Maureen Orth

Maureen Ann Orth
Born	(1942-12-18) December 18, 1942
Education	B.A. 1964 University of California, Berkeley
Occupation	Journalist
Notable credit(s)	Vanity Fair correspondent (1993-present), Vogue contributing editor (1984-1989), New York Woman columnist (1986-1990), Newsweek lifestyle editor, (1973-1978)
Spouse(s)	Tim Russert (married 1983 until his death 2008)
Children	Luke Russert (born 1985)
Website	http://maureenorth.com/

Maureen Ann Orth (b. December 18, 1942) is an American journalist who largely covers stories pertaining to pop culture.

Education and early career

Orth attended the University of California, Berkeley, graduating in 1964. Following her graduation from college, she served in the Peace Corps in Medellín, Colombia, from 1964 to 1966.

Journalism career

Maureen Orth has been a special correspondent for Vanity Fair since 1993. She started writing for the magazine in 1988 and became a contributing editor in 1989. Among the heads of state she has interviewed are Russian President Vladimir Putin, British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, Argentinian President Carlos Menem, and Irish President Mary Robinson. She has also profiled controversial figures such as Denise and Marc Rich, Harrod’s Mohamed Al Fayed, Vladimir Zhirinovsky, and Gerry Adams, as well as fashion designer Karl Lagerfeld and Madonna. Orth’s investigative story highlighting the role of Afghanistan’s illegal opium trade in funding terrorism has been lauded by the Office of Drug Control Policy. Her profile on murder suspect Andrew Cunanan for the September 1997 issue was the first in-depth report on the man who killed Gianni Versace. The article served as the basis for her book, Vulgar Favors (Delacorte Press, 1999). A film version of the story is also planned. Orth has also written investigative pieces regarding the allegations of sexual abuse by Michael Jackson and child abuse by Woody Allen.

Prior to joining Vanity Fair, Orth was contributing editor at Vogue from 1984 to 1989 and a columnist for New York Woman from 1986 to 1990. From 1983 to 1984 she was a network correspondent for NBC News. In 1981 she was the principal correspondent of Newsweek Woman on Lifetime cable TV. Prior to that, she was a senior editor for New York and New West magazines. Orth worked for Newsweek from 1973 to 1978, where she was the entertainment editor and the lifestyle editor, and wrote seven cover stories. While at Newsweek, she took a leave of absence to be Italian director Lina Wertmuller’s assistant on the film Seven Beauties. Orth has written for such publications as The Washington Post, The New York Times, Rolling Stone, and Esquire. She was nominated for a National Magazine Award in reporting for her article on Michael and Arianna Huffington, which appeared in the November 1994 issue of Vanity Fair. While at Newsweek, Orth won a National Magazine Award for group coverage of the arts.

Family and personal life

In 1983 Orth married the political journalist Tim Russert, whom she met at the 1976 Democratic National Convention. Their son Luke was born in August 1985. Russert died on June 13, 2008.

Bibliography

• The Importance of Being Famous, 2004
• Vulgar Favors, 2000

Awards

• National Magazine Award Finalist-- article about Michael and Arianna Huffington, (Vanity Fair, November 1994)
• National Magazine Award -- group coverage of the arts

External links

• Official Web Site