Washington Post publishes identity of ‘Libs of TikTok’ creator
Libs of TikTok creator discusses how WaPo reporter Taylor Lorenz published her identity and how it has impacted her and her family’s lives on ‘Tucker Carlson Tonight.’
Washington Post "internet culture" columnist Taylor Lorenz is walking back claims she was being "relentlessly" harassed by someone who she publicly identified as an editor for Drudge Report.
Lorenz took to Twitter on Monday alleging a staffer from Matt Drudge's famed aggregate website was constantly contacting her and vowed he would destroy her career as a journalist.
"After calling and texting me relentlessly for the past couple of weeks, the Drudge Report editor just called my personal cell phone number, yelled at me when I asked him to leave me alone and said he would ‘blast my name all over Drudge Report until it ruins my career,’" Lorenz claimed.
Washington Post columnist Taylor Lorenz. (MSNBC) (MSNBC)
Drudge told CNN he had "never contacted her, nor has anyone associated with the Drudge Report" and asked Lorenz to issue a correction.
Lorenz later deleted the tweet and follow-up with what she alleged had actually transpired.
"For anyone who saw my post abt this man claiming to be from Drudge calling me non stop, good news: I heard from Matt Drudge & this man has zero power over Drudge!" Lorenz said. "He's claiming to be an editor all over the internet but he's not. Sorry to disappoint everyone saying Drudge is based."
Lorenz told CNN her initial tweet was a "joke" and found it "hilarious" that someone believed she could be harmed by the Drudge Report.
"I am happy to correct the record that I have no drama with Drudge Report," Lorenz said.
Unspecified - 1999: Matt Drudge Promotional Photo for Walt Disney Television via Getty Images Radio Today. (Photo by Virginia Sherwood /Walt Disney Television via Getty Images)
A spokesperson for The Washington Post told CNN, "Taylor was repeatedly contacted by someone who claimed to be a Drudge editor. As soon as she learned the person had no connection to the Drudge Report, she deleted the original tweet and wrote a tweet apologizing for her comment."
The Washington Post declined to comment any further beyond its statement when reached out by Fox News.
WASHINGTON POST'S TAYLOR LORENZ DOXXES LIBS OF TIKTOK DAYS AFTER DECRYING ONLINE HARASSMENT OF WOMEN
After implicating Drudge Report with harassment claims, Lorenz shrugged off the uproar she previously fueled, writing "I just got a good laugh over the idea Drudge Report would have any impact on my career lol."
"Lol I didn't even know Drudge Report was even still around," Lorenz tweeted on Tuesday in response to CNN's reporting. "I still think someone claiming to ruin my career on the Drudge REport is objectively hilarious! I know you're thirsty for media news, maybe u can report on someone claiming to destroy me on Geocities next."
Washington Post reporter Taylor Lorenz has been confronted with accusations of hypocrisy as her story doxxing Libs of TikTok came just weeks after she sat down with MSNBC about online harassment she has experienced, sharing violent threats she had received and claiming she suffers from "severe PTSD" and had contemplated suicide. ((Photo by Eric BARADAT / AFP) (Photo by ERIC BARADAT/AFP via Getty Images) | CNBC Television/YouTube/Screenshot)
Last month, Lorenz faced intense backlash for her report doxxing the identity of the popular Twitter personality Libs of TikTok.
Lorenz was confronted with accusations of hypocrisy as her Libs of TikTok story came just days after she sat down with MSNBC about online harassment she has experienced, sharing violent threats she had received and claiming she suffers from "severe PTSD" and had contemplated suicide.
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"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," an emotional Lorenz told MSNBC last month. "It’s horrifying… It’s overwhelming."
The Washington Post previously released a statement defending Lorenz and her Libs of TikTok story, calling Lorenz "an accomplished and diligent journalist whose reporting methods comport entirely with The Washington Post's professional standards."