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.’
Libs of TikTok appeared on "Tucker Carlson Tonight" following being doxxed on Tuesday by The Washington Post's "internet culture" journalist Taylor Lorenz.
The creator behind the famous Twitter account told Fox News' Tucker Carlson that the past few days have been "chaotic" and "very overwhelming" as a result of the reporting conducted by the Post and she is now in a "safe location" after making last-minute travel arrangements.
"I think that what I'm doing is very effective, and I think that a lot of people wanted to shut me down. They wanted to intimidate me into silence. And unfortunately for them, that's just never gonna happen," Libs of TikTok told Carlson.
Libs of TikTok called Lorenz targeting her "humorous" and agreed with Carlson that she is "deeply enmeshed in narcissism" and "capable of the greatest cruelty."
The Twitter account has garnered a huge following among conservatives over the past year for sharing videos publicly shared on TikTok showing liberals espousing principles of the critical race theory ideology and embracing the broadening spectrums of sexual orientation and gender identity.
MSNBC, NBC, ABC RIP INTO FEDERAL JUDGE OVER AIRLINE MASK MANDATE RULING: ‘BASICALLY DONALD TRUMP’
Many of the people highlighted by Libs of TikTok claim to be teachers who touted their various woke beliefs to their students, which has drawn condemnation from the political right and has fueled the national education debate.
In a hit piece published Tuesday by The Washington Post, Lorenz accused Libs of TikTok of "spreading anti-LGBTQ+ sentiment" and of using "QAnon-related language" in the past. The columnist quoted a liberal operative from the anti-conservative Media Matters For America organization and a "media strategist" for the ACLU, both of whom condemn the anonymous Twitter account holder. The article was also accused of watering down descriptions of the videos Libs of TikTok has shared to downplay the provocative content.
The digital footprint of the woman behind Libs of TikTok was unearthed from research conducted by Prototype Fund, which as Fox News' Tucker Carlson highlighted was founded by a former Twitter employee and is funded by the German government's Federal Ministry of Education and Research.
Nowhere in the report does The Washington Post acknowledge the fact that the Prototype Fund is supported by the German government.
The TikTok logo is seen on an iPhone 11 Pro Max. (Photo by Jaap Arriens/NurPhoto via Getty Images) (Jaap Arriens/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
However, Lorenz is facing intense scrutiny for doxxing Libs of TikTok in the report, revealing her name, occupation, religion and where in the country she lived. The article even included a hyperlink that exposed personal information including her address. The Washington Post later removed the link after being called out by critics.
Additionally, the tactics by which Lorenz went about her reporting are also sparking backlash.
Lorenz appeared at the home of one of Libs of TikTok's relatives with the Twitter personality sharing a photo of a masked Lorenz waiting at the front door.
"Hi @TaylorLorenz! Which of my relatives did you enjoy harassing the most at their homes yesterday?" Libs of TikTok asked.
Libs of TikTok shared a photo showing Washington Post journalist Taylor Lorenz allegedly at the doorstep of one of her relatives. (Libs of TikTok/Twitter) (Libs of TikTok/Twitter)
Christina Pushaw, the press secretary of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and a Libs of TikTok fan, revealed Monday evening she had received an email from Lorenz, who told Pushaw The Washington Post was running a story "exposing" the woman behind the Twitter account and hoped Pushaw would give a comment about their "interactions."
Libs of TikTok also alleged that Lorenz had reached out to another account "with a similar name," sharing a screenshot of a rather threatening message from Lorenz warning the user she was "being implicated" for "starting a hate campaign against LGBTQ people," urging for a response.
Conservatives panned Lorenz for doxxing Libs of TikTok, arguing none of the details from the report have news value. However, members of the legacy media defended Lorenz while others argued the identity of someone as influential as Libs of TikTok is worthy of public knowledge and that revealing her identity is not out of bounds since she has sought attention in numerous media interviews, including with Fox News.
Washington Post reporter Taylor Lorenz appeared to rip MSNBC on Sunday. ( (Photo by Eric BARADAT / AFP) (Photo by ERIC BARADAT/AFP via Getty Images) | CNBC Television/YouTube/Screenshot)
The Washington Post issued a statement in defense of Lorenz while using Libs of TikTok's name.
"Taylor Lorenz is an accomplished and diligent journalist whose reporting methods comport entirely with The Washington Post's professional standards," Post senior managing editor Cameron Barr said in the statement. "Libs of TikTok… has had significant impact on public discourse and her identify had become public knowledge on social media. We do not publish or link to any details about her personal life."
Critics, including Libs of TikTok, blasted the statement, accusing The Post of lying since the original report did include a hyperlink that revealed personal information.
A spokesperson for The Washington Post told Fox News its report "linked to publicly available professional information" and when asked why the link was scrubbed, The Post replied, "Ultimately, we deemed it unnecessary."
Lorenz is being confronted with accusations of hypocrisy as her story doxxing Libs of TikTok 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.
"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 earlier this month. "It’s horrifying… It’s overwhelming."
Washington Post columnist Taylor Lorenz. (MSNBC) (MSNBC)
In a recent interview with Pod Save America, Lorenz called online harassment a "tool to silence people, especially women… for speaking out" and decried how her family members were harassed, calling it "horrifying and invasive."
Lorenz also tweeted earlier this month that "doxxing, stalking, trying to hurt and smear ppl's love[d] ones, threatening them, it's not ok in any situation."
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
Following the viral firestorm stemming from her report, Lorenz decried in now-deleted tweets that "trolls" have targeted her family and begun "doxxing and stalking" her friends on Instagram as part of "transparent attempts to silence the press."
Babylon Bee CEO Seth Dillon announced on Tuesday he is partnering with Libs of TikTok, tweeting he "worked out a deal with her that will turn her heroic, high-risk work into a career."
Libs of TikTok was the target of several hit pieces from Media Matters and was also in Twitter's crosshairs, repeatedly punishing her account, which now has over 700,000 Twitter followers.