For her first project for CBS News, Lisa Ling found herself enmeshed in controversy — not one of her own making.
The veteran journalist, who joined CBS News from CNN in May as a contributor, decided to audit an Advanced Placement class on African-American studies, the same kind that has been banned from Florida’s schools. In January, Florida’s Department of Education banned the pilot Advanced Placement class, citing a lack of “educational value” and suggesting it violated Florida law. The decision has sparked pushback at a time when there have been more calls to expose students to multiple views of historical events
“The class that I experienced was very, very different from anything that I ever experienced when I was in school,” says Ling in a recent interview that was conducted before the recent violence in Israel. “This is a class that was far more nuanced, delves into things that my history textbook certainly did not include.”
Her reporting is expected to run Tuesday on both “CBS Mornings” and “CBS Evening News.”
Ling has gained notice over the course of her career for immersing herself in different cultures, whether they be in the U.S, or overseason. During stints at CNN and OWN, she explored everything from faith healers to polygamy to gay rodeo workers.
She is one of a handful of prominent journalists who have joined CBS News in recent months, injecting a new generation of talent into a unit that has long had a reputation for being insular. In addition to Ling, CBS News has hired Natalie Morales, Robert Costa, Scott MacFarlane, Cecilia Vega and Nate Burleson.
She says she is currently at work on a multi-part series for CBS news “that explores the increased rates of anxiety and depression in this country, and people who are seeking out non-pharmaceutical alternatives.” She has not set quota of reports to produce for the Paramount Global news division but notes that CBS News “has been hugely recepitve to a lot of good ideas,”and says she “would like to work for whatever show wants to air these pieces.”
For her first piece, Ling audited a class for a day in Los Angeles’ Susan Miller Dorsey Senior High.
Students “were so engrossed and so absorbed in the class work,” says Ling. “I could not help but wonder if my generation had an opportunity to be exposed to such diverse history whether we might not be in the fractured state we are today.”
