General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsDigby: Lara Logan in Her Own Words on Her World View
Videos at Link.
http://www.digbysblog.blogspot.com/2013/11/lara-logan-in-her-own-words-10122012.html
Sunday, November 10, 2013
Lara Logan in her own words
10/2/2012
by digby
Here are her comments on Benghazi from that speech to the Better Government Association's annual luncheon October 12, 2012, one month after the Benghazi attack:
Here's the whole speech which is mostly about journalism and her recent report from Afghanistan in which she asserted that al Qaeda and the Taliban were stronger than ever, the US was "surrendering" and that "our way of life is under attack" among many other very interesting observations. You really must watch the whole thing to get a sense of where she's coming from.
- snip -
Needless to say, the fact that she fell for such a clearly ridiculous hoax was due to her biases. She shows in that speech that she had already made up her mind about what happened. And 60 Minutes should have been professionally skeptical of her story because of that. Logan's agenda blinded her to the fact that she was being played.
- snip -
I also think there's something very odd about this speech. Logan is talking to the "Better Government Association" not CPAC. And her affect suggests that she thinks her views are commonly held conventional wisdom, which might have been true in 2003, but seems weirdly out of time ten years on.
It's an odd speech and it was noted at the time as an odd speech:
The Taliban and al Qaeda, she made clear, want to destroy the West and us, and we must fight fire with fire, She appeared to leave the assembled alternatively riveted and just a bit troubled by a critique with interventionist implications clearly drawn from her reporting.
As one nonprofit executive, a former magazine editor, put it the next day when asked to describe her speech: Shoot em, bomb em, fuck em. They will kill your children.
There is a rich history of foreign correspondents being outspoken and passionate in offering political commentary, especially those who have been caught in harms way. Logan herself was a victim of brutality; in 2011 the South Africa native was beaten and sexually assaulted by a mob in Cairos Tahrir Square while she covered the demonstrations prompted by President Hosni Mubaraks resignation. Such a harrowing experience would surely impact even the most politically cautious of journalists. Still, the sharp advocacy from such a prominent network reporter caught some in the Chicago crowd by surprise.
I have no idea if any of this was prompted by her horrible attack. But I do recall that even before that awful event, she was very critical of Michael Hastings' "betrayal" of General McChrystal. She has revered the military for a long time and even her critical reporting on Iraq earlier in the decade was criticism for failing to unleash the military in order to "win." I think she has always held these beliefs.
MORE
JRLeft
(7,010 posts)Electric Monk
(13,869 posts)Solly Mack
(90,775 posts)JRLeft
(7,010 posts)rhett o rick
(55,981 posts)libdem4life
(13,877 posts)calimary
(81,350 posts)What I wrote:
"Walter Cronkite is surely spinning in his grave! I hope you all intend to correct the record you horrifyingly damaged regarding that Benghazi hit piece on the President. Pretty little biased, agenda-driven Lara swallowed something whole, it seems. Disgraceful that you just allowed it. Can you PLEASE keep CONservative propaganda OUT of a program that's supposed to be objective????????? You should be ashamed of yourselves! And you owe President Obama a DEEP, sincere, and equally-long equal-time apology. Unless, of course, your intention is to become another Fox 'News.'"
stillwaiting
(3,795 posts)spanone
(135,851 posts)she's not even a reporter.
otohara
(24,135 posts)after Benghazi is downright outrageous.
Who does she think she is?
rhett o rick
(55,981 posts)SleeplessinSoCal
(9,126 posts)I don't think Hitchens was ideological, as she obviously is.
DefenseLawyer
(11,101 posts)Orwell was very anti-fascist. Hitchens seems to have locked on Saddam Hussein was a "fascists dictator" and just as Orwell spoke out against Hitler, he spoke out against Saddam. Of course the comparisons between Hitler and Saddam, in terms of their ability to harm other nations was laughable, but nonetheless I always thought that's how get started down that pro-war path at the end of his career.
SleeplessinSoCal
(9,126 posts)to and had the support of al qaeda. That's where he lost a lot of credibility. And I only hope Logan, who is in no way a "Christopher Hitchens", loses hers.
closeupready
(29,503 posts)What kind of background does she have?
JI7
(89,254 posts)Iliyah
(25,111 posts)just like the "Shutdown". Truth means nothing the gopers.
