Santa Ana, Calif. — November 10, 2004 — OC Weekly’s Gustavo Arellano has been awarded the prestigious Lilly Scholarship by the Religion Newswriters Association for his work on the child-abuse scandal in the Catholic Diocese of Orange County, California. Arellano is one of just seven winners, and the only winner from an AAN paper.

The scholarship will allow Arellano to pursue religious studies and, of course, continue pounding on renegade Catholic priests.

“Gustavo has done remarkable work on a variety of subjects,” said Weekly editor Will Swaim. “This scholarship confirms his ability to cover religion, though many of us believe his reviews of Vietnamese cuisine and rock en Espanol are even more remarkable.”

Arellano is also a contributor to NPR’s Day to Day, and a regular on public affairs shows on local radio.

The Religion Newswriters Association (RNA) is a national, non-profit and nonpartisan association and the premier source for training journalists on the religion beat.

Published in Orange County, California, where Richard Nixon rests just miles from Walt Disney’s frozen head, OC Weekly is part of the Village Voice Media family, which includes New York’s Village Voice, LA Weekly, Seattle Weekly, the Twin Cities’ City Pages and Nashville Scene.

For more information, please contact:
Shenell Slayton
714-550-5900