Pressure of Truth
Exposing the spin on all sides of the news.
Outlet profile

Middle East Eye

Pan-Arab/Islamist-sympathetic, anti-Israel-government; widely alleged Qatar-aligned

Owned byFormally owned by M.E.E. Limited, a London-registered company. Corporate records list Jamal Bessasso, a Dutch national of Palestinian origin and former Al Jazeera and Al-Quds TV figure, as director and majority shareholder (reportedly over 75%). Editor-in-chief David Hearst is a former Guardian foreign leader writer.
FundingNot publicly disclosed. The outlet says it takes no money from Qatar or any other state or group. Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Egypt and Bahrain have alleged covert Qatari government funding, and many observers believe it. Neither claim has been publicly proven. Revenue from ads or donations is not clearly documented.
On the administrationbroadly critical

Background

Middle East Eye launched in 2014 in London, with David Hearst, a former Guardian foreign editor, as editor-in-chief. It publishes news, analysis and opinion on the Middle East and North Africa, with a sizeable audience on social media. Its ownership structure is formally a private company, M.E.E. Limited, and corporate records show Jamal Bessasso as the main shareholder and director. Bessasso has past links to Al Jazeera and the Hamas-run Al-Quds TV, which critics such as HonestReporting cite as evidence of ties to Qatar and Hamas. In the 2017 Gulf crisis, Saudi Arabia and its allies demanded the closure of MEE among Qatar-linked outlets, and alleged Qatar funds it; MEE and Hearst called this an attack on free thought and deny any state funding. It is known for original reporting and sources in the region, along with commentary hostile to the Saudi, Emirati and Egyptian governments and to Israel's government, and favorable to Turkey, Qatar and political Islam. Media-bias raters and critics describe it as having a strong editorial slant. Its recent coverage of the Trump administration, including the Iran war, Gaza and Israel policy, has been largely critical. This profile is based on general searches. I did not review MEE's recent articles directly, so the stance assessment reflects its overall editorial orientation rather than a systematic review of its coverage.

Sources

  1. Middle East Eye - Wikipedia
  2. Middle East Eye - Media Bias/Fact Check
  3. 'An attack on free thought': Middle East Eye responds to Saudi demands
  4. Behind Middle East Eye's Viral Reach: Alleged Ties to Hamas and Qatar (HonestReporting)
  5. Middle East Eye - The Stewardship Report

Profile compiled 2026-10-18; refreshed when ownership, funding, or the administration changes.

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