New Voice Editor Ortega: "Why Would I Hesitate?"
On Mar. 4, two days after the previous editor in chief, David Blum, was fired, Village Voice Media boss Michael Lacey called Ortega up and offered him the job. Despite four editors' worth of turnover since January 2006, when New Times purchased the paper and took the Village Voice Media name, Ortega decided to accept.
"Why would I hesitate?" Ortega asked. "It's the Village Voice. It's a terrific newspaper with a storied past, and what journalist wouldn't want to do it?"
"I'm sure this will be criticized since I'm not a New Yorker," said Ortega. Ortega said he's looking forward to learning from the Voice's staff.
What about his relationship with Lacey, who's often accused of micromanaging the newspaper from Phoenix?
"I never really had that problem with him," said Ortega. "I've always had complete freedom to do what I wanted." Ortega has worked for Lacey at multiple New Times papers, most recently as the top editor at the Broward-Palm Beach New Times.
He will greet his new staff on Friday, Mar. 9.
"I'm a half-Mexican kid from L.A. without New York experience," Ortega said. "We'll just see."
-Michael Calderone
does the New Times really think running a Broward County paper prepares someone to cover New York? weirder and weirder.
No, asshat...New Times apparently thinks being an award-winning reporter in Los Angeles and elsewhere, and a hell of an editor, prepares somebody to cover New York.
Why don't you see how he does before you kneecap him, huh?
Ortega is just another manhood-challenged butt-sucking toadie of Mike Lacey...can't wait for more brownosing comments from NT employees like the one from "Los Angeles Girl".
of course! because there's nothing a surly pack of young reporters in a dysfunctional New York newsroom needs more than a carpetbagger-in-chief!
Maybe if New Yorkers could take care of their business instead of complain about everything and bore us with excuses your sacred Village Voice may have a better reputation. However, we know the story and it is of a pathetic paper on the slide at the bottom of the hill. Sounds like Ortega may be the man to get the job done.