This woman is just doing her job so she can support her kids, how is working irresponsible?

So I suppose women who walk outdoors and are victims of “stranger rape” because they’re trying to lead normal lives are also irresponsible?

That’s backwards logic, and very sad to kick a fellow woman who is already on the down-and-out right now. Why should any woman be afraid to do her job because of the possible threat of sexual violence? Granted, in an ideal world, which we are far from living in, NO woman should EVER have to fear this sort of heinous act. But guess what? Life doesn’t work that way. You have to take chances if you want to actually LIVE. And sometimes, sadly, that means that shit like this will happen to you.

Contrary to popular belief, rape almost NEVER has anything to do with what the victim was wearing. Rape is primarily a psychologically motivated act; the perpetrator enjoys harming or humiliating the victim by rendering them powerless to the perpetrator’s imposing will. It almost never has anything to do with provocative behavior or dress, and it baffles me how some people still carry the misconception that a victim’s clothing is the culprit.

In this case, it was a group of Mubakar supporters who are out to do anything to cut down Mubakar’s detractors, often resorting to ultraviolent means such as what Ms. Logan endured. Who knows if her nationality or even her gender or Western attire had anything to do with it? Likely she just got into the wrong place at the wrong time, they saw an opportunity to harm their “enemies” and they jumped at it. It could have been any other group or individual in her place, but sadly she was there.

Not saying that female journalists shouldn’t have more protection around them, it would certainly be wise and unfortunately you cannot just trust everyone to do the “right thing”. That’s why I myself never leave the house without a protective object. Women can never be too careful out there…

Kate-GC’s point on sexism also was that it is not a criticism that you normally see of a male reporter who is killed or injured under similar circumstances even if the male reporter also has small children. I don’t know what your job is but going where a story is IS something that is required of someone who wants to be a journalist. Are you advocating that women be excluded from certain occupations or women journalists with children limited to writing for the society page as they once were? You speak of sharia but what you’re buying into is something far more pervasive and insidious and seen in quite a few war zones coming from purported Christians as well as Muslims: the use of rape and the threat of rape to intimidate women and keep them “in their place”

I choose to find encouragement that Logan’s rescuers included a group of women.

the US military has men and women who are overseas as this moment fight in a war…is it irresponsible of them to have to leave and fight a war? they fight because they believe that have too…she went over there because she has a duty as a reporter to report what goes on in the world..

Kate-The last time I checked, we have an all-volunteer military. True, once and individual, male or female, is in the military, that person is governed by the Uniform Code of Military Justice, but it has been many decades since anyone has been drafted. Any serviceman or woman is there by choice.

I have yet to see a male reporter, even one who has small children, who is injured or killed while reporting subject to the kind of crticism that you throw at Ms. Logan.

I do not approve of name calling no matter how much I disagree, but, with that caveat, I agree with Ms. Fowlkes to the extent that there is no such thing as absolute safety.

As for having someone else go in her place, as a childless woman, I hope you are not saying that I am expendable because I did not reproduce.

i don’t know him personally, i should take that out

I would not put myself in that kind of danger either…….BUT, I am also not an experienced reporter. Ms. Logan has been to many places where she put herself in jeopardy to report the news, and has also been involved in some terrifying incidents while doing so. She cannot be faulted for doing her job. But where was the security? When the news agencies realized that they were “fair game” for the revolutionaries, should they not have made sure Ms. Logan had extra protection? I think we put our best journalists in grave danger because the news needs to be reported, and these people, despite the danger, agree to go and do the job so we all know what is really happening. NO ONE deserves to be sexually assaulted for doing a job. Did the men who assaulted her attack because she was “just an object to take down in anger” or was it because she was a journalist, and American as well? We will never know. I just hope that Ms. Logan recovers mentally and emotionally, as well as physically.

I agree, she was very irresponsible. Let’s put it into context…It’s 2am on a Friday/Saturday night, do you walk down the dark alley by yourself? You know that the area is a dangerous one, where people have been shot, stabbed, robbed, and beaten before. So, do you take the chance?

Common sense tells you no, if you have common sense. This lady reporter knew of the dangers, knew a fellow colleague was beaten, knew people had been injured, and that it would be a highly volatile and dangerous place. Could she have reported the story without being in the middle of the mob? Yep, absolutely. Her decision to report from there was not an intelligent one, it was incredibly irresponsible. You definitely can’t send a pretty girl into a spot where even the camera guys are getting attacked. A move like that is just asking for trouble. I don’t like double standards, but women are more vulnerable in those situations. (Honestly, male reporters should have steered clear from there too)

A story simply isn’t worth that. It’s terrible what happened to her, but I honestly think it could easily have been prevented with common sense.

@Theresa Angelique Fowlkes … It’s a shame that a person voicing their opinion is called a bitch. Typing in all caps is considered SHOUTING.
I’ve always loved this site because it usually offers INTELLIGENT and differing opinions. To see a poster being called names because of this says more about the verbally abusive offender.
This being said, I hope GC will monitor their site a bit closer so that those that comment aren’t harrassed and demeaned by those that can’t handle a opinion that differs from their own.