Lara Logan in Cairo

​As the deaths of photographers Tim Hetherington and Chris Hondros sadly reminded us last week, journalists continue to face dangers all over the globe, and especially in the volatile Middle East, where a rash of uprisings have created historic opportunities to capture news, but also high-risk zones. Lara Logan, the CBS correspondent on the ground in February during the protests that eventually toppled President Hosni Mubarak, "suffered a brutal and sustained sexual assault and beating," according to initial reports back in February, when she was separated from her team and overtaken by a mob. Questions arose at the time about the details of the assault Logan suffered, but with the exception of a few choice assholes, her privacy was largely respected by her viewers, colleagues and contemporaries alike. Now, Logan has deemed it time to talk about her experience, telling her side of the story to the New York Times ahead of a 60 Minutes segment about her assault this weekend. There's more on Logan's ordeal inside Press Clips, our daily media column, plus news on Michael Arrington's money-making and the forthcoming website from ESPN's Bill Simmons.

More >>

Day 2

​If the (little) reporting and (excessive) analysis surrounding Lara Logan's assault in Egypt have taught us anything, it's that most people are somewhat insensitive or otherwise unprepared and unable to talk about rape without offending, and the Internet can be an awful place. Also, exploitation runs rampant, whether it's a radical right-winger taking the opportunity to attack Islam or the New York Post trading on the combination of Logan's horrific ordeal and reputation as something of a sex symbol for a second consecutive newspaper cover. We wonder "Why?" -- plus, a correction on Justin Bieber's abortion views, trouble at Forbes and the return of Spy magazine, inside Press Clips, our daily media round-up.

More >>

Lara Logan

​After news of the vicious attack last Friday in Cairo on CBS reporter Lara Logan, the worms started crawling out of the woodwork. So far, the foremost twit on Twitter has been NYU fellow Nir Rosen, whose crassness cost him his job, as my colleague, Joe Coscarelli, notes.

But all this sneering crap from creepy-crawlies like Rosen and right-wing nut Debbie Schlussel still obscures the question: What exactly happened to Lara Logan?

After I posted that question earlier this morning, in light of the Post's saying that sources told the paper that Logan wasn't raped, I had the following exchange with one of my Facebook friends, who wrote me:

More >>

Lara Logan, just before she was mauled in Egypt

​Was Lara Logan raped by the insane mob in Cairo last Friday? Most media are shirking their jobs by a careful tiptoe around that key question. Ask women (or men), and they'll tell you that actual rape is worse than a mauling, even if the beating includes vicious groping. Exactly how much of a sexual assault was it? That matters. If it was actual rape, then the outrage needs to be ratcheted up. Among those not afraid of addressing the question is the New York Post, whose Clemente Lisi reports today:

The separation and assault lasted for roughly 20 to 30 minutes, said a person familiar with the matter, who added that it was "not a rape."

Was it or not? If it was, that would take this horrific act way beyond the pale. Despite what CBS and her family and the pusillanimous media say, the need to know trumps privacy.

More >>

photo via CBS News

​CBS News reports that correspondent Lara Logan was attacked and sexually assaulted in Tahrir Square. She was covering the celebrations after Hosni Mubarak's resignation on February 11 when she became separated from her team and security.

More >>