An interview between Washington Post columnist Taylor Lorenz and Libs of TikTok founder Chaya Raichik, following Lorenz’s decision to dox Raichik, has gone viral.
In the interview, Lorenz defended her actions, citing the impact of Raichik’s social media account on public discourse.
“Libs of TikTok is basically acting as a wire service for the broader right-wing media ecosystem,” transgender activist Ari Drennen said.
“Libs of TikTok is shaping our entire political conversation about the rights of LGBTQ people to participate in society,” Drennen said.
“It feels like they’re single-handedly taking us back a decade in terms of the public discourse around LGBTQ rights. It’s been like nothing we’ve ever really seen.”
“Taylor Lorenz is a diligent and accomplished journalist whose reporting methods comport entirely with the Washington Post’s professional standards,” Post senior managing editor Cameron Barr stated.
“Chaya Raichik, in her management of the Libs of TikTok Twitter account and in media interviews, has had significant impact on public discourse and her identity had become public knowledge on social media,” Barr said. “We did not publish or link to any details about her personal life.”
Lorenz noted that “a recent NBC investigation found at least 33 instances” of threats that could potentially be linked to Libs of TikTok, adding that it was “a pretty significant correlation.”
In response, Raichik questioned the responsibility of journalists for the consequences of their reporting, particularly regarding threats received.
Raichik pointed out that she “got tons of death threats this week after the entire media machine came after me. So are they responsible for those?”
“I don’t think there’s, um, the same correlation,” Lorenz said. “Are you receiving bomb threats?”
“I’m receiving death threats,” Raichik said. “Like, ‘Hi, I’m coming to murder you.’”
“I definitely sympathize with you there,” Lorenz said.
“So are the journalists — is the journalist responsible?” Raichik said.
“I would say, um, you know, there’s a different responsibility when we’re talking about media,” Lorenz said, adding, “I guess to me, a death threat is different than a violent bomb threat” and that “we’re kind of getting normalized to them.”
“Say you’re taking a private citizen, you know, a gay teacher, for instance, in a small town,” Lorenz said. “And you post about that person. And then that person subsequently who had no media presence prior, receives pretty violent threats. How does that make you feel?”
“Is the journalist responsible for actions that happened after” the reporting? Raichik asked.
“I think that journalists should take care and should, should, you know, should consider sort of the framing. And I think that they should do their best not to — not to appear as if they encourage that sort of behavior,” Lorenz said.
The discussion delved into issues of privacy, accountability, and the influence of social media on public figures.
Lorenz faced criticism for her handling of the situation, with the interview highlighting tensions between journalistic practices and ethical considerations.
