Lisa Ling: Investigative Journalist

Journalist and keynote speaker Lisa Ling delivers powerful insight into global and domestic social issues through fearless storytelling, investigative reporting, and decades of frontline media experience.

Lisa Ling: Investigative Journalist

Quick Facts:

    • Executive producer and host of CNN’s This Is Life with Lisa Ling
    • Former host and executive producer of Our America on OWN
    • Veteran investigative journalist reporting from dozens of countries
    • Covered addiction, extremism, trafficking, war, and human rights

Formats:

  • Journalist keynote speaker, moderator, investigative media host

Audiences:

  • Organizations, conferences, universities, and leaders seeking insight on media, social issues, global affairs, and ethical storytelling

Outcomes:

    1. Deeper understanding of complex social and cultural issues
    2. Insight into investigative journalism and responsible storytelling
    3. Perspective on empathy, leadership, and creating informed dialogue
6 min read
Reviews: (0 reviews)
  • Travels from: Los Angeles, CA
  • **US Fee range: $50,001 - $75,000

Talent Services

Keynote Topics:

Lisa recounts stories that profoundly changed her life and talks about how travel and going beyond one’s comfort zone is wholly transformative, making one smarter, more well rounded and more marketable.

In today’s culture of sound bite news, many important issues get overlooked, if they get covered at all. Lisa Ling has dedicated herself to shedding light on stories impacting the world in which we live.

In her presentations, complete with a lively Q&A session, Lisa shares a collection of stories from her over 20 year career in media that have profoundly affected her outlook on life.

Her hope is that through her experiences people may be provoked to think about things differently and allow themselves to expand their horizons

Rituals of Womanhood

Co-authored by Lisa Ling and anthropologist Joanne B. Eicher, the National Geographic book Mother, Daughter, Sister, Bride is a compelling exploration of all things female.

Each chapter reveals the actions that connect a woman with herself, her family, her community, and other women.

Ling presents the images and stories behind the book in this fascinating look at the historical, cultural, and emotional impact of women’s rituals.

Talent Short Bio

Lisa Ling is an award-winning journalist, executive producer, and keynote speaker known for uncovering stories that are often overlooked, misunderstood, or intentionally ignored. She is the executive producer and host of This Is Life with Lisa Ling on CNN, where she examines complex social issues across America, from addiction and extremism to identity, faith, and inequality.

Before joining CNN, Lisa spent five seasons as executive producer and host of Our America on OWN, embedding herself in communities grappling with heroin addiction, poverty, underage sex trafficking, wrongful incarceration, and the long-term effects of war. Her reporting is immersive, empathetic, and grounded in trust built with people whose voices are rarely amplified.

Lisa’s career spans decades of frontline journalism. She has reported from dozens of countries for National Geographic Explorer, ABC News Nightline, and The Oprah Winfrey Show, covering global human rights issues including sexual violence in conflict zones, religious extremism, gang violence, and cultural oppression. She began her career at age 21 as a correspondent for Channel One News, covering the civil war in Afghanistan.

Lisa Ling is a journalist, documentary host, producer, and speaker whose reporting explores the lives and experiences behind complex social issues. Through decades of work in television and international reporting, she has brought audiences closer to communities and perspectives that receive limited public attention.

Lisa executive produced and hosted CNN’s This Is Life with Lisa Ling, examining subjects ranging from addiction and economic change to faith and community. Previously, she spent five seasons as executive producer and host of Our America with Lisa Ling on OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network. Her work on that series explored poverty, incarceration, veterans’ experiences, trafficking, and other issues affecting American life.

Her reporting career also includes serving as a field correspondent for The Oprah Winfrey Show and contributing to ABC News’ Nightline and National Geographic’s Explorer. Reporting from dozens of countries, Lisa has covered conflict, human rights, violence, and the experiences of people whose stories are frequently overlooked.

Lisa began her journalism career at Channel One News. At 21, she reported on the civil war in Afghanistan, gaining early experience covering difficult stories in demanding environments. She later became a co-host of ABC’s The View, bringing her journalistic perspective to a different kind of national conversation.

As a speaker, Lisa draws on these experiences to explore curiosity, empathy, cultural understanding, and the responsibility of storytelling. Her presentations invite audiences to look beyond assumptions, listen closely to unfamiliar perspectives, and consider the human experiences behind headlines.

She is the co-author of Mother, Daughter, Sister, Bride: Rituals of Womanhood. With her sister, journalist Laura Ling, she also wrote Somewhere Inside: One Sister’s Captivity in North Korea and the Other’s Fight to Bring Her Home, a personal account of Laura’s detention and the effort to secure her release.

Lisa brings depth and a global perspective to conferences, leadership gatherings, universities, and community events. Her work encourages audiences to approach difficult conversations with greater openness and recognize the connections between people whose lives may appear very different.

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