Lara Logan
Encyclopedia
Lara Logan is a South African television and radio journalist, and war correspondent
. She is the chief foreign affairs correspondent for CBS News
, and a correspondent for CBS's 60 Minutes
.
, and the University of Natal
in Durban, graduating in 1992 with a degree in commerce. She went on to earn a diploma in French language, culture and history at the Université de l'Alliance Française in Paris. She married Jason Siemon, a professional basketball player; in 1998, the marriage ended in divorce. In 2008 she married Joseph Burkett, a U.S. government defense contractor from Texas, U.S.A. whom she met in Afghanistan. They live in Washington, D.C., with their two-year-old son and Burkett's daughter from a previous marriage.
Television in Africa, primarily as a senior producer. After four years she branched out into freelance journalism, obtaining assignments as a reporter and editor/producer with ITN and Fox/SKY, CBS News, ABC News (in London), NBC, and the European Broadcast Union. She also found work with CNN, reporting on incidents such as the 1998 United States embassy bombings
in Nairobi and Tanzania, the conflict in Northern Ireland
, and the Kosovo war.
Logan was hired in 2000 by GMTV Breakfast Television (in the UK) as a correspondent; she also worked with CBS News Radio as a freelance correspondent. Days after the September 11 attacks, she asked a clerk at the Russian Embassy in London to give her a visa to travel to Afghanistan. In November 2001, while in Afghanistan working for GMTV, she infiltrated the American-British-backed Northern Alliance
and interviewed their commander, General Babajan
, at the Bagram Air Base
.
CBS News offered her a full-fledged correspondent position in 2002. She spent much of the next four years reporting from the battlefield, including war zones in Afghanistan and Iraq, often embedded
with the American Armed Forces. Many of her reports were for 60 Minutes II
. She is also a regular contributor to the CBS Evening News, The Early Show
and Face The Nation
. In February 2006, Logan was promoted to "Chief foreign affairs correspondent" for CBS News.
in Baghdad
, but the CBS Evening News
did not run the report; deeming it "a bit strong". To reverse the decision, Logan enlisted public support; requesting them to watch the story and pass the link to as many of their friends and acquaintances as possible, saying "It should be seen". Logan later used the Haifa Street material for a 60 Minutes'
report on Baghdad during the surge.
, and her view that reporters who embed with the military ought not to write about the general banter they hear. An article by Hastings in Rolling Stone that month quoted General Stanley A. McChrystal
and his staff—comments Hastings overheard while traveling with McChrystal—criticizing U.S. Vice-President Joe Biden
and other officials, after which President Obama fired McCrystal as his commander in Afghanistan. Logan told CNN that Hasting's reporting had violated an unspoken agreement between reporters who travel with military personnel not to report casual comments that pass between them.
Quoting her statement, "I mean, the question is, really, is what General McChrystal and his aides are doing so egregious, that they deserved to end a career like McChrystal’s? I mean, Michael Hastings has never served his country the way McChrystal has," CNN's former chief military correspondent, Jamie McIntyre
, said that it was indeed egregious, and her comments reinforced the worst stereotype of embedded reporters. He went on to quote Admiral Mike Mullen's statement that military personnel are required to be neutral and should not criticize civilian leaders.
Glenn Greenwald
of Salon wrote that she had done courageous reporting over the years, but had come to see herself as part of the government and military.
On 15 February 2011, CBS News released a statement that Logan had been beaten and sexually assaulted on 11 February, while covering the celebrations in Tahrir Square following Hosni Mubarak
's resignation. CBS 60 Minutes broadcast an interview with her about it on 1 May 2011; she said she was speaking out because of the prevalence of sexual assault in Egypt, and to break the silence about the sexual violence women reporters are reluctant to report in case it prevents them from doing their jobs.
