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Outlet profile

The National

Emirati (Abu Dhabi) state-aligned

Owned byInternational Media Investments (IMI), a company owned by Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan. He is a UAE vice president and deputy prime minister, and the brother of UAE President Mohamed bin Zayed. IMI bought the paper from the government-owned Abu Dhabi Media in 2017.
FundingMainly its owner's backing, plus advertising and some digital and subscription revenue. It does not publish detailed financials, and a paywall is not its main source of income.
On the administrationmostly neutral

Background

The National launched on April 17, 2008, as part of Abu Dhabi Media, which was owned by the Abu Dhabi government. It was meant as a more professional, international English-language paper for the Gulf, and it hired many editors and reporters from Western and regional outlets. In 2016-2017 the government sold it to International Media Investments, owned by Sheikh Mansour, and it went through layoffs after the sale. It has since cut more jobs, including a restructuring reported in January 2025, and it is now mostly digital. Mina Al-Oraibi is the editor-in-chief. It has produced sizable reporting on the Middle East, business and culture, and it publishes opinion pieces by senior UAE officials. Critics say it toes the government line and self-censors on topics the UAE leadership considers sensitive, such as the ruling family, domestic dissent and some foreign-policy matters. Its perspective is that of an establishment, pro-stability Gulf outlet. Because the UAE has close ties to the second Trump administration, the paper's reporting on U.S. policy tends to be measured and focused on the Gulf, with limited sharp criticism.

Sources

  1. The National (Abu Dhabi) - Wikipedia
  2. About Us - The National
  3. Man City owner buys The National newspaper - Arab News
  4. Abu Dhabi's The National newspaper cuts jobs in restructuring - Semafor
  5. 'The National' Newspaper of Abu Dhabi Sees Layoffs after Sale - VOA

Profile compiled 2026-10-12; refreshed when ownership, funding, or the administration changes.

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