Maureen Orth (born 1943) is an American journalist, author, and a Special Correspondent for Vanity Fair magazine.

She is the founder of Marina Orth Foundation, which has established a model education program in Colombia emphasizing technology, English, and leadership.

Orth’s research was the basis of multi-episode documentaries and television films about Woody Allen, Michael Jackson and Andrew Cunanan.

[8] Before launching her career in journalism, Orth worked in Washington, DC and helped organize the hearings for the House Select Subcommittee Environmental Education Act in conjunction with the first Earth Day.

In 1972, Orth joined TVTV, a pioneering video group that had obtained a PBS grant to cover both the Republican and Democratic Conventions in Miami, Florida.

[15] At Newsweek, Orth wrote eight cover stories in five years on subjects including Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen,[16] Stevie Wonder,[17] and The Godfather Part II film.

[21] When news broke in August 1977 that Elvis Presley had died, Orth requested to be sent to Memphis, Tennessee to cover the story.

[31] Shortly after the 9/11 terrorist attacks on the United States, Orth traveled to Central Asia to investigate the connection between drugs and terrorism for a piece titled "Afghanistan's Deadly Habit."

Orth has also written articles on Tom Cruise[33] and Scientology, Madonna,[34] Tina Turner,[35] Karl Lagerfeld[36] and Conrad Black.

Orth was one of the first journalists to report on child molestation charges against celebrities Woody Allen and Michael Jackson.

"[43] Orth reported extensively for Vanity Fair on the child molestation charges against director Woody Allen.

In 2013,[45] Orth also broke the news that a video of Dylan confiding to Farrow about what she said happened with Allen had been obtained by New York’s Fox Channel 5 but was never aired.

[56] She began conducting research and gathering information on Cunanan and spent nine weeks developing a story set to appear in Vanity Fair.

"[59] Orth conducted additional research in Miami for her piece, “The Killer’s Trail,” which appeared in the September 1997 issue of the magazine.

[61] Two years later, Orth published Vulgar Favors: Andrew Cunanan, Gianni Versace, and the Largest Failed Manhunt in U.S.

[57] In the book, Orth claimed, among other things, that Gianni Versace had AIDS and that his deteriorating health was kept a secret to avoid putting a public listing of his company at risk.

[63] In October 2016, reports began circulating that FX would be developing a television miniseries based on Orth's book as part of the American Crime Story franchise.

[64] In January 2018, FX debuted a nine-episode miniseries, "American Crime Story: The Assassination of Gianni Versace" starring Darren Criss, Édgar Ramírez, Penélope Cruz and Ricky Martin.

The book has stood the test of time and is widely regarded as the definitive account of Andrew Cunanan's chilling crime spree.