NEWS ARTICLE

Journalist Laura Ling Continues 2014 Dillon Lecture Series

Hutchinson, Kan. –Laura Ling, a journalist and author, will be the second speaker for the 2014 Ray and Stella Dillon Lecture Series at Hutchinson Community College.  Ling will lecture on April 1, at 10:30 a.m. in the Hutchinson Sports Arena.  The lecture is open to the public.  Cost to attend the lecture is only $10, with students admitted free.  

Ling will speak on her experiences as a detainee in North Korea and the international effort to free her and fellow journalist Euna Lee.  Ling will also speak at a special luncheon for the Lecture Series, immediately following her presentation.  For more information on the series, or to become a patron, call Laurie Sawyer at 665-3505.  

Laura Ling was working on a story on human trafficking when she became international news.  While working with colleague Euna Lee on the Chinese/North Korean border for a story on the trafficking of women from North Korea, she and Lee were detained by North Korean soldiers and held captive by that country for 140 days.  They were put on public trial and convicted of hostile acts toward the North Korean government. They were finally released under a special diplomatic agreement brokered by former President Bill Clinton. 

Ling is a television host and reporter on “E! Investigates” and still pursues stories on the darker side of human life. Prior to working for E, she was the Vice President of Current TV’s journalism department and created the series “Vanguard” for that network.  She has also worked as a series producer for Channel One News and for MTV.  Ling has work that has appeared on ABC’s Nightline, NBC, PBS and WB networks, and has traveled the world to report on stories, particularly focusing on women’s issues. 

She is the coauthor, along with her sister Lisa Ling of “Somewhere Inside:  One Sister’s Captivity in North Korea and the Other’s Fight to Bring Her Home.”

Ling will appear at a press conference for members of the media, prior to her lecture.  The press conference is scheduled at 9:45 a.m. on Tuesday, April 1, at the Humiston Administrative Offices in the Hutchinson Sports Arena.

2014 is the 33rd season for the Dillon Lecture Series on the HCC Campus.  The remaining 2014 schedule includes Captain Richard Phillips (September 23) and Dr. Adam Steltzer (November 4).

For more information on the Dillon Lecture Series, or Hutchinson Community College, visit the college website at www.hutchcc.edu/dls