doxxing' after exposé reveals woman behind 'Libs of TikTok' account". The Week. Archived from the original on April 19, 2022. Retrieved April 19, 2022.
  33. ^ Jump up to: a b Tiffany, Kaitlyn (April 22, 2022). "'Doxxing' Means Whatever You Want It To". The Atlantic. Archived from the original on April 24, 2022. Retrieved April 24, 2022.
  34. ^ Sarkar, Shankhyaneel (June 14, 2022). "Libs Of TikTok Receives Death, Bomb Threats, Alleges Twitter Staff Discussed Deplatforming Her". News18.com. Archived from the original on June 14, 2022. Retrieved June 14, 2022.
  35. ^ Sultan, Reina (September 30, 2022). "How Libs of TikTok Became an Anti-LGBTQ+ Hate Machine". Them. Archived from the original on September 30, 2022. Retrieved September 30, 2022.
  36. ^ Tomlinson, Hugh (April 22, 2022). "Libs of Tiktok: Twitter provocateur gives Republicans new weapon in war on liberals". The Times. London. ISSN 0140-0460. Archived from the original on April 22, 2022. Retrieved April 22, 2022.
  37. ^ Jump up to: a b Starr, Michael (April 21, 2022). "US Right, Left clash on orthodox Jewish activist's 'doxxing'". The Jerusalem Post. Archived from the original on April 24, 2022. Retrieved April 24, 2022.
  38. ^ Jones, Tom (March 1, 2024). "Behind Taylor Lorenz's 'painful, agonizing' interview of the Libs of TikTok activist". Poynter Institute. Retrieved March 1, 2024.
  39. ^ 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.
  40. ^ Jump up to: a b Wemple, Erik (June 10, 2022). "Taylor Lorenz said an editor was to blame. Is that okay?". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on June 11, 2022. Retrieved June 11, 2022.
  41. ^ Jump up to: a b Robertson, Katie (June 17, 2022). "Infighting Overshadows Big Plans at The Washington Post". The New York Times. Archived from the original on June 20, 2022. Retrieved June 21, 2022.
  42. ^ Wulfsohn, Joseph (June 3, 2022). "Washington Post issues two corrections after stealth-edit scrubbed false claim from Taylor Lorenz report". Fox News. Archived from the original on January 22, 2023. Retrieved January 22, 2023.
  43. ^ Jump up to: a b Knodel, Jamie (December 17, 2022). "Musk reinstates suspended journalists after Twitter poll". NBC News. Archived from the original on December 18, 2022. Retrieved December 18, 2022.
  44. ^ Burga, Solcyre (December 18, 2022). "Twitter Temporarily Bans Washington Post Reporter After Other Journalists Reinstated". Time. Archived from the original on December 18, 2022. Retrieved December 18, 2022.
  45. ^ Lorenz, Taylor (January 10, 2015). "We're engaged!". TaylorLorenz.com. Archived from the original on February 17, 2020. Retrieved February 28, 2021.
  46. ^ Campbell, Colin (May 4, 2015). "Man stabbed to death outside Health Care for the Homeless". The Baltimore Sun. Archived from the original on June 21, 2021. Retrieved February 28, 2021.
  47. ^ "Taylor Lorenz On The Stress And Strangeness Of Pandemic Dining Out". Zagat Stories. Archived from the original on March 26, 2022. Retrieved March 22, 2022.
  48. ^ Spike, Carlett (April 21, 2023). "10 with Taylor Lorenz". Quill. Retrieved November 15, 2023.

External links

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