In Defense of Lara Logan

In the past few days, 60 Minutes correspondent Lara Logan has been unforgivably, viciously assaulted; once through her much publicized sexual attack in Egypt, the second time in the Internet-based court of public opinion.

Visit a message board that addresses the subject of Logan’s attack, and you’re bound to see just a few messages of empathy and good will for Logan; it’s likely, though, that they are well-concealed by the other messages, words of hate and outright stupidity that pollute the world wide web and seek to soil Logan’s reputation.

“She deserved it.  No woman should be over there.”

Yes, and if she had refused the assignment, she would face the accusation of being a weak female who couldn’t handle her job.

“What did she expect, being a hot blonde in the midst of all those overexcited men?”

So only hot blondes get raped?  That’s why elderly women are assaulted, children are molested, and men get attacked in prison

“Maybe this will teach the networks to hire real journalists, not spokesmodels.”

Yes, Logan is beautiful.  She also has reported from the front lines in Iraq and Afghanistan, turned in compelling profiles of other strong women like Jane Goodall, etc.  Besides, how would the audience react if networks started hiring plain, average-looking women to report the news?  Many male viewers (not all of them, of course) would refuse to watch, and would fill the net with hateful comments about the plain Jane newscaster who doesn’t belong on TV.

“Did anyone get footage of her attack?  Now that I’d love to see.”

And if it was your wife (the poor woman probably has a miserable enough life as it is), your mother or your daughter being assaulted, would you be aroused by those images as well?

As a woman, a journalist, and a human being, my concern, empathy and respect for Lara Logan knows no bounds; but neither does my outright fury at her detractors.  We need to start raising more positive voices to see changes in attitudes; and if we don’t, who will?