Laura Ling is the host and reporter on E! Investigates, a documentary series on the E! Network, which explores topics such as teen suicide and the challenges faced by military spouses.
Prior to joining the E! Network Ling served as Vice President of Current TV's journalism department and created Current's weekly investigative documentary series Vanguard. Ling also worked as a correspondent reporting on crucial issues from around the world. She has reported from dozens of countries and has covered subjects including slave labor in the Amazon, Mexico's drug war, Internet censorship in China, and women's rights in Turkey.
In March 2009, while reporting on the trafficking of North Korean women, Ling was detained by North Korean soldiers along the Chinese-North Korean border. She and her colleague Euna Lee were arrested and held captive in North Korea for 140 days before being granted a special pardon and returning to the United States. She has since sought to shine a light on the issue of trafficked women as well as to bring greater attention to the plight of other imprisoned journalists around the world.
Ling has also worked as a series producer for Channel One News where she produced reports from around the globe. Ling co-created Breaking it Down, a documentary series on MTV that aired between 1999 and 2001. Her work has also appeared on ABC's Nightline, NBC, PBS, and the WB.
Laura Ling is co-author of Somewhere Inside: One Sister's Captivity in North Korea and the Other's Fight to Bring Her Home, that she penned with sister Lisa.
"Laura was an incredible delight. We had a standing room only crowd; students and community members said it was the best lecture event they've ever attended at MCLA. One class was even inspired to write music based on her book. Her lecture was endearing and touching, and she was so gracious!"
"Laura Ling is an outstanding advocate for service and change. We were honored to have her share her energy and optimism at our National Conference on Volunteering and Service. Laura's compelling story of losing her freedom while she was imprisoned in North Korea captured the imagination of the 5,000 civic leaders in audience. She offered a great reminder to us all of the importance of feeling grateful for the freedom we experience every day."
"EXCELLENT!!! She was amazing!! It was so interesting listening to her story after hearing about it in the news. She was great afterwards...many of our members wanted to take pictures with her and she was very gracious and took pictures until there was no one left. Again, she was absolutely wonderful!!!"
What a compelling speaker! Laura Ling is articulate, warm, connected with the audience and shared her story in a way that showed her strength and tenacity. I highly recommend Laura Ling.