Outlet profile

Alhurra

U.S. government-funded (Arabic-language international broadcaster)

Owned byOperated by Middle East Broadcasting Networks, Inc. (MBN), a private non-profit grantee based in Springfield, Virginia. MBN is funded through and overseen by the U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM), a federal agency.

FundingAlmost entirely U.S. taxpayer money appropriated by Congress and distributed as grants through USAGM. The Trump administration stopped the grant payments in March 2025, and the outlet has been mostly dormant since, pending litigation.

On the administrationmostly neutral

Background

Alhurra ("The Free One") launched in 2004, after the Iraq invasion, as a U.S.-funded Arabic satellite TV channel meant to offer an alternative to regional outlets such as Al Jazeera. It is run by MBN, which also operates Radio Sawa and Arabic-language digital sites, and which says it reaches tens of millions of people each week in 22 countries. Congress funds it through USAGM, so its editorial independence rests on legal firewalls rather than on private ownership. Over the years it drew criticism from some U.S. lawmakers and outside reviewers over editorial lapses, such as airing content seen as favorable to extremist groups or to Iran-aligned figures, and over its cost and audience size. In March 2025, the Trump administration stopped USAGM grant transfers. Alhurra ended its TV broadcasts in April 2025 and laid off most of its staff, reportedly about 90 percent. MBN's operations are described as largely dormant while court cases over the cuts continue. A March 2026 court ruling found that Kari Lake had acted unlawfully as USAGM's acting head, which leaves the agency's authority over these outlets in legal dispute. Historically its coverage reflected U.S. foreign-policy priorities and standard news-agency practices, rather than a partisan line.

Sources

Profile compiled 2026-10-24; refreshed when ownership, funding, or the administration changes.

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