Tech journalist Taylor Lorenz, known for her work with the Washington Post, has recently come under scrutiny for a private Instagram post that seemingly labels President Joe Biden as a "war criminal."
The controversial post, a selfie taken at a digital influencers event at the White House, features Lorenz in the foreground with President Biden in the background. The contentious caption was displayed alongside the image.
According to The Post Millennial, the New York Post's Jon Levine brought the post to public attention by sharing a screenshot of the image. Lorenz, however, was quick to dismiss the screenshot as an edit, stating, "You people will fall for any dumbass edit someone makes." The tweet from Levine sparked a debate among users, with some asserting Lorenz's denial and others claiming the post's authenticity had been confirmed to NPR. Lorenz maintained her stance, informing her editors that the post was indeed fabricated.
In response to the allegations against Lorenz, the Washington Post communicated with NPR, stating, "Our executive editor and senior editors take alleged violations of our standards seriously. We're aware of the alleged post and are looking into it." Following the controversy, Lorenz reportedly removed the contentious post from her Instagram and reposted the same selfie, this time without the caption.
NPR reported that Lorenz had confided in associates that a close friend had superimposed the controversial caption onto her photo as a joke, and she had shared it with a private group on Instagram. This revelation led Tom Bevan of Real Clear Politics to comment, "So she lied."
Lorenz is not alone in her alleged criticism of Biden, with some accusing him of war crimes due to his support for Israel during its conflict with Palestinian terrorists. The Biden-Harris administration has also been providing aid to Gaza, a region controlled by the terrorist group Hamas. The conflict escalated when Hamas launched an attack that killed 1,200 Israelis on October 7, 2023.
The Washington Post's standards for "Taste" state: "The Washington Post respects taste and decency, understanding that societys concepts of taste and decency are constantly changing...We shall avoid profanities and obscenities unless their use is so essential to a story of significance that its meaning is lost without them. In no case shall obscenities be used without the approval of the executive or managing editors."
The standards further elaborate that if potentially offensive material is deemed to have legitimate news value, editors should provide visual and/or text warnings about such material. This incident with Lorenz serves as a reminder of the importance of adhering to these standards, even in the rapidly evolving world of digital communication.
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