Tony Ortega (journalist)

Tony Ortega
Born May 23, 1963
Los Angeles, California
Occupation Journalist, blogger
Nationality American
Ethnicity Mexican American
Education California State University, Fullerton
Website
tonyortega.org

Tony Ortega (born 1963) is an American journalist and blogger who is best known for his daily blog about the Church of Scientology.[1][2] He is currently executive editor of The Raw Story.[3] Previously, he had been the editor-in-chief of the Broward-Palm Beach New Times from 2005 to 2007 and the editor-in-chief of The Village Voice from 2007 to 2012.

Background and education

Tony Ortega was raised in Los Angeles, California. He received the John Jay Scholarship to attend Columbia University, where he completed three semesters before continuing his studies at California State University, Fullerton where he obtained his B.A. and M.A. in English.[4][5][6][7] Ortega pursued more graduate work at UC Santa Cruz prior to landing his first journalism job as a freelancer at the Phoenix New Times in 1995.[6][8] In 1996, Ortega reported on alleged corruption in the office of Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio, writing a series of stories concerning "misuse of state funds, poor morale inside the department, the high cost of the sheriff's posses and evidence of abuse of jail inmates," for which he was nominated for the Arizona Press Club's Virg Hill Award in 1997.[9]

As a graduate student at the University of California, Ortega researched the California Agricultural Strike 1933 under the tutelage of Louis Owens. He later wrote an article about his research in the Village Voice. In her review of Ortega's article, Carolyn Kellogg wrote, "When Ortega gets his grandfather and great half-uncle to tell him stories of the strike, it's exactly the first-person narrative he'd been hoping for. But I found, reading the stories in his article, that they were simply personal anecdotes — interesting anecdotes, sure, but simple anecdotes. The men camped under eucalyptus trees. They played clarinet and violin for the strikers."[10][11]

Career

Alternative weeklies and other media

Ortega spent nearly seventeen years working for various alternative weekly newspapers in the Voice Media Group (VMG). His has worked at the Phoenix New Times, the New Times LA and The Pitch. His earliest positions ranged from staff writer to assistant editor and managing editor.[4][12][13][14] He became the editor-in-chief at the Broward-Palm Beach New Times in 2005 and then at The Village Voice in 2007.[6]

On 31 October 2013, it was announced that Ortega had been hired as executive editor at online news website The Raw Story.[15]

Criticism of Scientology

Tony Ortega first reported on Scientology in 1995 while working at the Phoenix New Times[16] and continued covering the subject throughout his career under various media outlets in the Voice Media Group.[1][2] In September 2012, Ortega publicly announced his resignation from The Village Voice in a post to the Voice's "Runnin' Scared" blog.[17] According to former staffers, Ortega’s "exit from the Voice was not his decision" and "his relentless pursuit of scoops on the controversial church may have been a distraction during his final months at the paper."[18][19][20]

The executive editor of the Voice told the Media Decoder blog of The New York Times that Ortega "...did a great job for us and managed a difficult transition in a miserable economy... During that time he became the single most informed reporter on Scientology. No one is better positioned to write the book on that organization.”[18][19][20][21]

Ortega is working with London-based literary agent and publisher Humfrey Hunter on a book about Scientology.[20][22]

Freelance blog

After leaving the Voice in September 2012, Ortega began writing a freelance blog entitled The Underground Bunker that is focused solely on Scientology.

The blog's webmaster is Scott Pilutik, a lawyer who also works as a legal expert for Ortega.[23]

See also

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 Ortega, Tony (3 August 2011). Tony Ortega, editor of The Village Voice and Scientology enthusiast. Interview with Lazlo. The Church of Lazlo. 96.5theBUZZ. Kansas City. Retrieved 20 August 2013.
  2. 2.0 2.1 Weiner, Allison Hope (host) (10 January 2013). "Truth Beyond Scientology Hysteria with Tony Ortega". Media Mayhem. Season 2013. TheLip.tv. Retrieved 17 August 2013. More than one of |season= and |seriesno= specified (help)
  3. Former Village Voice EIC Tony Ortega Joins Raw Story
  4. 4.0 4.1 Neal Ungerleider (18 July 2001). "So What Do You Do, Tony Ortega". Interviews. Mediabistro. Retrieved 20 August 2013.
  5. Dylan (5 March 2007). "Confirmed: Tony Ortega New Editor Of Voice; Half-Mexican Kid From LA No Longer Has Mohawk". FishbowlNY. Newspapers. Mediabistro. Retrieved 20 August 2013.
  6. 6.0 6.1 6.2 Keach Hagey (5 March 2007). "Tony Ortega Named Village Voice Editor". The Village Voice. Retrieved 20 August 2013.
  7. "2012 Vision & Visionaries: Cal State Fullerton Honors Eight Distinguished Alumni". CSUF News. Cal State Fullerton. 24 April 2012. Retrieved 20 August 2013.
  8. Staff (3 April 1997). "On the Virg". Phoenix New Times. Retrieved 19 August 2013.
  9. "On the Virg". 3 April 1997. Retrieved 26 December 2013.
  10. Carolyn Kellogg (19 August 2008). "John Steinbeck's migrant workers". Los Angeles Times. Jacket Copy. Retrieved 21 August 2013.
  11. Tony Ortega (12 August 2008). "Louis Owens and John Steinbeck's Ghosts". The Village Voice. Retrieved 20 August 2013.
  12. Staff (20 May 2004). "Press Club: Winners Circle". Phoenix New Times. Retrieved 19 August 2013.
  13. Jerome du Bois (9 August 2003). "Local Visual Arts Coverage". The Tears of Things. Retrieved 20 August 2013.
  14. "Tony Ortega - The Village Voice, New Times...". Yatedo People Search. Retrieved 20 August 2013.
  15. "Village Voice editor Tony Ortega to helm editorial at Raw Story". The Raw Story. Retrieved 25 December 2013.
  16. Tony Ortega (30 November 1995). "Hush, Hush, Sweet Charlatans". Phoenix New Times. Retrieved 29 December 2013.
  17. Tony Ortega (14 September 2012). "Scientology Watchers: A Message from Tony Ortega". The Village Voice. Runnin’ Scared News Blog. New York. Retrieved 20 August 2013.
  18. 18.0 18.1 Kara Bloomgarden-Smoke (14 September 2012). "Runnin’ Scared: Was Tony Ortega Pushed Out at the Village Voice?". The New York Observer. Retrieved 5 July 2013.
  19. 19.0 19.1 David Sessions (6 July 2012). "The Web's Best Scientology Longreads". The Daily Beast. Longreads (weekly). Retrieved 22 August 2013.
  20. 20.0 20.1 20.2 Joe Pompeo (9 August 2013). "Catching up with former Village Voice editor Tony Ortega". Capital New York. Retrieved 21 August 2013.
  21. Carr/Sisario, David/Ben (September 14, 2012). "Village Voice Is Losing Its Editor in Chief and Music Editor". New York Times. Retrieved 21 December 2013.
  22. Christopher Zara (14 September 2012). "Village Voice Editor Tony Ortega Is Leaving To Write A Scientology Book". International Business Times. Retrieved 5 July 2013.
  23. Tony Ortega (28 May 2013). "Garcias Answer Scientology’s Attempt to Disqualify Their Attorneys in Fraud Lawsuit". The Underground Bunker. Tony Ortega. Retrieved 5 July 2013.

External links