What Happened to Political Reporter Lisa Desjardins' Eye?
Lisa Desjardins, a political reporter for PBS NewsHour, reported on the infrastructure bill developments while wearing an eye patch.
Oct. 1 2021, Published 12:48 p.m. ET
Lisa Desjardins, a journalist reporting on PBS NewsHour, caused some concern among viewers during an evening broadcast on Sept. 30. The 49-year-old was sporting an eye patch during a program investigating U.S. Senators regarding the infrastructure bill.
Although Desjardins had given advance notice to her Twitter followers that she would be wearing the eye patch during the segment on Sept. 30, not everyone who tunes in to PBS NewsHour got the memo.
Why is Lisa Desjardins wearing an eye patch?
During the program, Desjardins approached her eye patch with humor. After colleague Judy Woodroff commented on the patch, Desjardins said she was fine and quipped, “No one in Congress is responsible for this.”
Desjardins explained on the show that she injured her eye due to clumsiness. She was apparently distracted and accidentally pulled a car door into her face, causing the injury necessitating the eye patch.
What followers thought of Desjardins’ eye patch
On Twitter, responses to Desjardins’ eye patch were positive, with many chiming in comments like “Now I HAVE to watch!” and “You had me at ‘eyepatch’.” Several followers made pirate-related remarks as well.
One fan compared Desjardins to the late journalist Marie Colvin. Colvin, who died in 2012, had lost an eye after injuries sustained from a grenade explosion while covering the Sri Lankan civil war.
Desjardins’ patch was blue with white stars, which seemed appropriate for the political conversation of the hour.
Will Lisa Desjardins need eye surgery?
Fans might be concerned or curious about how much treatment Desjardins will require for her injured eye. Some people have wondered whether she will need to have eye surgery.
Desjardins noted during the broadcast on Sept. 30 that she's going to be fine and made no mention of any upcoming surgery planned for her eye. She said, “it’s just a reminder maybe we all need to slow down.” She didn’t discuss how long she expected to wear the protective eye patch, but seemed confident her eye would heal well.
Lisa Desjardins’ career
Desjardins has been involved in the world of journalism for over 30 years. She graduated from the Medill School of Journalism in Evanston, Ill. She has freelanced for The Sun News and Reuters, among other organizations. She reported for the Washington, D.C. bureau of the Associated Press as well as CNN.
Desjardins is the co-author of a book, Zombie Economics: A Guide to Personal Finance, published in 2011. Since 2014, Desjardins has been a reporter at PBS NewsHour, covering political issues and news.
Desjardins was reporting live on the scene at the Capitol on January 6, 2021. She used a backup work phone to conduct a Skype call with colleague Woodruff during the incident. She was assaulted by one of the people entering the Capitol and continued to report on the delayed election certification process well into the night.
The broadcast on Sept. 30 featured Desjardins doing a “deep dive” on Senator Joe Manchin, a Democrat from West Virginia, and Democrat Krysten Sinema of Arizona. Desjardins was on location in Manchin’s hometown, while Stephanie Sy reported on Sinema.