A tenured war correspondent is coming to UT to share her experiences and perspectives on China’s one-child policy.
In her speech “China’s Lost Girls,” Lisa Ling will discuss how the policy has caused a gender imbalance in China, and how this may affect China’s growing economy, according to the Central Programming Council Issues Committee’s 2008-2009 speaker brochure.
The U.S. Department of State Web site details unsuccessful U.S. attempts to end China’s one-child policy. As of 2004, married couples in some Chinese provinces were still required to seek government permission prior to pregnancy. China has made progress, but coercive measures have yet to be removed, according to Arthur E. Dewey, assistant secretary for population, refugees and migration.
“The Chinese government, in our view, may be beginning to understand that its coercive birth -planning regime has had extremely negative social, economic and human rights consequences for the nation,” Dewey said in testimony before the House International Relations Committee.
Ling will offer a more personal perspective on “China’s Lost Girls.” She has covered China for more than a decade while reporting for several television programs.
Ling is currently a regular correspondent for the “Oprah Winfrey Show” and National Geographic’s “Explorer” and was formerly a co-host of ABC’s “The View,” according to her official Web site.
Students may recognize Ling from her days as a war correspondent on Channel One News, a network specifically viewed in middle and high schools.
The Central Programming Council Issues Committee is the primary sponsor of the Ling event. The event is also co-sponsored by the Asian American Association and WUOT 91.9 FM.
The Issues Committee selects its speakers through a series of presentations and rounds of voting. During last semester’s Issues Committee retreat, current Issues Committee Chair Meredith Myers suggested sponsoring Ling as a keynote speaker for this semester. Myers, senior in legal studies, had pitched the idea of Ling’s appearance several times in prior semesters, so she was excited when Ling was approved as the fall semester’s keynote speaker. Myers shared why she presented Ling to the committee.
“I feel like Lisa Ling has considerable name recognition among students, but that she is much more than just a ‘name,’” Myers said. “Her journalism experience and in-depth interviewing style allow her to shed light onto both domestic and international issues that often don’t get as much mainstream media coverage.”
While the Asian American Association is a co-sponsor of Ling’s appearance, Christie Sithiphone, president of the Asian American Association and senior in public relations, thinks Ling will draw a diverse audience.
“Most people remember (Ling) from ‘The View,’ and that show draws a diverse group of people,” Sithiphone said. “I think that since she is Chinese and is discussing an issue pertinent to China, then there will be a lot of Chinese students. However, I do think there will be a lot of Asian students in general.”
Myers said she thinks that Ling will attract a large audience, who she hopes will learn from the issues Ling will be discussing.
“I hope that people will leave with a greater understanding of the social, political, economic and human rights effects that China’s one-child policy is having and will continue to have within China and throughout the rest of the world,” Myers said.
Sithiphone echoed Myers’ sentiments.
“I hope that people will become more aware and informed … It’s important that we know what’s going on since we are such a global society,” Sithiphone said. “I’m excited to see Lisa Ling and hear what she has to say. I hope that students of all backgrounds will come out to hear a great lecture.”
Lisa Ling’s presentation, “China’s Lost Girls,” is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. on Monday, Sept. 29 in the James R. Cox Auditorium of the Alumni Memorial Building.
