Kim Gamel, Veteran AP Correspondent, Dies at 57

Kim Gamel, a former Associated Press correspondent noted for Middle-East conflict coverage, died on Wednesday in Idaho at age 57 after a prolonged battle with lymphoma, according to her brother-in-law Lee Ruff.

The Independent

Gamel earned a Russian degree from Bates College and a master’s from Northwestern’s Medill School of Journalism. She began at the Moscow Tribune before joining the AP, where she spent roughly twenty years as Nordic and Baltic news editor, International Desk editor, and news editor for Iraq and Egypt. Her reporting spanned Afghanistan, Libya, Iraq and Egypt, and she helped direct coverage of the 2011 Arab Spring and early Syrian civil war. After a 2014 Knight-Wallace fellowship at the University of Michigan, she worked for Stars and Stripes covering Asian affairs from Seoul and later from Hawaii.

The Independent

A 2006 Baghdad car bomb left Shams Karim blinded and disfigured, killing her mother. Gamel pursued the case, publishing a March 2009 dispatch that highlighted widespread offers of assistance. The story prompted donations and medical-care offers for the victim.

The Independent

Colleagues credit Gamel with foregrounding human experiences in war reporting, influencing humanitarian aid and mentoring junior journalists. Her focus on personal narratives, exemplified by the Shams Karim coverage, translated reporting into tangible assistance.

The Independent

Robert H. Reid, former AP Middle East regional editor, described Gamel as an energetic, careful reporter who built extensive contacts and mentored younger staff. Paul Haven, AP’s vice president of Global Newsgathering, said her career “spanned the world, making her a witness to history,” and noted that her stories “made a difference in people’s lives.” Lee Ruff confirmed her death after a prolonged fight with lymphoma.

The Independent

• “Kim was an energetic reporter and careful editor who made contacts easily, from military members and diplomats to store clerks and day laborers,” — Robert H. Reid, former Middle East regional editor, AP

The Independent

• “Kim’s career took her all over the world, and made her witness to history,” — Paul Haven, vice president of Global Newsgathering, AP

The Independent

• “Shams was luckier than many Iraqi victims of violence because so many people came forward with offers of help,” — Kim Gamel, dispatch, March 2009

The Independent

• “Whatever good things happen to Shams in the future are due to Kim Gamel and her big heart,” — Robert H. Reid

The Independent

Gamel is survived by her mother Bobbie Gamel, sister Seana Ruff, brother-in-law Lee Ruff, a nephew and a niece. Her legacy endures through the journalists she mentored and the humanitarian outcomes of her reporting.

The Independent