The wildly popular Twitter account known as “Libs of TikTok” simply holds a mirror up to the radical Left, but apparently that’s just too embarrassing for one media figure who doxxed the woman behind it.
The move, by Taylor Lorenz, a reporter at The Washington Post and formerly of The New York Times, prompted a massive backlash from prominent figures on Twitter. Critics say revealing the identity of the woman, who scours TikTok for extreme hot takes from the far-left and posts them without comment, serves no newsworthy purpose.
I doxxed a private citizen and her extended family and people are being mean to me online pic.twitter.com/fjSRYctseC
— Libs of Tik Tok (@libsoftiktok) April 19, 2022
“This is wrong,” Tim Pool wrote in response to the Post article. “One of the most important journalistic ethics is to minimize harm. The story is not served by exposing a name, the story is served by explaining their background and motives. Based on the responses to the story you can see the true motivation was to cause harm.”
“So today the @washingtonpost decided to doxx an anonymous Twitter user who got popular for reposting TikTok videos, complete with a link to her professional license listing. Straight trash. Who’s the editor that gave this the green light? I’ll have more shortly,” Ed Morrissey shared.
“Taylor Lorenz is 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,” The Daily Wire’s Ben Shapiro tweeted.
Taylor Lorenz is 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.
— Ben Shapiro (@benshapiro) April 19, 2022
“If you don’t like @libsoftiktok posting your insanely awful videos then maybe stop recording and sharing insanely awful videos. She isn’t making you look stupid, you’re doing that all on your own,” The Foo said.
The Libs of TikTok account, which has about 663,000 followers, also shared an update. The founder, who The Daily Wire is not naming, said she was safe and thanked everyone for their concern and well wishes as her identity, job details, and other personal details were published Tuesday morning.
“Words cannot express how appreciative I am of the support I’m receiving right now,” she wrote. “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.”
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis’ press secretary, Christina Pushaw, shared the news that The Post was planning to “expose” the person behind Libs of TikTok when Lorenz reached out for comment Monday. After Pushaw shared a screenshot of the email she received, multiple followers pointed out the hypocrisy of Lorenz giving an interview two weeks ago complaining about internet harassment, then turning around and exposing the identity of a private citizen.
“It takes a special kind of psychopath to cry on television over internet harassment and then dox the woman behind an anonymous Twitter account less than two weeks later,” Greg Price replied to Pushaw’s post.
Libs of TikTok has attracted more than a half-million followers and tens of millions of views on Twitter, Instagram and YouTube since launching the account in 2020. She has given several interviews, but always anonymously.
The creator of the popular account told The New York Post in February that she doesn’t run the account for “money or fame.” She mentioned how most of her posts come from people sending clips to her inbox.
“With me, they have a place to reach out to to get the message out,” the Libs of Tik Tok creator continued. “I feel like there are so many small stories that are so important that aren’t getting out — and that’s what I’m here for. It sometimes feels like a mini Project Veritas.”
She also said she’s “not offended” by all the hateful messages and threats.
“…I think these people are so broken,” she told The Post. “The people on the left who all day call people Nazis and white supremacists are so broken. All the left-wing media are brainwashing people.”