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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Bizarre and Pricey! Auditing Scientology’s Operating Thetan Level 2 with Claire & Bruce

Claire Headley is taking us on our journey to train as Scientologists. She and her husband Marc were Sea Org workers who escaped from Scientology’s International Base in 2005. She spent years working with Scientology’s “tech,” and was trusted to oversee the auditing of Tom Cruise. Go here to see the first part in this []

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The Oiliness Table, For Real! A Look Inside Scientology’s Super Power Building

Our thanks to the eagle-eyed researchers over at WhyWeProtest.net, who have been scouring Facebook to find photos taken by Scientologists who were at this weekend’s festivities in Clearwater, Florida.

We’ve been posting some images taken by church members of the parties that began on Friday. And now, one Scientologist in particular appears to have broken the []

LIVE OVER CLEARWATER: Watching Scientology from an Eye in the Sky

A helicopter just lifted off carrying former Church of Scientology members Mike Bennitt and Mike Rinder, who are headed for downtown Clearwater to film and report on Scientology’s big Super Power Building opening today.

Bennitt’s carrying a couple of different cameras for filming and still shots, and after they touch down in a couple of hours, []

Bruce Hines Joins Us As Claire Headley Keeps Us Moving Through Scientology’s OT Levels!

Bruce Hines

Claire Headley is taking us on our journey to train as Scientologists. She and her husband Marc were Sea Org workers who escaped from Scientology’s International Base in 2005. She spent years working with Scientology’s “tech,” and was trusted to oversee the auditing of Tom Cruise. Go here to see the first []

Statistically Speaking: Jefferson Hawkins Takes Us Into Scientology’s Numbers Fixation

Jefferson Hawkins was once the top marketing executive for the Church of Scientology and helped it reach its greatest extent with the famous “volcano” TV ads in the 1980s. He’s told his tale of getting into and out of the church with his excellent books Counterfeit Dreams and Leaving Scientology, and he’s helping us understand []

LIVE FROM LOS ANGELES: Summary Judgment Hearing in DeCrescenzo Forced-Abortion Lawsuit

We’re in Los Angeles this morning for a crucial hearing in Laura DeCrescenzo’s lawsuit against the Church of Scientology. DeCrescenzo is suing over the abuse she says she suffered while a member of Scientology’s “Sea Org,” including, she alleges, being forced to have an abortion by the church at 17.

The hearing comes less than two []

Scientology Has No City Permit for IAS Gala or Other Events: Is It Keeping The Party Private?

In August, the Church of Scientology set some very important dates on its calendar. The church told the City of Clearwater that it would be holding a grand opening for its Super Power Building on October 6, and its annual IAS gala in a large tent near the Super Power Building on the weekend of []

The Flaw In Scientology’s Religious Outrage Theory: A Man Named Steven Gregory Sloat

Steve Sloat. Or Greg Sloat, depending.

Now that we’ve had a couple of days to absorb Scientology’s surprising new motion in Monique Rathbun’s harassment lawsuit against the church, a few things are becoming more clear.

First, this really is a remarkable legal strategy by the church, which now admits that it was behind outrageous behavior []

Scientology Asks for Protection in Texas; ALSO: Lawrence Wright a Finalist for Nat’l Book Award

Scientology doesn’t want Monique Rathbun to share information with her husband Marty

The next phase of Monique Rathbun’s harassment lawsuit against Scientology leader David Miscavige will involve some blockbuster depositions from the likes of actress Leah Remini and former church spokesman Tommy Davis, but for now the two sides are stuck on a question []

Scientology Payback: Revenge of the Videographers

Bert Leahy

We’ve told you Bert Leahy’s story before. He was the Texas freelance videographer who worked briefly for Scientology’s “Squirrel Busters” caper, helping to snoop on Marty and Monique Rathbun in 2011, before his conscience got the better of him.

Bert soon realized that working for “Dave Statter” wasn’t really the documentary project he []