CBS Journalist Lara Logan Speaks Out About Her Sexual Assault in Egypt

Travel
by Julie Schwietert Apr 28, 2011

On February 11, journalist Lara Logan was in Egypt’s Tahrir Square covering protests for the news show “60 Minutes,” when she was surrounded by a group of men and sexually assaulted.

The attack, which Logan now estimates involved “200 to 300 men,” made international headlines and (finally) drew attention to the fact that while journalism is hardly a safe profession, it’s often much less so for female journalists than it is for male journalists.

Logan spoke about the assault publicly for the first time this week, and is expected to talk in even greater detail on this weekend’s episode of “60 Minutes.” According to this article in today’s New York Times, Logan has decided to “speak out about sexual violence both on behalf of other journalists and on behalf of ‘millions of voiceless women who are subjected to attacks like this and worse.'” After the “60 Minutes” segment, however, Logan has said she will not speak about the incident again, as she does not want it to define who she is.

Logan is just one of many female journalists who has experienced sexual assault and other physical threats while on the job. Newsweek published this round-up of 10 female journalists who’ve risked their lives while working; to their impressive list, I’d add the Mexican journalist Lydia Cacho. To learn about Cacho and other female journalists, visit the International Women’s Media Foundation, an excellent resource for women in journalism.

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