Lara Logan is a journalist and war correspondent.

She is also, in my opinion, an example of a real journalist.

What makes Lara even more special is that, like me, she is South African and unlike Elon Musk, unafraid to say so.

Journalism is meant to inform, not to play to the whims of those in power.

Lara Logan
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A real journalist

Lara in Baghdad, circa 2006.
Lara in Baghdad, circa 2006.

Her CV is impressive, from CBS to 60 Minutes to FOX; and her decades of war reporting, including Iraq, Afghanistan, Egypt and Libya have been brilliant and brutal.

For example, Lara was attacked by a mob, beaten and gang-raped while covering the 2011 revolution in Egypt, yet she continues to stand strong and do great journalism in spite of the obvious dangers.

She spoke about the gang rape in her conversation with me.

When you don’t know the truth, everything becomes possible.

Lara Logan

Breaking news

She was one of the first journalists to report on the attack on the US consulate in Benghazi, Libya, where four Americans, including ambassador J Christopher Stevens, were killed. Her reporting helped bring attention to the attack and its aftermath.

Of course, she was over the target and they went after her.

The establishment didn’t like her journalism

She was one of the few journalists granted access to Gaza during the 2014 Israel-Gaza war, and her reporting was eye-opening.

Lara covered the 2015 Paris attacks, in which 130 people were killed.

She was also one of the most visible journalists covering the 2016 US presidential election. Her reporting was fair and she was not afraid to challenge both sides.

Which made the target on her back even bigger.

The media’s job is to hold power to account, not to become a tool of power.

Lara Logan

Conversation

Talking points

  • Missing being in South Africa
  • Trump understanding the working class
  • The essence of journalism
  • Navigating the fog of war
  • Fake news, narratives and facts
  • Being gang-raped and the will to survive
  • The dangers of the post-Covid world

I’ve been targeted by the left and right for telling the truth, which I think is the best endorsement of being an honest journalist.

Lara Logan

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