JEDDAH, 24 February 2007 — She felt dizzy and placed her hand to her temple before collapsing this past week during a live television interview with British Ambassador to Saudi Arabia Sir Sherard Cowper-Coles. The well-known Saudi broadcaster Reema Al-Shamekh is still in critical condition at Riyadh’s King Fahd Medical City.
About 10 minutes into the interview on her program “The Press” on Al-Ekhbariya, Al-Shamekh appeared to be dizzy before collapsing on the set of the show. Moments later the feed to the program was cut. “She looked tired and seemed to lose concentration gradually,” said one of the viewers on a local news program after the incident.
Initial speculation was that the journalist, who is in her 30s and is known to work long hours six days a week to produce her program, collapsed from over-exertion. But her family later revealed that she had suffered a stroke.
Al-Shamekh’s program, which is known to address social issues of popular concern, recently completed its 100th episode.
“I watch her show almost every day, because not only does she choose interesting topics but she also knows how to present them on live television,” said Saudi business executive Ahmad Al-Ghamdi. “She seems very genuine and I think that’s why her show is quite popular.”
Al-Shamekh started her media career as a reporter at Al-Eqtisadiah daily newspaper before moving to Al-Ekhbariya three years ago. The state-owned network has in recent years been developing a reputation of loosening editorial policies and subsequently garnering a larger viewing audience among Saudis that also watch Al Jazeera and Al-Arabiya.
The journalist is most known for her coverage of the terrorist attacks in Riyadh in 2003 and later in Alkhobar. She has often expressed her preference for fieldwork, rather than studio productions.
Al-Shamekh is mother of an 8-year-old boy and a 4-year-old girl. She is the wife of famous media personality and Al-Ekhbariya General Manager Mohammed Al-Tunisi.
