Laura Ling

Laura Ling
凌志美
Born
Laura G. Ling

(1976-12-01) December 1, 1976 (age 47)
Carmichael, California, U.S.
Alma materUniversity of California, Los Angeles
OccupationJournalist
Notable credit(s)Channel One News, MTV, Current TV, E! Network
SpouseIain Clayton[1]
Children2
RelativesLisa Ling (sister)
Laura Ling
Chinese凌志美
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu PinyinLíng Zhìměi

Laura Ling (born December 1, 1976)[2][3] is an American journalist and writer. She worked for Current TV as a correspondent and vice president of its Vanguard Journalism Unit, which produced the Vanguard TV series. She was the host and reporter on E! Investigates, a documentary series on the E! Network.[4][5] In November 2014, Ling joined Discovery Digital Networks as its Director of Development.[6][7]

In 2009, Ling and fellow journalist Euna Lee were detained in North Korea after they started filming refugees from the country who had crossed the river and entered China. Many of these refugees were women, and once across the border, they were often sold as brides.[8] Ling said that the North Korean guards dragged her across the border. Once in North Korea the two women were tried and convicted. They were pardoned after former U.S. President Bill Clinton flew to North Korea to meet with Kim Jong-il and appeal on their behalf.[9][10]

Ling and her older sister, Lisa Ling, are daughters of Hong Konger and Taiwanese immigrants. They grew up in Carmichael and Sacramento, California. Both became journalists and her sister is a special correspondent for The Oprah Winfrey Show, National Geographic Explorer, and CNN.

  1. ^ McKinley, Jesse (June 9, 2009). "Two Paths, Same Fate for Reporters Facing Prison". The New York Times. Archived from the original on December 5, 2016. Retrieved June 11, 2009. In a June 1 interview on CNN's "Larry King Live," Ms. Ling's husband, Iain Clayton, read a letter from his wife.
  2. ^ Date of birth found on the California Birth Index 1905-1995, under LING, LAURA G.
  3. ^ "Laura Ling's Father: 'I Worry Quite A Bit'". KCRA-TV. March 19, 2009. Archived from the original on February 22, 2012. Retrieved June 11, 2009.
  4. ^ Fillo, MaryEllen (March 22, 2013). "Laura Ling - Journalist, Author and Documentary TV Host | Hartford Magazine". Hartfordmag.com. Archived from the original on September 27, 2013. Retrieved October 4, 2013.
  5. ^ Stelter, Brian (October 11, 2010). "MEDIA DECODER - New Host for 'E! Investigates' - Web Log - NYTimes.com". New York Times. Archived from the original on September 28, 2013. Retrieved October 4, 2013.
  6. ^ Bloom, David (November 12, 2014). "Laura Ling Joins Discovery Digital Networks As Director of Development". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on November 18, 2014. Retrieved November 20, 2014.
  7. ^ "Award-Winning Journalist Laura Ling Joins Discovery Digital Networks". Webwire.com. November 12, 2014. Archived from the original on December 18, 2014. Retrieved November 20, 2014.
  8. ^ Ling, Laura; Ling, Lisa (2010). Somewhere Inside One Sister's Captivity in North Korea and the Other's Fight to Bring Her Home. New York City: HarperCollins. ISBN 978-0-06-200068-2.
  9. ^ "North Korea pardons US reporters". BBC News. August 4, 2009. Archived from the original on August 7, 2009. Retrieved August 4, 2009.
  10. ^ "N. Korean leader reportedly pardons U.S. journalists". CNN. August 4, 2009. Archived from the original on August 8, 2009. Retrieved August 5, 2009.