Tech columnist Taylor Lorenz on Tuesday said she’s leaving The Washington Post to start her own Substack publication, dubbed User Magazine, that’s free of “some corporate overlord” overseeing her work.
Lorenz, in a post introducing User, said she’ll “pursue the type of reporting on the internet that has become increasingly difficult to do in corporate media.”
Her Substack will hit subscribers’ emails between 1-3 times a week, she said, and paying customers will have “commenting privileges,” as well as other perks, like longer stories and subscriber-only chats. Lorenz said User will have a mix of originally reported stories, interviews, and links to what she is watching and reading.
“User Mag is founded on the belief that the real story of technology lies with its users. Instead of focusing on corporate earnings and boardroom conflicts, User Mag will cover how people are actually using technology,” Lorenz said in her intro post.
She added: “It’s about who has power on the internet and how that power is being wielded.”
Lorenz’s exit comes two months after the Post’s leadership said it was reviewing her social media activity, after a private Instagram story seemingly labeled President Joe Biden as a “war criminal”; the comment was likely connected to what has become a pro-Palestinian meme.
The New York Post’s Jon Levine surfaced the photo in a social media post in September. Lorenz refuted the authenticity of the image, replying “you people will fall for any dumbass edit someone makes.”
According to NPR, however, four people with knowledge of the private Instagram story confirmed its authenticity and the included caption. The image was removed from Lorenz’s private story around an hour after it was initially posted, NPR reported on Thursday. The tech columnist then posted the same picture again on social media, removing the inflammatory caption.
