Pressure of Truth
The news, with the spin made visible.
Outlet profile

Arab News

Saudi state-aligned

Owned bySaudi Research and Media Group (SRMG), a publicly traded conglomerate listed on the Saudi Tadawul stock exchange with deep ties to the Saudi royal family and government
FundingCommercial revenue from advertising and subscriptions; parent company SRMG is publicly traded but structurally aligned with Saudi state interests
On the administrationbroadly supportive

Background

Arab News was founded on April 20, 1975, in Jeddah by brothers Hisham and Mohammed Ali Hafiz, making it Saudi Arabia's first English-language daily newspaper. The Hafiz family's publishing operations eventually became part of what is now the Saudi Research and Media Group (SRMG), a conglomerate whose roots trace back to a printing company established in 1963. SRMG was listed on the Saudi Tadawul stock exchange in April 2006 and rebranded from Saudi Research and Marketing Group to Saudi Research and Media Group in May 2021; it now owns more than 30 publications, including Asharq Al-Awsat. The outlet has maintained close alignment with the Saudi royal family throughout its history — Prince Turki bin Salman bin Abdulaziz, a son of King Salman, chaired SRMG's board from early 2013 to April 2014. Media watchdogs including Reporters Without Borders have described the Saudi media environment as one where outlets serve state interests, and analysts and fact-checkers have characterized Arab News as reliably reflecting official Saudi government narratives on sensitive topics. Most notably, Arab News' coverage of the 2018 killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi was favorable to Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, at odds with findings by Western intelligence agencies and the UN. In recent years the outlet has prominently promoted Saudi Vision 2030 economic reforms and the kingdom's international diplomatic engagements. With US-Saudi ties dramatically strengthened under the Trump second term — including an MBS White House visit in November 2025, a Strategic Defense Agreement, F-35 sale negotiations, and nearly $1 trillion in Saudi investment pledges — Arab News has covered the Trump administration in a positive light, describing Trump's return to office as 'a new era of hope.'

Sources

  1. Arab News – Wikipedia
  2. Saudi Research and Media Group – Wikipedia
  3. Arab News – Bias and Credibility (Media Bias/Fact Check)
  4. How Saudi Arabia manipulates foreign media outlets (RSF)
  5. A new era of hope: Trump's return and the promise of stability – Arab News
  6. Trump Visit 2025 – Arab News
  7. Fact Sheet: Trump Solidifies Economic and Defense Partnership with Saudi Arabia – White House

Profile compiled 2026-07-09; refreshed when ownership, funding, or the administration changes.

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