Tony Ortega is a journalist who was formerly the editor of The Village Voice. He's written about Scientology since 1995, and in May 2015 released a book about Scientology's harassment of Paulette Cooper titled 'The Unbreakable Miss Lovely.' He continues to monitor breaking developments in the Scientology world from an undisclosed location in an underground bunker he shares with four cats and one of them wrinkly Shar Pei dogs. Despite his super-secret security protections, you can still reach him pretty easily by sending him a message at tonyo94 AT gmail.com (Drop him a line if you'd like to get an e-mail whenever a new story is posted.) [Header image courtesy John Rickard]
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PODCAST: Jonny Jacobsen, our man in Paris, was on Scientology’s abuses before most

 We’ve had a lot of fun recently talking to great reporters who have covered Scientology like John Sweeney, Mark Ebner, and Steve Cannane. So of course we wanted to check in with our man in Paris, one of the very best journalists we know, Jonny []

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Tracking Scientology’s claims about membership — a new digital project with Jonny Jacobsen

 While we were researching material for our book on Paulette Cooper a few years ago, we happened upon a 1969 New York Times article that quoted James Meisler, the PR man and “minister” for the New York org in those days. In 1972 Meisler become a key player in the plot to frame Paulette for []

Jonny Jacobsen: The tweets about Scientology that got a comedian in hot water

[Argentinian actress Malena Pichot]

Our man in Paris, British journalist Jonny Jacobsen, has a report out of South America for us []

Jonny Jacobsen: Why the Moscow ban on Scientology may be built on shaky foundations

 Our man in Europe, Jonny Jacobsen, finally found some time in his busy schedule covering the Scientology prosecution in Belgium to give us his thoughts about the other big story this week — the Moscow court’s decision to ban the church. Like us, Jonny has his concerns about the way Russia goes about its opposition []

Jonny Jacobsen: Reflecting on the first week of Scientology’s criminal trial in Belgium

We asked our man in Paris, Jonny Jacobsen, to give us some thoughts from his notebook about his first week covering Scientology’s criminal trial in Brussels. (That’s him with your proprietor this July.) Here’s his attempt to catch us up on what’s been happening…

Just recovering from the first week’s coverage of the trial and trying []

Jonny Jacobsen: New Scientology legal setbacks in Belgium, France, and Holland

Jonny Jacobsen

Once again we have a special report from our man in Paris, British journalist Jonny Jacobsen. He has news of three new developments: Scientology’s maneuvering has been cleared away so that a Belgian prosecution of fraud against the church can occur, an attempt by Scientology to sue one of its biggest critics []

A Bunker Exclusive: Jonny Jacobsen’s 2008 book introduction describing Scientology

Jonny Jacobsen

As 2007 was ending, and then as the Anonymous movement reacted to the Tom Cruise video incident in January 2008, a British journalist living in Paris, Jonny Jacobsen, was racing to put together a book about the Church of Scientology. More than a year before “The Truth Rundown,” the blockbuster series in []

Celebrating two years in the Bunker: Jonny Jacobsen on Russia, and Sunday Funnies!

Two years ago today, we switched on the circuits here in our underground bunker. The cats have been especially needy this week, anticipating our anniversary, and we made sure and stocked up on kibble and booze for today’s celebration.

For those of you who have been with us since the start — and many of you []

Jonny Jacobsen reviews the new Scientology memoir by Hungarian writer Peter Bonyai

Our man in Paris, British journalist Jonny Jacobsen, is back with another great piece — this time, a lengthy review of the newest book recounting the journey into and out of the Church of Scientology.

Underground Bunker regulars will recall that Hungarian ex-Scientology member Peter Bonyai (pictured, right) helped us out with a story in April []

Our Man in Paris, Jonny Jacobsen, on the Scientology Appeal in France’s Highest Court

Jonny Jacobsen

In Paris today, Jonny Jacobsen attended the Scientology hearing before the Cour de Cassation, France’s highest court, which is considering an appeal of the church’s fraud conviction which was upheld last year. He sent us this report…

Scientology’s lawyers argued today in France’s highest court that they did not get a fair trial []