She said the incident involved 200–300 men and lasted around 25 minutes. She had been reporting the celebrations for an hour without incident when her camera battery failed. One of the Egyptian CBS crew suggested they leave, telling her later he heard the crowd make inappropriate sexual comments about her. She felt hands touching her, and can be heard shouting "stop", just as the camera died. One of the crowd shouted that she was an Israeli, a Jew, a claim that CBS said, though false, was a "match to gasoline". She went on to say that they tore off her clothes and, in her words, raped her with their hands, while taking photographs with their cellphones. They began pulling her body in different directions, pulling her hair so hard she said it seemed they were trying to tear off chunks of her scalp.
Believing she was dying, she was dragged along the square to where the crowd was stopped by a fence, alongside which a group of women were camping. One woman wearing a chador
put her arms around Logan, and the others closed ranks around her, while some men who were with the women threw water at the crowd. A group of soldiers appeared, beat back the crowd with batons, and one of them threw Logan over his shoulder. She was flown back to the U.S. the next day, where she spent four days in hospital. She was contacted by President Obama when she arrived home. CBS said it remained unclear who the attackers were, and unlikely that any will be prosecuted.
War correspondent
A war correspondent is a journalist who covers stories firsthand from a war zone. In the 19th century they were also called Special Correspondents.-Methods:...
. She is the chief foreign affairs correspondent for CBS News
CBS News
CBS News is the news division of American television and radio network CBS. The current chairman is Jeff Fager who is also the executive producer of 60 Minutes, while the current president of CBS News is David Rhodes. CBS News' flagship program is the CBS Evening News, hosted by the network's main...
, and a correspondent for CBS's 60 Minutes
60 Minutes
60 Minutes is an American television news magazine, which has run on CBS since 1968. The program was created by producer Don Hewitt who set it apart by using a unique style of reporter-centered investigation....
.
Personal life
Logan was born in Durban, South Africa. She attended high school at Durban Girls' CollegeDurban Girls' College
Durban Girls' College is a private boarding and day school for girls located on the Berea, overlooking the city of Durban in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.-History:...
, and the University of Natal
University of Natal
The University of Natal was a university in Natal, and later KwaZulu-Natal in South Africa, that is now part of the University of KwaZulu-Natal. It was founded in 1910 as the Natal University College in Pietermaritzburg, and expanded to include a campus in Durban in 1931. In 1947, the university...
in Durban, graduating in 1992 with a degree in commerce. She went on to earn a diploma in French language, culture and history at the Université de l'Alliance Française in Paris. She married Jason Siemon, a professional basketball player; in 1998, the marriage ended in divorce. In 2008 she married Joseph Burkett, a U.S. government defense contractor from Texas, U.S.A. whom she met in Afghanistan. They live in Washington, D.C., with their two-year-old son and Burkett's daughter from a previous marriage.
Career
Logan worked as a news reporter for the Sunday Tribune in Durban during her studies (1988–1989), then for the city's Daily News (1990–1992). In 1992 she joined ReutersReuters
Reuters is a news agency headquartered in New York City. Until 2008 the Reuters news agency formed part of a British independent company, Reuters Group plc, which was also a provider of financial market data...
Television in Africa, primarily as a senior producer. After four years she branched out into freelance journalism, obtaining assignments as a reporter and editor/producer with ITN and Fox/SKY, CBS News, ABC News (in London), NBC, and the European Broadcast Union. She also found work with CNN, reporting on incidents such as the 1998 United States embassy bombings
1998 United States embassy bombings
The 1998 United States embassy bombings were a series of attacks that occurred on August 7, 1998, in which hundreds of people were killed in simultaneous truck bomb explosions at the United States embassies in the East African capitals of Dar es Salaam, Tanzania and Nairobi, Kenya. The date of the...
in Nairobi and Tanzania, the conflict in Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
, and the Kosovo war.
