Government-owned Abu Dhabi paper promises independent reporting

The New York Times reported Tuesday on the publication of the first issue of The National, an Abu Dhabi-based newspaper billed as a government-owned, but independent, English-language daily with Western standards.

Hassan M. Fattah, the deputy editor of The National, said that the newspaper is not government-run and will set a new standard for other publications in the region to aspire to.

According to Lionel Barber, editor of The Financial Times, there is “a strong and growing demand for high-quality global independent news and analysis across the gulf region.”

The staff of The National includes individuals from newspapers such as The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times and the Telegraph of Britain. The paper has published articles criticizing some aspects of the region, along with controversial opinion pieces. The articles are apparently not censored, which is noteworthy considering that the press is often severely restricted in the Middle East.

For the full article, click here.