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Outlet profile

The National (Abu Dhabi)

UAE state-aligned

Owned byInternational Media Investments (IMI), a subsidiary of Abu Dhabi Media Investment Corporation (ADMIC), controlled by Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, UAE Vice President and half-brother of UAE President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan
FundingPrivately funded through ADMIC, a holding company owned by a senior member of Abu Dhabi's ruling Al Nahyan family; revenue also comes from advertising and digital subscriptions
On the administrationmostly neutral to broadly supportive

Background

The National launched on April 17, 2008, as an English-language broadsheet founded by Abu Dhabi Media, a government-owned company. Its early years were marked by an ambitious international news operation and a relatively liberal editorial voice by Gulf standards, attracting experienced Western journalists. In 2016, it was sold to International Media Investments (IMI), a subsidiary of Abu Dhabi Media Investment Corporation (ADMIC), which is controlled by Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, UAE Vice President and a member of the Abu Dhabi ruling family. The paper was relaunched with new headquarters and a London bureau in July 2017. Media critics and outlets including the Financial Times have described it as reflecting 'Abu Dhabi's worldview,' and it self-censors on topics the UAE government considers sensitive — for example, it largely ignored the high-profile divorce proceedings of Dubai's Princess Haya. Media Bias/Fact Check rates it as right-center in orientation and flags it as a questionable source due to promotion of state-aligned narratives, heavy reliance on the UAE's official Emirates News Agency (WAM), and lack of editorial transparency. In January 2025, IMI laid off roughly 28 journalists in a restructuring that cut its multimedia, digital, and foreign desks. Given the UAE's deepening commercial partnership with the Trump administration — cemented by a May 2025 presidential visit that produced over $200 billion in bilateral deals — The National's coverage of the second Trump term has been broadly favorable, consistent with Abu Dhabi's diplomatic and economic interests.

Sources

  1. The National (Abu Dhabi) — Wikipedia
  2. The National (UAE) — Bias and Credibility, Media Bias/Fact Check
  3. Abu Dhabi's The National newspaper cuts jobs in restructuring — Semafor
  4. Editor of The National: 'Disservice' to say we are UAE mouthpiece — Press Gazette
  5. Fact Sheet: Trump Secures $200 Billion in New U.S.-UAE Deals — White House
  6. 'The National' Newspaper of Abu Dhabi Sees Layoffs after Sale — VOA News

Profile compiled 2026-07-18; refreshed when ownership, funding, or the administration changes.

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