Well-known Saudi journalist passes away

Hassan Al-Harthy

JEDDAH: Hassan Al-Harthy, a Saudi journalist and scriptwriter, died just before iftar on Monday. He was 46.
He is survived by two wives Nourah Al-Harthy and Nahid Bashatah in addition to sons and daughters Yazid, Fay, Fawaz, Yara and Qais.
A professional journalist, Al-Harthy made an impressive name for himself because of his stories and features in the Kingdom’s Arabic media. He earned a bachelor’s degree in English from Umm Al-Qura University and began his career as an English teacher in Taif. From there, he reported for Al-Jazirah, and later was correspondent for Al-Eqtisadiah and Al-Hayat.
Al-Harthy went on to become the managing editor of Al-Hayat and later at Okaz. More recently, he moved to new media and was the founder of Anha online newspaper.
He received a scholarship to study abroad under the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Program and he earned a master’s degree in film and drama writing from the United Kingdom. He wrote several serials and had been a writer for Al-Watan since 2012.
Hisham Kaki, board member at the Makkah Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said that the news of Al-Harthy’s death came as a shock to those working in the media. Kaki described Al-Harthy as a “dear friend.” His close US-based journalist friend, Hadi Al-Fakeeh, was equally shocked.
Al-Harthy was a star on the Haj media team and often regaled his friends and colleagues with his stories. He was sharp and often ahead of his contemporaries in terms of reporting and discovering human interest stories.