A return date is still uncertain for CBS' "60 Minutes" correspondent
Lara Logan — who took a leave of absence in October after her faulty report on the 2012 Benghazi attack
— but a successor may already be waiting in the wings, a
New York magazine profile says.
According to the magazine, a producer of the CBS News program contends that executive producer Jeff Fager is "very high" on Clarissa Ward, 34, described as "attractive, blond, fluent in three foreign languages."
Negotiations with Logan are described as "precarious," the magazine reports.
Logan took leave Oct. 27 after her story reported that security contractor Dylan Davies was at the U.S. compound when the attacks occurred on Sept. 11, 2012. Davis wasn't there. The story was retracted, and Logan apologized.
The critical profile reveals there were several instances when Logan defied orders from her superiors that potentially put her in harm's way, including 11 years ago, when CBS purportedly prohibited her from covering the invasion of Iraq, though she went anyway.
She also "often flouted traditional Islamic dress codes," wearing blue jeans and a white T-shirt at an Afghan election rally at which she drew jeers and had to "battle" her way to safety with her crew, the magazine reported.
The report quoted an unnamed CBS executive who said a cameramen in London refused to work with her because he feared she was "going to get somebody killed."
The report also said that top CBS executive Les Moonves once "loved her," though an ex-CBS producer groused that "she was very fond of saying, 'I could end your career with a phone call.'" Moonves has since "soured" on her, the magazine reports.
The profile also made much of Logan's good looks, noting that even Gen. David Petraeus purportedly had her picture in his office.
"Men play on the military thing, they play on the macho thing, they play on the brotherhood thing," she once said, the magazine reported. "No one accuses them of using gender to their advantage. The fact is that sometimes being a woman can open doors for you, but more often than not it makes things more difficult."
The magazine report also revealed that after the faulty Benghazi report aired, veteran CBS newsman Morley Safer demanded she be fired. But Fager, who blamed himself for not catching the error, refused.
© 2025 Newsmax. All rights reserved.