Logan was hired in 2000 by GMTV Breakfast Television (in the UK) as a correspondent; she also worked with CBS News Radio as a freelance correspondent. Days after the September 11 attacks, she asked a clerk at the Russian Embassy in London to give her a visa to travel to Afghanistan. In November 2001, while in Afghanistan working for GMTV, she infiltrated the American-British-backed Northern Alliance
United Islamic Front for the Salvation of Afghanistan
The United Islamic Front , known in the West and Pakistan as the Northern Alliance, was a military-political umbrella organization created by the Islamic State of Afghanistan in 1996 under the leadership of Defense Minister Ahmad Shah Massoud...
and interviewed their commander, General Babajan
Abdul Wahid Baba Jan
General Abdul Wahid Baba Jan, an ethnic Tajik from Parwan province and better known simply as "General Babajan", was a member of the People's Democratic Party of Afghanistan during the presidency of Dr. Najibullah. He was promoted to General and was the commander of the Kabul Garrison during the...
, at the Bagram Air Base
Bagram Air Base
Bagram Airfield, also referred to as Bagram Air Base, is a militarized airport and housing complex that is located next to the ancient city of Bagram, southeast of Charikar in Parwan province of Afghanistan. The base is run by a US Army division headed by a major general. A large part of the base,...
.
CBS News offered her a full-fledged correspondent position in 2002. She spent much of the next four years reporting from the battlefield, including war zones in Afghanistan and Iraq, often embedded
Embedded journalist
Embedded journalism refers to news reporters being attached to military units involved in armed conflicts. While the term could be applied to many historical interactions between journalists and military personnel, it first came to be used in the media coverage of the 2003 invasion of Iraq...
with the American Armed Forces. Many of her reports were for 60 Minutes II
60 Minutes II
60 Minutes II was a weekly primetime news magazine television program that was intended to replicate the "signature style, journalistic quality and integrity" of the original 60 Minutes series.It aired on CBS on Wednesdays, then later moved to Fridays at 8 p.m...
. She is also a regular contributor to the CBS Evening News, The Early Show
The Early Show
The Early Show is an American television morning news talk show broadcast by CBS from New York City. The program airs live from 7 to 9 a.m. Eastern Time Monday through Friday; most affiliates in the Central, Mountain, and Pacific time zones air the show on tape-delay from 7 to 9 a.m. local time. ...
and Face The Nation
Face the Nation
Face the Nation with Bob Schieffer is an American Sunday-morning political interview show which premiered on the CBS television network on November 7, 1954. It is one of the longest-running news programs in the history of television...
. In February 2006, Logan was promoted to "Chief foreign affairs correspondent" for CBS News.
Haifa Street fighting
In late January 2007, Logan filed a report of fighting along Haifa StreetHaifa Street
Haifa Street is a two mile long street in Baghdad, Iraq. Along with Yafa Street , it runs southeast to the Assassin's Gate, an archway that served as the main entrance to the American-run Green Zone during the 2003 invasion of Iraq, paralleling the Tigris river...
in Baghdad
Baghdad
Baghdad is the capital of Iraq, as well as the coterminous Baghdad Governorate. The population of Baghdad in 2011 is approximately 7,216,040...
, but the CBS Evening News
CBS Evening News
CBS Evening News is the flagship nightly television news program of the American television network CBS. The network has broadcast this program since 1948, and has used the CBS Evening News title since 1963....
did not run the report; deeming it "a bit strong". To reverse the decision, Logan enlisted public support; requesting them to watch the story and pass the link to as many of their friends and acquaintances as possible, saying "It should be seen". Logan later used the Haifa Street material for a 60 Minutes'
60 Minutes
60 Minutes is an American television news magazine, which has run on CBS since 1968. The program was created by producer Don Hewitt who set it apart by using a unique style of reporter-centered investigation....
report on Baghdad during the surge.
Michael Hastings criticism
Logan was criticized in June 2010 for her remarks about another journalist, Michael HastingsMichael Hastings (journalist)
Michael Hastings is an American journalist and a writer. He was a regular contributor to Gentlemen's Quarterly and now is a contributing editor at Rolling Stone magazine...
