Senior editors at the Washington Post are currently reviewing a private social media post by their in-house stalker and social media pest, Taylor Lorenz. The post in question includes a caption labeling Joe Biden as a “war criminal,” accompanied by a frowny face emoticon. The photo, captured during a White House event for digital influencers, shows Biden in the background. Lorenz shared the image with a select group of friends on Instagram.
The controversy began when Jon Levine of the New York Post posted on X (formerly Twitter) about the caption on Lorenz’s Instagram post. Lorenz responded to Levine’s tweet, suggesting that the caption was a result of digital manipulation. Her reply read, “You people will fall for any dumbass edit someone makes.” A Community Note added to Levine’s tweet cited Lorenz’s denial, stating, “Taylor Lorenz says this is a digital manipulation which has added a false caption.”
Subsequently, however, several media outlets obtained screenshots of Lorenz’s private post that included the controversial caption. Additionally, these outlets contend sources with direct knowledge of the social media post confirm that it was not digitally altered in any way. The revelation that Lorenz lied about the photo being manipulated has prompted an internal review by the Jeff Bezos-owned newspaper.
A spokesman for the Washington Post stated, “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.”
About an hour after initially sharing the photo, Lorenz removed it from her private chat and reposted the same image publicly without the caption. She later changed her story again, claiming to associates that a friend had added the caption as a joke, and she shared it with the private group on Instagram.
Taylor Lorenz of the Washington Post calls President Biden a "war criminal" 👀👀 pic.twitter.com/ih0xWPw049
— Jon Levine (@LevineJonathan) August 14, 2024
