Laura Ling, American journalist and author
Laura Ling (born December 1, 1976) is an American journalist and writer. She worked for Current TV, which until 2013 was owned by former U.S. Vice President Al Gore, as a correspondent and vice president of its Vanguard Journalism Unit, which produced the Vanguard TV series. She was the host and reporter on E! Investigates, a documentary series on the E! Network. In November 2014, it was announced that Ling joined Discovery Digital Networks as its Director of Development.Ling is the sister of Lisa Ling, who is a special correspondent for The Oprah Winfrey Show, National Geographic Explorer, and CNN. In 2009, Laura Ling and fellow journalist Euna Lee were detained in North Korea after they started filming refugees from North Korea who had crossed the river and entered China; many of these refugees were women, and once across the border, they were often sold as brides. Laura Ling says the North Korean guards dragged her across the border. Once in North Korea they were tried and convicted, then subsequently pardoned after former U.S. President Bill Clinton flew to North Korea to meet with Kim Jong-il.