, and her view that reporters who embed with the military ought not to write about the general banter they hear. An article by Hastings in Rolling Stone that month quoted General Stanley A. McChrystal
Stanley A. McChrystal
Stanley Allen McChrystal is a retired four-star general in the United States Army. His last assignment was as Commander, International Security Assistance Force and Commander, U.S. Forces Afghanistan...
and his staff—comments Hastings overheard while traveling with McChrystal—criticizing U.S. Vice-President Joe Biden
Joe Biden
Joseph Robinette "Joe" Biden, Jr. is the 47th and current Vice President of the United States, serving under President Barack Obama...
and other officials, after which President Obama fired McCrystal as his commander in Afghanistan. Logan told CNN that Hasting's reporting had violated an unspoken agreement between reporters who travel with military personnel not to report casual comments that pass between them.
Quoting her statement, "I mean, the question is, really, is what General McChrystal and his aides are doing so egregious, that they deserved to end a career like McChrystal’s? I mean, Michael Hastings has never served his country the way McChrystal has," CNN's former chief military correspondent, Jamie McIntyre
Jamie McIntyre
Jamie McIntyre is a former Senior Pentagon correspondent for CNN. He held this position from 1992 to 2008. Before joining CNN he was host and senior writer for WUSA-TV in Washington D.C....
, said that it was indeed egregious, and her comments reinforced the worst stereotype of embedded reporters. He went on to quote Admiral Mike Mullen's statement that military personnel are required to be neutral and should not criticize civilian leaders.
Glenn Greenwald
Glenn Greenwald
Glenn Greenwald is an American lawyer, columnist, blogger, and author. Greenwald worked as a constitutional and civil rights litigator before becoming a contributor to Salon.com, where he focuses on political and legal topics...
of Salon wrote that she had done courageous reporting over the years, but had come to see herself as part of the government and military.
Reporting from Egypt and sexual abuse
Logan and her CBS crew were arrested and detained for one night by the Egyptian Army on 3 February 2011, while covering the Egyptian Revolution. She said the crew was blindfolded and handcuffed at gunpoint, and their driver beaten. They were advised to leave the country, but were later released.On 15 February 2011, CBS News released a statement that Logan had been beaten and sexually assaulted on 11 February, while covering the celebrations in Tahrir Square following Hosni Mubarak
Hosni Mubarak
Muhammad Hosni Sayyid Mubarak is a former Egyptian politician and military commander. He served as the fourth President of Egypt from 1981 to 2011....
's resignation. CBS 60 Minutes broadcast an interview with her about it on 1 May 2011; she said she was speaking out because of the prevalence of sexual assault in Egypt, and to break the silence about the sexual violence women reporters are reluctant to report in case it prevents them from doing their jobs.
She said the incident involved 200–300 men and lasted around 25 minutes. She had been reporting the celebrations for an hour without incident when her camera battery failed. One of the Egyptian CBS crew suggested they leave, telling her later he heard the crowd make inappropriate sexual comments about her. She felt hands touching her, and can be heard shouting "stop", just as the camera died. One of the crowd shouted that she was an Israeli, a Jew, a claim that CBS said, though false, was a "match to gasoline". She went on to say that they tore off her clothes and, in her words, raped her with their hands, while taking photographs with their cellphones. They began pulling her body in different directions, pulling her hair so hard she said it seemed they were trying to tear off chunks of her scalp.
Believing she was dying, she was dragged along the square to where the crowd was stopped by a fence, alongside which a group of women were camping. One woman wearing a chador
Chador
A chādor or chādar is an outer garment or open cloak worn by many Iranian women and female teenagers in public spaces. Wearing this garment is one possible way in which a Muslim woman can follow the Islamic dress code known as ḥijāb. A chador is a full-body-length semicircle of fabric that is...
put her arms around Logan, and the others closed ranks around her, while some men who were with the women threw water at the crowd. A group of soldiers appeared, beat back the crowd with batons, and one of them threw Logan over his shoulder. She was flown back to the U.S. the next day, where she spent four days in hospital. She was contacted by President Obama when she arrived home. CBS said it remained unclear who the attackers were, and unlikely that any will be prosecuted.
External links
- Profile at CBS News
- About.com's Profile of Lara Logan, CBS Chief Foreign Affairs Correspondent
- Logan appears on CNN's Reliable Sources with host Howard Kurtz- Responds to question, "Are Media Turning Against War in Iraq?" (transcript)