Journalist Lisa Ling says travels changed her perspective

Journalist Lisa Ling kicked off the Southeast Missouri State University speaker series Tuesday night at the Show Me Center.

Ling started her career at age 18 as a correspondent for Channel One news covering the civil war in Afghanistan.

"We landed in Jalalabad, Afghanistan, and were immediately surrounded by little boys with weapons bigger than they were," Ling said. "I was in shock that no one knew their age, but everyone knew that they could handle heavy weaponry."

From her first experience traveling to Afghanistan, Ling no longer had the goal of just being on television, she had the goal of communicating stories to others, she said.

"I was disturbed when I came home in 1994 that no one knew what was going on in Afghanistan. They couldn't even point to it on a map," Ling said.

Journalist Lisa Ling speaks at the Show Me Center during a presentation titled "Open Heart, Open Mind," as part of the Southeast Missouri State University 2011-2012 Speaker Series on Tuesday, Sept. 20, 2011. (Kristin Eberts)

After Channel One, Ling went on to be a field correspondent for the Oprah Winfrey Show, a co-host of ABC's "The View" and contributor to National Geographic's "Explorer."

"I loved ‘The View' and thought it was a great experience," Ling said. "However, when I got the opportunity of being a contributor to National Geographic and covering risky but important stories, I had to take it."

According to Ling, National Geographic is a preeminent source on cultural stories and natural history but had never delved into current events, so it took a risk by hiring Ling.

Ling covered stories regarding maximum security survival, the war on drugs in Colombia, the most dangerous gangs and adoption in China.

"I find that I have preconceived ideas of what the story is going to be like, what they people are going to be like, what the food is going to be like, and inevitably as soon as a hit the ground, I realize that there is no black and white," Ling said. "There are always shades of gray."

Ling said she looks at the story with "American-style glasses." It's not until she gets immersed in another world and gets face to face with people before she starts to take the glasses off.

"When I take off those glasses I see that everyone has a story to be heard and if you offer someone respect, they will offer it back to you," said Ling.

Ling closed with a poem about child wives and urged the crowd to take off their American-style glasses and to not turn back on things that are going on. She quoted Oprah, saying that "now that you know, don't pretend you don't."

"Ling was such a breath of fresh air," said Cindy Price, a senior at Southeast Missouri State University. "It was really encouraging to watch her speak because she has so much depth and she is so inspirational."

Southeast Missouri State University will also be hosting speakers such as Emmy-award winner Michael J. Fox, two-time NFL MVP and Super Bowl champion Kurt Warner and Bill Nye, "The Science Guy."

For more information, go to www4.semo.edu/campuslife/speakers.htm or contact the Show Me Center box office at 651-5000.