The audience leaped to their feet. Thunderous applause rippled across Mississippi State University’s Bettersworth Auditorium. On stage, renowned journalist Lisa Ling beamed following her speech.
Ling had just finished a speech to the crowd of over 300 attendees who filled Lee Hall Monday to hear the journalist deliver her speech. The Global Lecture Series, which strives to attract cultural and civic leaders to speak on their experiences to the Mississippi State and Starkville communities, hosted and made Ling’s visit to MSU possible.
Ling is known for her contributions to CNN and the Oprah Winfrey Network. She now hosts and produces “This is Life” on CNN. Previously, Ling worked with the Oprah Winfrey Network on her show “Our America,” and as a co-host on ABC’s “The View.”
Reilly Reeves, a junior biomedical engineering major from Madison, was integral in bringing Ling to MSU.
“We’ve centered on diversity on our committee and within the Mississippi State Student Association,” Reeves said. ”Our team settled on Lisa Ling because she brought in a minority group that had not been featured on campus.”
Katelyn Jackson, a second-year biology major from Starkville, said Ling had a large impact on the audience.
“The community benefited by receiving first-hand information from Lisa Ling regarding enriching yourself through travel and exposure to other areas of the world that are outside your comfort zone,” Jackson said.
Ling was intentional throughout her speech, covering her journalism career. She introduced her roughly hour-long speech by describing her beginnings in journalism as a student journalist for Channel One News, the popular student news broadcast.
Extensive travels across the globe characterized Ling’s journalism debut. She recounted taking a risky trip as a Channel One reporter to civil war-torn Afghanistan. What Ling saw in Afghanistan resonated strongly with her. Her voice steady, Ling painted an image of child soldiers, so young they did not know their own age but were all too familiar with the weapons they were given to use.
The imagery Ling used throughout her speech was sometimes chilling, sometimes endearing, other times anger-inducing. Throughout her speech, Ling continuously mentioned the difficulty in shedding her ‘American glasses.’
“I love what I do so much because I go into every story I report on with an idea or preconceived ideas,” Ling said. “What I always realize is that as soon as I hit the ground, no story is black and white, there are so many shades of grey.”
This ability to move beyond her own understanding is what Ling believes aids her in reporting on captivating stories.
In 2007, Ling traveled with a medical convoy to The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK). Ling had to pretend she was a medical doctor with the convoy. 
Ling recounted several stories about her time in the DPRK. Her time in the country allowed her to observe several strange aspects of the mysterious country. Ling detailed how there are no advertisements in the country, every single citizen must work in the rice fields during rice season and how outside information is highly regulated and closely monitored.
Ling’s speech was certainly peppered with lighthearted tales and humor. She cracked a smile as she informed the audience about the time she raced three local women throughout the community during her visit to the DPRK. An avid runner, Ling did not expect to end up jogging throughout the community against three women she knew little about.
As the lighthearted race winded down and the girls doubled over in giggles, Ling describes how “at the end of the day, we were just a couple of girls having a laugh, irrespective of coming from two countries that have such a contentious relationship,” she said.
That observation during her stay in the DPRK allowed Ling to add a humanitarian dynamic to her journalism which respected regional differences throughout the globe and celebrated cultural diversity.
It was this understanding which guided Ling in her approach to reporting in Iran. She narrated an experience she had while visiting the obscure theocracy. Her convoy was traveling near a local park when Ling spotted Iranian teenagers, dressed in blue jeans and listening to Western music. This strange sight intrigued her. Shouting for her driver to stop, Ling leaped out of the vehicle.
Upon noticing Ling, the teenagers crowded around her, bombarding her with questions on Western culture. Surprised, Ling realized these young people were not much different from her. They were working to reform a country mired in oppressive practices and decades of unstable political activity. She walked away from this interaction with a better understanding of the necessity for cultural tolerance.
She divulged several ongoing human crises she remains committed to covering. Her mission is to disseminate information to promote discussion surrounding these issues.
Ling first cited her knowledge and passion for correctional reform. The U.S. is home to an astonishing one-third of the entire world’s prison population. This realization has led Ling to better understand how the U.S. can reduce its prison population and subsequent recidivism rates. Recounting her mantra of adhering to an open mind, Ling revealed how several prison systems operate throughout the world.
Ling made frequent pauses, allowing the audience to gather its thoughts and consider her speech. As she wrapped up her speech, she introduced one last consideration. She has long been an advocate for a global reduction in human sex trafficking, Ling delivered a rousing commentary on the solutions we can consider in helping to eliminate this societal illness.
Despite describing several situations and stories which might cause despair, Ling remained hopeful journalism is the vehicle for effecting meaningful change.
Ling finished her speech and relayed to her audience why they should remain optimistic, “whenever exploring a devastating subject matter, I always strive to see the light,” she said.