Laura Ling Interview from 2005
Zadi Diaz interviewed Current TV correspondent Laura Ling for this episode of Rocketboom back in 2005. Ling and colleague Euna Lee were this week sentenced to 12 years hard labor by North Korea's high court, with no ability to appeal the ruling, and no direct diplomatic ties in place to help secure their release.
Here is an archive of Ling's work for Current. Some BB commenters have asked why no comment from the network, or its co-founder, Al Gore -- this Gawker post addresses the matter. My thoughts, and my most sincere hope for safety and release, go out to Ms. Ling and Ms. Lee, and their families.
the latest
latest episodes
Positive thoughts to Laura and Euna for a speedy and healthy return!
So can anyone tell me why the US/Japan/Korea/Europe etc arent putting more pressure on North Korea? Im all for playing by other's rules, but when that means they get to detain another nation's citizens, I think something more than a sternly worded letter and a couple of swiss ambassadors needs to happen. I say bring in Delta, do an extraction, and call it day...
@ Knyghtryda #2:
That's harder than it looks in the movies. Especially if you don't want to get a bunch of people killed.
While I hardly agree with North Korea's policy how can we expect anything less when the US has prisoners in Guantanamo Bay that have never even brought up on charges?
It's hard to say "Let them go - they have done nothing wrong" all the while we* think it's perfectly acceptable.
*we = those that make the rules
@tastypopsicle
Are you saying the Ms Ling et al are terrorist operators, or are you just spurting propaganda?
Never let a crisis go to waste, huh?
15 years of hard labor for her would be working in a garden or something.
Anyone know what the N. Koreans have prisoners do?
It's got to be tough on them, but there is a bit of a risk in going to a country with a desperate, belligerent, xenophobic government that defies international norms and has no diplomatic relations with your country. It's not like this kind of outcome is unforeseeable. Journalism can be a tough profession, as Daniel Pearl's family, and Bob Woodruff, to name only two recent examples, can tell you.
@#5
"Are you saying the Ms Ling et al are terrorist operators, or are you just spurting propaganda?
Never let a crisis go to waste, huh?"
Are you saying that abandoning the moral high ground doesn't legitimize and embolden regimes that regularly traffic in the moral low ground?
To hell with winning hearts and minds when we can kick some major ass, huh?
What we presume has been happening to hundreds or thousands of North Korean citizens and journalists for 50 years or more, suddenly happens to two pretty, young American journalists caught muckraking at the border, and... what? We're supposed to be surprised? Outraged? Desperate to make concessions to this mad, tyrannical regime to ensure their safe return?
Not to blame the victims, whose situation most epically sux, but I want to confess that I wish America wasn't always so easily played.
@9:
goose, gander: the US is using the release of these journalists as an entry point to broader talks.
NK is using them because they don't want weapons so much as they want involvement.
As for any moral indignation, I do tend to agree with your point that--if you stick your hand into a snake's cage, it is the snake's nature to bite.
We have to lean hard on China and have China talk reason to them.
I usually feel pretty alienated from my country, but this pissed me off as an American. We need to save those two women.
seriously, it sucks for those two but what did they expect?
I know NK is being extra hard on them and on and on, but they messed up they should not have gone there! They knew the risk they excepted them so now they have to live with the consequences.
oh well.
@12
The attitude that, "They knew the risk they excepted them so now they have to live with the consequences," is sadly representative of why most modern journalism is comprised of approved press releases and fluff. Since nearly all of the press in this country is corporately-owned, the attitude has become one of fear of retribution instead of uncovering and sharing knowledge. Sure, they knew they were going to a dangerous place. The difference is that they were brave and dedicated enough to go anyway. I wish there were more journalists like them.
The fact is that Kim Jong Il is a coward and a madman. He is also dying and scared. Now is the time for the rest of the world to put their foot down and bring about change in N. Korea. Certainly military action should be an absolute last resort. The U.S. and China, especially, need to step up to the plate and use their power to let Kim Jong Il know that we will no longer turn a blind eye to North Korea.
I find it to be very poor journalism - and a dangerous practice for Current, a network that promotes 'citizen journalism' - to remain silent on this story. At the very least, it is bad form for Current to have a cover story about NK with NO mention of this situation on the same day (6.8.9) that every major news outlet was running a Ling/Lee piece. Further, the idea of zero comment for legal reasons - as noted only in an on-line gossip/entertainment news site - would appear refutable by observing that the AP, BBC, Fox and countless other outlets have reported on the plight of their own journalists-in-peril in the recent past. See the BBC's Alan Johnston for reference, among far too many other similar tales. In support of Ms' Lee and Ling, their families and all journalists currently detained, imprisoned or otherwise in peril I suggest supporting The Committee To Protect Journalists, Reporters Without Borders and other groups working to obtain the freedom and safety of journalists everywhere.
@ geekzapoppin
> The attitude that, "They knew the risk they
> excepted them so now they have to live with the
> consequences," is sadly representative of why
> most modern journalism is comprised of approved
> press releases and fluff. Since nearly all of the
> press in this country is corporately-owned, the
> attitude has become one of fear of retribution
> instead of uncovering and sharing knowledge.
I agree w/ you that the attitude of "they got what was coming" is callous. However, those attitude is not the cause for the death of "real" journalism. It's all economical forces that drive media to go corporate and newspapers to loose revenue.
When the cost of doing something is huge (could cost your life), and the reward is so little - there must be some public support for this.
People that hold these attitude don't realize that a functioning society needs "real" press. some even hold the same attitude for cops that get shot , fireman that gets burned , and eveb injured veterans.
I don't understand why they don't have a clause for TV companies - in order to broadcast, they must serve public good and dedicate fixed amount of time on real news and politics. the fact that politicians need to raise money to buy air time is ridiculous.
"We have to lean hard on China"
Tell us how you get on with that, wouldja?
and now Gore will be sent to mediate a release?
so every time Current gets a 'journalist' in a tough spot, the ex-VP plays the trump card?
what if the NYT had two journalists nabbed? would it have come to this automatic leap so quickly? (see huffpost for story)
Hard labor in China and N.Korea can be a ~25% death sentence. Mining and logging are probably the worst, but farming 12 - 15 hours a day isn't going to be much better.
Gitmo is like a spa compared to these labor camps.
You can not expect a foreign country, especially North Korea, to abide by the same standards that we take for granted in the rest of the world. What Ling and Lee did was reckless and was not accidental. As bad as I feel for them, they now need to pay the price for their decision.
I'm surprised that some people in this thread think that they are heroes and their acts were based on courage. They were trying to stick their noses in the business of the most closed society on the planet - why is it now the rest of the worlds responsibility to get them out?
They gambled on the fact that they were going to get some exclusive story for "current" and they lost. They obviously wanted to make a name for themselves and acted recklessly and irresponsibly.
It's not China's fault or their issue. Lean on them? Why? It's only about two reporters and one really bad decision.
You stay classy too, Bhormel.