DallasNE
(7,403 posts)Since there has been no consequences for their corrupt reporting we can only expect this scene to be repeated. And the frequency of this happening is accelerating rapidly. And this race to the bottom is not a pretty sight. Sadly, it is all just one big money chase.
calimary
(81,350 posts)Wouldn't be surprised if there were others. Networks, that is. Not just other reporters. Devious way to distort coverage. School 'em to use YOUR filters. Kinda like the Monica Goodling class at outfits like Regent "University" and Liberty "University" - which teach law through a Biblical filter.
CBS was once referred to as the Tiffany Network - because it was such a high-class operation, its credibility beyond question. Now it's more like Walmart.
DallasNE
(7,403 posts)Degree is in commerce so not sure how she migrated into journalism.
calimary
(81,350 posts)That's about all you need, anymore.
Iliyah
(25,111 posts)openingly put it on air. No respect for BENGHAZI and no respect to America.
octoberlib
(14,971 posts)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lara_Logan
valerief
(53,235 posts)davidpdx
(22,000 posts)Good catch. Makes a lot of sense.
JEFF9K
(1,935 posts)... But it's no excuse. Dan Rather also put himself in harm's way.
dchill
(38,510 posts)An interesting description of "telling the truth."
Uncle Joe
(58,372 posts)consumed her rational mind?
I gather she was already pro-war at all costs as being the answer to the world's ills but no doubt the bitterness from that incident erased any sense of journalistic integrity at least in regards to the Middle East and Central Asia.
Thanks for the thread, Hissyspit.
paleotn
(17,931 posts)....don't take any crap from the Pakis, yada yada. Everything can be solved by bombing, invading, killing, destroying and sending other peoples sons and daughters off to die or be maimed as we achieve little or nothing of lasting importance. Have these utter and complete imbeciles like Logan learned nothing from the past decade?
Oh, this is just wonderful...(T)he foreign correspondent and 60 Minutes star skewered American policy in Afghanistan and Libya, called for a ramped-up military campaign against terrorists, and criticized the Obama administration and others for both underestimating the Talibans strength in Afghanistan and for tolerating Pakistans obvious coddling of terrorists killing American soldiers.
We just didn't have enough troops in The Stan, that's why we weren't "winning" against the Taliban. Lonely fire bases at strategic points in the countryside....more troops....a nearly invisible insurgent enemy....more troops....keeping score by body count...more troops...the bad guys hiding in a nearby, nation state.....if we just had more troops we could win this thing. Forget 2003. Have we suddenly been transported back to 1968 or is it this woman simply has little to no understanding of what I consider recent US history?
How many damn times do we have to repeat Vietnam, Iraq and now Afghanistan before these idiots finally get it?! We cannot bomb our way to security! It just wont work! I don't know, maybe NOT being such international assholes MIGHT actually work. Understanding the strategic, cultural and historical nuances about a place or event and working closely with our allies and other nations involved BEFORE we just dump boots on the ground might be a better strategy. Do ya think?! Bombing the shit out of them doesn't seem to be working.
justgamma
(3,666 posts)The only times we were attacked was the USS Cole and Benghazi? There were no attacks during the Bush years?
Skittles
(153,169 posts)THEN YOU'LL UNDERSTAND
noise
(2,392 posts)From an article about Logan's story on former FBI agent Ali Soufan. He was in fact investigating the Cole attack when the CIA withheld crucial information about al Qaeda operatives who were later named as Flight 77 hijackers:
"The agency knew that these al Qaeda operatives in Southeast Asia flew to America or they have visas to come to the United States, and somebody decided, 'Let's not share the information,'" Soufan said.
"And if it had been shared with you, what then?" Logan asked.
"I try not to think about that. I try not to think about, about what could have happened. Maybe, maybe thousands of American lives will be spared, maybe," Soufan said.
The CIA told us any suggestion it purposely refused to share critical information on the 9/11 plots with FBI is "baseless" and "these allegations diminish the hard work and dedication of countless CIA officers."
The Interrogator
If Logan's worldview was truly consistent she would have been outraged that people at the CIA obstructed the Cole investigation. Instead she appears to have been satisfied with a stupid talking point from a CIA spokesperson denying any wrongdoing.