Murdoch, Saudi prince team up to launch ‘Arabic Fox News’

By Daniel Tencer
Friday, July 9, 2010 17:06 EST
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Fox News owner Rupert Murdoch has partnered with Saudi Prince Alwaleed bin Talal to launch a new 24-hour news network for the Arab world, a move that has drawn mockery from Murdoch’s critics and questions from media experts.

First and foremost among those questions is whether a news service linked to the famously pro-Israeli Fox News will resonate among Arab viewers.

“Fox News, famous for its uncomplicated, gung-ho and pro-Israel stance whilst maintaining a mocking notion of neutrality, does not seem like a likely partner” for the Middle Eastern news network, writes David Roberts at the Gulf Blog. “Their coverage of Middle Eastern issues is far from renowned or competent.”

The new channel, based in Saudi Arabia, “will focus on development in Saudi Arabia and the Arab world on the political, economic and social fronts,” Prince Alwaleed bin Talal, the world’s 19th-wealthiest person according to Forbes, said in a statement.

The network will be competing with the two principal international Arabic news services, Al Jazeera and Al Arabiya, and “is going to become an addition and an alternative for viewers,” bin Talal said.

His statement gave no name for the new channel, and it only said the launch would be in the “near future.”

The deal comes four months after Murdoch bought a nine-percent stake in bin Talal’s Rotana Group. Bin Talal owns seven percent of Murdoch’s News Corp, making him the largest shareholder after Murdoch himself.

As RAW STORY reported last year, the Saudi prince is known for his financial ties to the Bush family and the defense industry-oriented Carlyle Group and for owning a fair-sized stake in Disney and in Citigroup.

At times, the growing partnership between Murdoch and bin Talal has proven embarrassing for Murdoch’s network, whose commentators and guests often take stridently anti-Arab positions.

Earlier this year, Fox host Glenn Beck appeared to blame the 9/11 attacks on bin Talal, when he paraphrased Giuliani as saying to bin Talal, “I don’t think we want your help. You already sent us help, and you flew that help into the plane– into the trade centers.”

Following the 9/11 attacks, then-New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani refused a $10 million aid offer from bin Talal, because the Saudi prince had suggested that US policies may have contributed to the attacks. At the time, Fox News praised Giuliani’s decision.

It’s these sorts of tensions that make media observers wonder whether an alliance between the owner of Fox News and an Arabic news network can work.

“Just because it’ll have News Corp. backing doesn’t necessarily mean it’ll be friendly to the Western interests, if only because the network won’t be incredibly profitable if it’s all pro-West, all the time,” writes Michael Merritt at the Atlantic Right blog. “But I’ll take a bet that it will be less biased against the West than, say, Al-Jazeera.”

Merritt speculates that the network may also incur the wrath of Saudi censors if it takes its pro-Western attitude too far for the country’s conservative ruling class.

Max Fisher at the Atlantic Wire suggests it may be a good idea for the new news network not to rely too heavily on Fox News as a source of information. He points to a map that Fox recently ran, showing Iraq labeled as “Egypt.”

With reporting from AFP

Daniel Tencer
Daniel Tencer
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  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Eric-Van-Bezooijen/1237106 Eric Van Bezooijen

    It will be called the “masochism channel” in the Arab world. A 24/7 news outlet telling their viewers what horrible people they are.

  • damnadamzama

    Who is he kidding? Really. Murderdoch is not even remotely as respectable as Hearst was.

    I mean are they going to bring Bill O' Reilly to the Arab world? WTF? This is all so phony. The war, the propaganda. How do you spin Zionism to the Arabs?

  • oktoss

    Murdoch, the personification of what happens when you love money above all else. He's so wealthy he admitted to the Fox viewing public that he was aware all along that Faux Noose lied to the American people in order to drum up support for the Iraq war.

    I'll tell you what this godless asshole will do with his Islamofox network – he'll put a negative spin on the USA.

    He worships mammon and that alone.

  • http://www.facebook.com/tom.aiken2 Tom Aiken

    Now he wants to compete with himself. Murdoch is capitalism at its very worst

  • azhermit

    2 fucks that are out to destroy this country… perhaps its time to support a pagan warlord that will shove it up their respective asses. saudi arabia poses a greater threat to this country than the iranians but our government continues to suck saudi and australian cock.

  • starvapor

    I don't know whether to vomit or crap when I hear how bizarre this story sounds.

  • http://profiles.yahoo.com/u/UWO4PJ5IG35AEAHPUXGFSHEM4M Jay

    Wow, now spoon-feeding utter and complete bullshit to the Middle East as well!

  • brain1

    The Fox News Skyscraper Located in Downtown Riyadh….I think it would be a Suicide Bombers Wet Dream.

  • 2fat2fish

    An attempt to create dumb Arabs, just like they created a mob of misinformed, ignorant Americans who can be lied to and easily fleeced.

  • dennycrane

    Ha ha ha ha ha ha. Instead of “Tru TV”, it will be “Fals TV.” This will be on 24/7 in all their insane asylums.

