Colleen Quinlan ‘15, Staff Writer
On Oct. 28, Merrimack College will be welcoming Lara Logan to speak at the Rogers Center for the Arts.
Logan began her career in South Africa as a television and radio journalist and is currently a “60 Minutes” correspondent and CBS News chief foreign affairs correspondent.
Logan was born in Durban and attended University of Natal graduating with a degree in commerce. During her career Logan worked for the Sunday Tribune in Durban, the Daily News, then proceeded to join television networks such as CBS, ABC, NBC and the European Broadcast Union. Logan also worked with CNN on reporting on the 1998 U.S. embassy bombing in Nairobi and Tanzania and the conflict in Northern Ireland.
Logan received and has been honored with awards throughout her career such as John F. Hogan Distinguished Service Award from Radio Television Digital News Association (RTDNA), followed by a second Emmy, and was a five-time American Women in Radio and Television winner. She has won an Overseas Press Club Award has twice received the RTDNA/Edward R. Murrow Award for her reporting in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Professor Kerry Johnson, who is on the committee that chooses speakers, finds Logan not only to be an excellent journalist, but a strong woman as well. “Lara has accomplished so much throughout her career,” Johnson said. “She has been in many difficult situations, but has always shown courage throughout them.”
When students come to the talk on Monday, Johnson wants them to understand that being a journalist is not as easy as it looks. “I want students to see and understand that it takes a lot of intelligence and courage to become a real journalist and engaged in world affairs,” she said.
Johnson feels that Logan can open up students’ eyes to make them understand what is happening overseas and how it impacts us now and in the future.
“Lara Logan has encountered difficult situations during her career, but she is tough. She has been strong and fearless with the situations that she has faced in order to get her stories,” said Johnson. “She is a great role model, especially for young women due to her passion for her profession. Her courage is a great inspiration to young women.”
