Tonight, Lara Logan tells the story of her horrifying sexual assault in Egypt on “60 Minutes.” It will shine a light on a subject rarely mentioned: the prevalence of sexual violence affecting female journalists in combat zones.
Prominent in the story is Westport native Max McClellan.
Max McClellan
According to the New York Times, the February assault occurred in Tahrir Square when McClellan — Logan’s longtime producer — as well as a cameraman and 2 local drivers were overpowered by a mob.
The Times said:
A bodyguard who had been hired to accompany the team was able to stay with Ms. Logan for a brief period of time. “For Max to see the bodyguard come out of the pile without her, that was one of the worst parts,” (“60 Minutes” executive producer Jeff) Fager said….
They estimated that they were separated from her for about 25 minutes.
The story noted that another journalist — Times photographer Lynsey Addario, also a Westport native — endured repeated sexual groping after being captured in Libya.
Hearing about Addario’s experience was a “setback” in Logan’s recovery, the Times said.
McClellan and Logan have worked together since 2006, beginning with the “CBS Evening News.” In 2007 they shared an Emmy Award for stories shot in Ramadi, Iraq — one of the bloodiest frontlines in the war on terror — with a small DV camera.
On the CBS News website, McClellan described his role in those pieces:
Lara came out of Ramadi and immediately started to feed the material via satellite back to Washington, DC, where I work. It was about 18-20 hours of material.
Then she jumped on a plane. So as she was flying back to the States where she would write her stories, I was making notes on what she had done.
Once in New York, we worked on scripts and then pulled out our secret weapon: editor Tom McEneny. He is one of the very best in the business. He played a pivotal role in figuring out how to knit together all the material in the most compelling way. The 2 stories wouldn’t have come together as powerfully as they did without him.
Did the Emmy Award change anything?
“Absolutely,” he joked.
“Instead of never being taken seriously, I think it’s fair to say I’m now rarely taken seriously. ”
Tonight, though, “60 Minutes” and Lara Logan tackle a deadly serious subject.
And — as he has done for years — Max McClellan will play a crucial role in that story too.
disturbing interview but a must see. Women unfortunately are more naturally vulnerable, which in this day and age a lot of women tend to forget.