Although she burst into national consciousness in the “Big Brother” house, Maggie Tabibi, the news anchor of Channel 14, is no longer branded as just another “reality TV refugee”. Since leaving the Big Brother house, she has managed to climb to the top of prime time, and as the second most-watched news anchor in Israel, after surpassing that of the Public Broadcasting Corporation and Channel 13 (alongside Sharon Gal, who has since left), she is responsible for one of the most important broadcasting slots on television. Last year she hosted the state memorial ceremony on Mount Herzl and the rally marking 56 years of the unification of Jerusalem, and this year she was chosen to host the torch-lighting ceremony on Israel’s 76th Independence Day, alongside Channel 12 news reporter Tamir Steinman.
“Leaving the Big Brother house felt like a crash. I went through difficult months, but the dismissal of me spurred me on”, she says. Alongside developing her professional and media career, she completed a law degree with honors. “The path wasn’t easy and was accompanied by many challenges. Quite a few closed the door in my face, and when they closed – I always looked for the window.”
“Background noise”
The news field always fascinated her and she developed an aspiration “to become an investigative journalist and news anchor. I invested days and nights in learning and researching and creating interesting content”, Tabibi recalls. “The channel managers believed in me and later allowed me to present central current affairs programs. On November 2021 I was chosen to present the central news edition. Today we are the second most-watched news edition in Israel”.
But even with professional success, the criticism didn’t stop – on the contrary. She prefers to put aside the criticism she receives for her work as an anchor on a channel marked by competitors and critics as a “propaganda channel” and as a “mouthpiece for the Prime Minister”. “Criticism is a legitimate matter, but when it comes from a non-substantive place and is predetermined, it’s already politics that doesn’t know how to accept those who think differently from you”, Tabibi believes. Even after her face was displayed on billboards comparing her to North Korea’s news anchor, she refused to be moved: “It’s disappointing, but I’ve learned to ignore background noise and stick to my personal and professional truth.”
It’s hard to argue with the numbers. When Tabibi was appointed to the position at the end of 2021, the central news edition was trailing at the bottom of the table. Two years later, viewership numbers have jumped by hundreds of percent, and the edition she presents has left behind that of Kan 11 and News 13.
“I’ve always dreamed of influencing, being part of the leaders of change in Israeli society”, she says about her aspirations for the future. “I believe that on this platform I have the ability to influence, represent and be a voice for many other women”.
