Lara Logan: Is There A Silver Lining?

I’ve been wrestling with whether or not to address the attack on CBS reporter Lara Logan in Egypt last week. NiceGirlsTV.com is quite obviously focused on women in television, but we rarely produce articles about reporters or generally women not working in the scripted TV realm. Most of us dislike “reality” TV and the news isn’t exactly inspiring TV-talk fodder. But what about a situation like this, when a woman on TV known for her coverage of dangerous situations is brutally attacked by a mob? It feels like something that deserves digital ink here at NGTV, despite the lack of precedence.

CBS released a statement yesterday that Ms. Logan endured “a brutal and sustained sexual assault and beating” while filming a story for 60 Minutes about the celebration over Egyptian dictator Mubarak’s removal from power on February 11. Despite repeated assaults on other reporters during coverage of the uprising, she chose to remain in Egypt and pursue her story, even after colleagues like Anderson Cooper left.  Part of me is proud of her for staying to complete her assignment, but another part of me is horrified that dedication to her job resulted in being set up on by a frenzied mob. From the start it was obvious that the Western media wasn’t trusted and wouldn’t be respected, and even in the throes of victory, mob mentality took over with terrible results.  I’m deeply saddened that what should have been a triumphant moment in Egypt’s history will always be linked to this attack, and that Ms. Logan and her family and friends will have to live with it as well. In addition, I can’t help but wonder, how many other women, not in the public eye, were treated the same?

If there’s a silver lining here, it’s that Ms. Logan was rescued before an even worse tragedy could occur, and that a group of women were among those who came to her aid. In the statement, presumably approved by Ms. Logan, CBS made a point that these women saved her along with about 20 Egyptian soldiers. I hope that this example of female empowerment becomes the norm for women in Egypt under the new political system.

Ms. Logan is back in the US now, recovering with her family and expressing a desire to return to work soon. I wish her a quick recovery physically and emotionally.