National Geographic journalist to speak today

Lisa Ling is a globetrotter, but not for leisure. She has reported the slaughter of thousands of Indian women who couldn’t provide proper dowries, rape in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and children sold in the black market in Ghana. \nShe has seen the world at its absolute worst. Working on National Geographic’s Emmy-winning series, “Explorer” and “The Oprah Winfrey Show,” Ling has journeyed to Afghanistan, Iraq, China and Columbia to uncover the atrocities of which humanity is capable, and millions of Americans have seen her reporting on television. And Ling will share her experiences at 7 p.m. today at the Buskirk-Chumley Theater. \nHer lecture tonight is titled “National Geographic Reports: A Global Perspective,” and will also address her time spent corresponding for “Oprah,” said Beth Moellers, director of communications for the IU School of Journalism. \nFormerly a cast member on “The View,” Ling began her journalism career on “Channel One News,” and has made guest appearances on television shows like “I Love the 80s” and “The O’Reilly Factor.”\nMoellers said many students are anticipating Ling’s lecture. \n“We featured Bob Woodward, who has 30 or more years of experience,” Moellers said. “But Lisa Ling is only 10 years older than most of our students, and she has all this experience already.” \nMoellers said the School of Journalism looks for speakers who will be inspiring to students. \n“She has such a diverse background in journalism, and she is a great international broadcast journalist,” she said.\nWhen she is not traveling around the world, Ling serves as a contributing editor for USA Weekend and co-wrote “Mother, Daughter, Sister, Bride: Rituals of Womanhood.”