Lara Logan and CBS News Have Parted Ways
Lara Logan, the journalist who gained wider renown covering war-torn spots in the Middle East for CBS News, is no longer with the network and has not been for several months.
The split, disclosed as the result of Logan making an appearance over the weekend on a podcast in which she suggested news consumers ought to get information from both liberal and conservative outlets, might come as a surprise to outsiders. Logan had been working for “60 Minutes” and gained a reputation for visiting dangerous locales in Afghanistan and Iraq, often embedded with U.S. armed forces. She joined CBS News in 2002 and had been one of the unit’s top foreign correspondents.
Related stories
Former Deputy FBI Director Says DOJ Discussed 25th Amendment Removal of Trump
CBS News Sets New Executive Structure Under Susan Zirinsky
Bill Owens Named Executive Producer at '60 Minutes,' Starting New Era
A CBS News spokeswoman said Logan left the news unit at some point in 2018. Her last piece for CBS News appears to be a May segment for “60 Minutes” about poachers slaughtering rhinoceros in South Africa. Logan had been represented by UTA, and prior to that, N.S. Bienstock. A spokesperson for UTA could not be reached for immediate comment on Logan’s status with the agency.
Logan has reported from around the world, and joined CBS News after stints as a freelance producer and reporter for multiple news outlets. She cut a mesmerizing figure at CBS – a woman who was eager to go to scenes of conflict, often under duress. Despite her reputation however, Logan’s tenure with CBS News had rocky spots. In 2011, she was attacked and sexually assaulted by a crowd of men while she was covering celebrations in Egypt related to the departure of former Egyptian leader Hosni Mubarak. Logan was hospitalized for four days upon her return to the United States and discussed the incident on air for CBS News.
In 2013, Logan had to issue an on-air apology for a “60 Minutes” segment she led after other news outlets found it contained inaccuracies. The story, centering on a 2012 attack on a U.S. diplomatic compound in Benghazi, Libya, was found to be lacking in its efforts to substantiate the assertions of a key source, security officer Dylan Davies. He had claimed to be an eyewitness to the attack by insurgents that left U.S. ambassador Chris Stevens and three others dead. Logan and a producer, Max McClellan, both took a leave of absence from the network in the aftermath of the report.
During this weekend’s podcast, Logan told conservative host Mike Ritland, a former Navy SEAL, that most media outlets skew liberal. “The media everywhere is mostly liberal, not just the U.S.,” she said, adding later that “This interview is professional suicide for me.”
Logan has over the years proven more outspoken about the subjects she covers than some other journalists might be. In 2012, a month before her “60 Minutes” report on Benghazi aired, she gave a speech suggesting actions the U.S. should take in response to the attack on the Benghazi compound. Those remarks came under fire late from her former employer.“From a CBS News standards perspective, there is a conflict in taking a public position on the government’s handling of Benghazi and Al Qaeda, while continuing to report on the story,” a review of the “60 Minutes” segment found.
Subscribe to Variety Newsletters and Email Alerts!
