CBS News correspondent Lara Logan in Iraq. US Army photo.
Born 29 March 1971 (1971-03-29) (age 39)
Durban, South Africa
Education University of Natal, 1992
Commerce
Occupation Journalist
Title CBS News Chief Foreign Affairs Correspondent
Years active 2000–present
Notable credit(s) Chief Foreign Correspondent for CBS News (2006– present)
Chief Foreign Affairs Correspondent for CBS News (2008–present)
60 Minutes II correspondent (2002–2004)
60 Minutes correspondent (2006–present)
Lara Logan (born 29 March 1971) is a South African television and radio journalist and war correspondent. She is currently the Chief Foreign Affairs Correspondent for CBS News, 60 Minutes correspondent, filing reports for the CBS Evening News and the CBS Radio Network.
Logan was born in Durban, South Africa. She attended high school at Durban Girls' College, and later attended the University of Natal in Durban, graduating in 1992.
Career
Logan has described how she begged a clerk at the Russian Embassy in London to give her an expedited visa to travel to Afghanistan days after the September 11, 2001, attacks. While in Afghanistan in November 2001, Logan, then working as a correspondent for the British morning program, GMTV, infiltrated the American- and British-backed Northern Alliance fighting against the Taliban. Then she interviewed the Northern Alliance's commander, General Babajan, at the Bagram Air Base.
Logan next spent much of the next four years reporting from the field, including battlefields, in Afghanistan, traveling often as an embedded journalist with the American Armed Forces.
Logan was promoted to the position of the Chief Foreign Correspondent for CBS News in February 2006.
Haifa Street fighting
In late January 2007, Logan filed a report about fighting along Haifa Street in Baghdad. When CBS News refused to run the report on the nightly news because the footage was "a bit strong" (although the network did run the report on their internet site), Logan tried to win public support to reverse this decision. Logan said, "I would be very grateful if any of you have a chance to watch this story and pass the link on to as many people you know as possible. It should be seen. And people should know about this."Logan went on to use some of the Haifa Street material in a 60 Minutes report about life in Baghdad under the surge.
Criticism of Michael Hastings article
In June 2010, Rolling Stone published an article written by Michael Hastings which quoted US Army general Stanley McChrystal and his staff contemptuously criticizing civilian government officials for which he later resigned.[8] Logan criticized Hastings on CNN's Reliable Sources, saying there must have been ground rules that would have limited Hastings reporting on what she characterized as "insults and banter". She said there is an "unspoken agreement" involving "an element of trust" where you don't "blindside" the military and described the general tenor of the article as sensationalistic. In support of Logan's skepticism, ABC News reported that the military said the comments were thought to have been off the record, but Rolling Stone said that all ground rules had been followed.
Matt Taibbi, another journalist for Rolling Stone, criticized Logan for what he characterized as a fundamental misunderstanding of the role of journalism. Glenn Greenwald of Salon.com said that Hastings was "exposing the relevant secrets of the powerful" whereas Logan was protecting them. However, Logan called Hastings arrogant for saying that she avoided telling the "truth" in order to be welcomed by the military. She defended her record for balanced reporting, citing her report of hand grenades killing troops. A column in The Week argued that in one way Logan was right, quoting Max Fisher of The Atlantic that the military will now "shy away from reporters", making it more difficult to report to the public about the war.
CNN's former chief military correspondent Jamie McIntyre weighed in on his blog at Military.com, criticizing and praising both Logan and Hastings. He thought it irrelevant that Hastings had never served, as highlighted by Logan, and said the problem involved more than just "insults and banter". He was, however, disturbed by the dispute over ground rules saying Logan's take was consistent with his, and defended Logan's record of accurate and balanced reporting. He sided with her that reporters should not blindside those they are covering. Instead, he believed they should be given a chance to respond, but he disagreed "slightly" with her characterization of the article as sensationalistic. Finally, he expressed concern that while the article was "illuminating" and "essential", he echoed the concerns of Max Fisher that it may come at a cost of breeding mistrust and thereby blunt the ability to get background insights.
Egypt Protests
In 2011, while covering the Egyptian protests against Hosni Mubarak, Logan was arrested by the Egyptian police in Cairo.On February 15, CBS released a statement revealing Logan was physically and sexually assaulted after becoming separated from her crew while covering the celebrations in Tahrir Square following the resignation of Mubarak. She was eventually rescued by "a group of women and an estimated 20 Egyptian soldiers"
Logan's husband is a U.S. Federal Government defense contractor from Texas, whom she met in Iraq.They had a son in January 2009.Earlier, she was involved with CNN correspondent Michael Ware.[18] Her previous husband, Jason Siemon, was a professional basketball player in the United Kingdom. Logan complained to Howard Kurtz of the Washington Post that her personal life had been "tabloid fodder.
