American journalist, author, producer, and television personality Lisa Ling is set to speak at the 2025 Newsmakers: Lesher Speaker Series on July 10 at the Lesher Center for the Arts in Walnut Creek.
Ling’s early start to an extensive and long-lasting career – and her strong connections with other well-known figures such as CNN’s Anderson Cooper and Oprah Winfrey – have established her as a compelling and trusted voice. And her reputation as a role model for female and Asian American journalists adds to her following.
Ling’s appearance follows humorist Dave Barry, who spoke on May 13, and precedes security consultant Frank Abagnale, who will speak Sept. 30. The Lesher Foundation series features renowned experts, political leaders, and other public figures, offering conversations on a wide range of often controversial topics.
At the same time, the Lesher series helps local nonprofits raise awareness and connect with the community. The group associated with Ling’s event is Civicorps, which provides training and education for young adults to earn diplomas, attend college, acquire job skills, and set up a good foundation for a successful career.
Ling’s career began when she was a teenager. She attended Del Campo High School in Fair Oaks, California, and at just 16 years of age became a co-host of “Scratch,” a teen news program in Sacramento. She attended the University of Southern California, but left before graduating and joined Channel One News. She reported internationally, including covering the 1994 civil war in Afghanistan.
“She’s always been somebody who has tried to bring different voices into the coverage,” said Jana Katsuyama, a KTVU reporter and anchor and president of the San Francisco Bay Area chapter of the Asian American Journalist Association (AAJA).
Ling’s work at Channel One News also sprouted her friendship and association with Cooper. They have known each other for almost 30 years, having started their careers together as Channel One News correspondents covering global news. Since then they have maintained their professional relationship as well as their friendship; she even announced her pregnancy on his show “Anderson Live” in 2012.
Ling was also a co-host of “The View” starting in 1999 but left a few years later to report internationally again. Soon after, Ling became the host of “National Geographic Explorer,” where she was able to report and expose complex and overlooked issues in places like Columbia and North Korea. She became a special correspondent for “The Oprah Winfrey Show,” which supported her ongoing international work and helped her uncover significant and often disturbing topics, such as child trafficking in Ghana and bride burning in India.
“I think that she has a certain fearlessness about going into new spaces and trying new things, but not always taking what might be called the safe path,” Katsuyama said.
Arguably one of Ling’s most important roles is her feminist work advocating for gender equality and emphasizing the major issues that affect women daily and worldwide. In addition to her global reporting, Ling is the co-author of a book titled “Mother, Daughter, Sister, Bride: Rituals of Womanhood.” She and her co-author, Joanne B. Eicher, share stories about womanhood in communities around the world, further creating awareness.
Ling’s television presence carried on with her show “Our America with Lisa Ling” in 2011, which won an Emmy award in 2014. She gave in-depth reporting on topics including missing children, modern polygamy, and LGBTQ controversies during the show.
Her 2014 CNN documentary series called “This is Life with Lisa Ling” was similar in impact. Even just a snippet of an episode reveals her genuine desire to understand the experiences of others.
“I was always impressed with her earnestness. She seems like somebody who is really committed to trying to not only do good journalism, but help support people who are coming up through the pipeline,” Katsuyama said.
“The Asian American Journalist Association was founded more than 40 years ago as a way of increasing the representation of Asian Americans in journalism to help bring more Asian American voices into the coverage of news in the United States,” Katsuyama said. “And Lisa Ling is somebody who has spoken at our conventions” to support that goal.
According to AAJA, based in Washington, D.C., Asian journalists are underrepresented in U.S. media. While Asians represent about 6% of the U.S. population, they make up less than 3% of the broadcast media workforce. Asian men represent less than 1%, AAJA reports.
Newsmakers: Lesher Speakers Series will take place in the Hofmann Theatre at the Lesher Center for the Arts at 7:30 p.m. on July 10. Tickets are on sale on the Lesher Center’s website.
Caroline Donahoe is a 12th grader at Northgate High School in Walnut Creek. This story was made possible by support from the Lesher Foundation, its Newsmakers speaker series, and the Bay City News Foundation. Stories are produced independently by the CCYJ news team.
