The Tortured Poets Department: publication hides album review author after Swifties attack wrong journalist

A media outlet has omitted the name of a journalist who wrote a review of Taylor Swift’s recent album, “The Tortured Poets Department,” over concerns about online attacks made by some members of the singer’s devout fanbase.

Paste Magazine made the move to conceal the name of the reviewer after a previous less-than-stellar review for one of the singer’s albums led to attacks against a prior writer. “There is no byline on this review due to how, in 2019 when Paste reviewed “Lover,” the writer was sent threats of violence from readers who disagreed with the work, 

“We care more about the safety of our staff than a name attached to an article.”

Despite the lack of byline for the review, some fans launched an online attack against one writer who they believed was responsible for the review. Kayleigh Donaldson took to X (formerly Twitter) to share screenshots of the abuse they had received from “the worst” members of the fandom.

“So, this is weird,” Donaldson posted. “I'm being badgered by harassing Swifties who think I wrote a review I had nothing to do with? I seldom review music. Also, maybe stop proving the publication's point by looking for someone to attack over a negative write-up?”

Paste’s review of the new album is one of those that hasn’t celebrated the release compared to other outlets, titling their review “​​Taylor Swift Strikes Out Looking on The Tortured Poets Department” and giving the album a rating of 3.6.

In its most scathing of moments, the anonymous reviewer wrote: “The billionaire is having an identity crisis, but there are no social media apps for her to buy up. So she sings like Lana Del Rey and writes meta-self-referential songs about looking like Stevie Nicks.”

The mystery reviewer joins the likes of critic Bob Lefsetz as those in the public eye that Swifties have felt “slighted” the singer. Known for his Lefsetz Letter, the critic published a blog post criticizing Swift's album “Lover, stating it was no longer as relevant as it had been in the past.

Swift's fans responded to Lefsetz's criticism with strong pushback on social media, arguing that his assessment was unfair and not reflective of Swift's artistic abilities or her impact on the music industry. 

Fans also believe that the song “Mean” from her 2010 album “Speak Now,” was a response to Lefsetz review, with Swift singing at one point “Calling me out when I'm wounded/You, pickin' on the weaker man.”