Network Execs May Pull Female Reporters From Egypt After Lara Logan Attack

By Rob Shuter Posted Feb 16th 2011 10:15AM

Just hours after confirmed reports of CBS reporter Lara Logan falling victim to a brutal sexual assault in Egypt before being rescued by a group of brave women and soldiers, several network executives met to discuss if female journalists belong in the Middle East.

"It's terrifying what happened to Lara, and we would be irresponsible to not have internal conversations about if young female reporters should ever be put in such dangerous situations," a concerned CBS executive tells me. "However, the last thing we want to do is blame the victim for being a female."

What happened to Logan on Feb. 11 has sent shockwaves through American news organizations, with three different senior management sources telling me several networks are debating removing female journalists from Egypt altogether until safety can be guaranteed.

"There can be no doubt with two out of the three network news broadcasts being anchored by women [Diane Sawyer and Katie Couric] that women have proved they are as good, if not better, reporters than men. However, the simple fact exists that in certain environments, being a woman is more dangerous, and one such place is the Middle East," a top CBS source tells me.

But is it fair to exclude excellent reporters from covering important stories based on gender? A friend of Lara's tells me, "No way. What happened to her is terrible, but the last thing she would want is handing over dangerous stories to just the boys. After all, Anderson Cooper got attacked. What news organizations should be doing is everything they can to protect all their employees regardless of gender."

Esquire landed an interview with Logan just last week, on her way back to Cairo after being kicked out of the country the week before. "This is the Tiananmen Square of the cyber age," she told the magazine. "There's no question."

Reporter Foster Kamer incredulously asked Logan if CBS was "insured for this s**t" and if she was crazy to go back to the thick of the protests. "You know," Logan answered, smiling, "I don't worry about things like that."

►CBS' Lara Logan Hospitalized After 'Brutal' Sexual Assault in Egypt

Tags: egypt protests, Lara Logan

Comments

(24)

Wednesday 16 February

By bayleon02

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I was wondering how long it would take CBS to re-evaluate their poor judgment call sending any reporters but especially young female reporters into a large, uncontrolled, violent, mob to get a story. She was with a crew but where were they when she desperately needed help?

By ofalaska

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The simple fact that an attractive blonde with hair uncovered is an invitation to the dogs who think women are chattle to be covered-up and property to be abused isn't a surprise. The hopeful part is the women who helped her, and the soldiers too. Through actions like this we can hope that the Muslim world is growing up, which of course necessitates throwing off the yoke of Islam entirely eventually. May the Goddess crush Mohammed under her heal, and the little men who fear what she has between her legs be scattered like chaff to the solar wind!

Thursday 17 February

By Lola

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I wonder how old white males would deal being mobbed by dozens of people.

Yeah,let's not put the blame where it should be, on the MOB!

Stop with the jealous, sexist drivel, folks. Women can be anything they want to.

By jason

First of all I think it's a horrible and disgusting that happened to this reporter. I do wish her and her family all the best in moving forward.

I have heard, and I agree that she should be given privacy while she deals with this life changing ordeal. I just think it's a shame that you have to work for one of these networks to actually receive any privacy. Usually, they dig and pry no matter what, all under the guise that the people have a right to know.

By Richard

Anderson Cooper left after being attacked, though not as brutally as Lara. Sadly, he was probably in danger because of his sexuality.

By Annie

Thank god for those brave women who helped her, the situation could have got a lot worse, my thoughts and prayers and with her and her family

By Cooppoops

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Send Anderson back! I hear he likes it rough.
ASAP

By patiodaddy

People act surprised that this has happened. Not me, I have been waiting for it to FINALLY happen since women in the Middle East are thought no more of than a dog in the street. For the life of me I am surprised that the lefty reporters think they are above all of this and this incident shows it.

By CAROL

WHY IN THE WORLD WOULD YOU SEND A FEMALE INTO A LITERAL RIOT OF PEOPLE. PLEASE THERE ARE ENOUGH STORIES FOR FEMALES TO COVER RIGHT HERE IN THE U.S.

By JEB BUCKINGHAM

It's too bad that it always takes a tragedy like this before CBS bigwigs decide to act. Haven't you ever heard the phrase, "An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure"?

By kron

So, as usual, women are being locked out because men choose to behave like animals. Instead of discussing how women should cower behind locked doors, can we instead discuss who is arresting these barbaric criminals and locking THEM up?

By Edna Turner

Unfortunately women ARE INDEED to blame in this incident. Young women nowadays arrogantly believe that equal rights means that they are well able to look after themselves in any situation.

WRONG!

Women are vulnerable because of their gender in certain situations where mob violence exists...and so are blond and light skinned men in countries where the people tend to be darker.

I remember in c1947 when I was a child(no I am not Egyptian), a young blond French reporter working for Agence France Presse arrived at my mum's office (my mum was a journalist for AFP in Alexandria-Egypt)

He wanted to go to the villages and report the unrest that existed at the time.

My mum warned him that he may be taken for a Briton as he was blond, and it was not safe to go there.

He laughed at her...well he was murdered by villagers a day or so later..they indeed believed he was British.

By Rose Lane

My thoughts and Prayers are with her and she should have her privacy. Maybe it is time the American People start relying on ourselves and the resources that we have in this country and quit relying on other countries for their resources then the economy could get back on track and Americans we wouldn't have such a high unemployment rate and have such a high debt.
The American people need to quit worryin about other countries and try to fix the economy in America, we have starving,abused people here in the United States

By MooninMelbourne

These people are nothing but ANIMALS .
Why would you send ANYONE there?
We don't have to be there to see how this is going to
turn out.

Where are the women libbers at?

Where is the OUTCRY for the treatment of this woman?

By Jayne

Anderson Cooper did not get gang-raped.

By Peggy

That poor woman went through hell, and it might have been avoided if she had taken notice of other American females, who, when in that country cover their head with a scarf and dress down. Most embasies warn everyone about that when they go over there.
I also would like to know how she got separated from her crew when they were there all together and they must have high tailed thinking only of themselves, I hope they realize they should have helped when they got separated. I have heard nothing from the crew.

By Larry

Yes, "what news organizations should be doing is everything they can to protect all their employees REGARDLESS OF GENDER." In REALITY males (not females) account for the vast majority of news reporters/journalists who have been beaten, kidnapped, tortured and/or killed (many, like Daniel Pearl, having been beheaded). To focus on protecting only female reporters is to engage in rank SEXISM.

By George Bedford

These people know the risks when going there. Its up to them. However dont expect me to feal bad if a female reporter does get raped or even killed. This is all part and parcel of this job. They want the fame when they bring back the stories well this is part of it.

By Eleanor Dorst

I know this will sound offensive to some, but, you don't send the most beautiful blonde women to middle east countries in chaos;Where women in total " sheet attire" are still considered desirable. I think men are in attack mode in most cases in these countries and sending these beauties to the front lines is plain stupid!...your thoughts?

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