Lisa Ling: For the most part, because I’m foreign, I’ve been treated pretty respectfully. [These societies] allow me to get away with a lot more than they probably would allow their own women. But, very often, in other parts of the world, men will not look at me. They will talk to the male members of our team when I’m the one orchestrating the whole process.

SM: How do you deal with that?

Lisa Ling: I raise my voice even more. Every little thing sends a message.

SM: And that manages to work?

Lisa Ling: Not always, but it makes me feel better [laughs].

SM: What was the scariest moment in your travels?

Lisa Ling: Probably when a 10-year-old boy held an anti-tank missile up at me [laughs].

SM: Oh no! Where was that?

Lisa Ling: That was in Afghanistan in 1994.

SM: What did you do?

Lisa Ling: I screamed and shrieked. It happened so fast that I can barely even remember how I was feeling when it happened. That was one of the more disconcerting moments.