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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Regency Outdoor caves to Scientology, cancels ‘disconnection’ billboard

[Brian Kennedy of Regency Outdoor]

Another billboard company has caved from the pressure applied by the Church of Scientology. Phil Jones learned this afternoon that Regency Outdoor Advertising, which had planned to put up Phil’s billboard this weekend for Tuesday’s unveiling, has now cancelled on []

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Scientology disconnection rips apart another family, this time affecting a familiar face

[Ramana Dienes-Browning and her daughter, Iyana]

We recently received a message from Ramana Dienes-Browning that, sadly, was all too familiar.

“Well, it finally happened,” she said to us over Facebook. “My mum has disconnected from me so she can continue []

Meet the guy Scientology is relying on to get the ‘disconnection’ billboard stopped

[Dennis Holt, center]

On Tuesday, Phil Jones signed the contract for his Scientology ‘disconnection’ billboard with Regency Media, and he then gave us the green light to tell our readers about its location and the date of its unveiling. On March 22, the billboard will be dedicated at a celebration held by Phil and his wife []

Scientology ‘disconnection’ billboard to be a block from David Miscavige’s office & residence

 Yesterday we took this photo of the current billboard standing on Hollywood Boulevard just east of La Brea Avenue, which features a message from the Air Force Reserve. But not for long. On March 22, Phil and Willie Jones want you to be there as they officially unveil their Scientology ‘disconnection’ billboard at this location, []

BACK ON: Scientology ‘disconnection’ billboard OK’d by competitor after Outfront Media bails

 Phil Jones needed just half a day to rebound from the disappointing news that Outfront Media had rescinded the contract he signed for a three-month, $8,200 billboard in Hollywood that would highlight Scientology’s “disconnection” policy. []

Outfront Media rescinds contract for Scientology ‘disconnection’ billboard in Hollywood

 After he signed a three-month, $8,200 contract for a billboard about Scientology with the Los Angeles office of Outfront Media, former Scientologist Phil Jones has learned that the New York head office of Outfront — formerly CBS Outdoor — canceled the contract without []

DONE DEAL: Contract signed and date set for billboard about Scientology disconnection

 Phil Jones wasted no time after the readers of this website helped him raise more than $11,000 in just over a day to fund his project for a billboard in Hollywood. He tells us that he’s now inked a three-month contract for the sign, which will put a focus on Scientology’s practice of “disconnection” that []

Billboard decrying Scientology ‘disconnection’ will be going up on Hollywood Blvd

 What a way to celebrate Leap Day. Early this morning, Phil and Willie Jones’ project to put an anti-disconnection billboard on Hollywood Boulevard reached its funding goal, and now Phil tells us that he’ll quickly get the papers filed to make the sign a []

Florida rejects complaint over Scientology ‘disconnection,’ but Brian Sheen unbowed

Last month, we scrambled to bring you the story of Brian Sheen. A local television story in Florida had done a story on a man who had made a “civil rights complaint” to the state of Florida about the Church of Scientology denying him access to his daughter, but the story was short on details []

Scientology’s ‘Disconnection’ policy foiled as Jeremy Powers reunites with his family

 We couldn’t think of a more appropriate breaking story for Independence Day: Jeremy Powers, who we first wrote about more than two years ago, has ditched the Church of Scientology and was reunited yesterday with the family he “disconnected” from, including his grandmother, Edie []