  • dennycrane

    “How do you spin Zionism to the Arabs?”…

    Pat robertson with a turban sitting on a rug?

  • dennycrane

    I think the possibility of the FAUX satellite to be removed from orbit is highly likely now.

  • airjackie

    The Saudi's used the Bush Family and made out very well by making over trillions of taxpayers money. Smart move now to use old man Murdoch and take control of everything Murdoch has. Look for your mortgage loan to be held by you betcha a Saudi. It's to easy to trick Americans and the Middle Eastern leaders are laughing all the way to the bank.

  • mindboggeling

    The ruling elite are few but powerful and don't mind getting their hands dirty if it makes them tons of money. Nothing is off limits.. I know some one who can take beck or o'reilly's part. He's out of work and has been since the start of the Iraq war. Remember baghdad bob? He would be perfect and would fit in nicely with the rest of the chumps working for murdock. I'm sure bush is part of this deal someplace because all of the creepy scumbags travel in the same circle. I guess that's a plus for all of us poor folk, our friends may be poor but they are at least decent .

  • PeteWa

    Fox has always worked in conjunction with Saudi Arabia against the American people.
    This is nothing new.

  • ya_right

    just what we need, more ill-informed arabs

  • crashchloride

    Murdoch wants to make sure he'll profit no matter what kind of crap comes down and no matter who comes out on top, that's why the Randroids love him.

  • cynthiza

    i wish…

  • elmer fudd

    And exactly how many of the 9/11 hijackers were Saudi???? If Obama did anything construed as “teaming up with the Saudi's” Fox News were rake his Administration across the coals 24/7.

  • RepublicansAreADisease

    Just what we need. More lies….

    http://www.RepublicansAreADisease.com

    My Gawd

  • algionfriddo

    Murdoch is a very dangerous man who profits by selling hate and propagating bigoted ignorance. And he's really good at it.

  • motorfingaz

    LOL!!!

  • motorfingaz

    Keep your enemies closer?

  • Dolmance

    Murdoch is the modern equivalent of a hate tract pusher back in the 50's. Not a shred of difference except he's made it wildly profitable. Maybe the worst human being in the world.

    Without Rupert Murdoch there would have been no George Bush Jr., or arguably a war in Iraq, or this the worst Recession in our lifetimes. This man has blood on his hands. Lots of it. And when called upon to explain the utterances 24/7 on his news channel he adopts this nauseatingly dishonest position of, “Why, I didn't know that.”

    Honestly, he's the worst, most destructive single human being in the world today.

  • dredd

    Nothing new here folks, move along.

    Just ask The Ruler of Dubai if you need confirmation.

  • DesertSun59

    Good. Go for it, Fox. The jihadists will be on your tail so fast, you won't know what hit you. Plus, I doubt very seriously that a single Arabic Fox News correspondent from the US will ever EVER visit the Middle East.

  • DesertSun59

    So, now MSNBC can do it for us!

  • capnicono

    This shows the mindset of the Prince. The Saudis are strange birds indeed. They may as well name the new channel “Israel First' in Arabic. FOX is notorious for it's piety and slanted coverage. The Prince has lost his marbles.

  • enorceht

    startpage search = Saudi Prince Alwaleed bin Talal = $pat

    Prince Alwaleed bin Talal
    Coordinates: 23°38′37.40′′N 46°40′43.89′′E / 23.643722°N 46.6788583°E / 23.643722; 46.6788583
    http://www.nydailynews.com/topics/PrinceAlwaleedbinTalal -

    which leads to a ny daily news page with tabs , it opened on 'overview' tab & the other tab is 'articles & blogs' both are empty and then it goes from strange to scary

    it also matched

    Think Progress » Conservative Activists Rebel Against Fox News…
    Saudi Prince Alwaleed bin Talal owns a 7 percent stake in News Corp — the parent company of Fox News — making him the largest shareholder outside the family of News Corp CEO Rupert Murdoch.
    http://www.thinkprogress.org/2010/02/10/right-rebels-f...

    which leads to a 2/10/10 article apparently after scotus gave citizen$hip to corp$ . $pat owns 7% of new$ crap . worldnut$daily (far right) blasted faux for bed partner . the big concern was scotus citizen united decision because of the amout of money the articles ends with this line “… In addition to his powerful Fox News outlet, Alwaleed and other foreign investors have potentially unprecedented power to impact American elections …”

    also scary a link inside the article from the words 'spend money' to a 1/27/10 article titled: Lobbyists For Foreign Corporations Begin Fight To Ensure Foreign Money Can Influence American Elections

    along with this match of which there were many many more

    Saudi prince Alwaleed bin Talal comes to rescue of Citigroup
    Alwaleed bin Talal injects much-needed cash into ailing bank … Saudi Arabian prince Alwaleed bin Talal has come to the rescue of Citigroup with a much-needed cash injection today.
    http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2008/nov/20/citigro...

    which leads to a 11/20/08 article which opens with “… Saudi Arabian prince Alwaleed bin Talal has come to the rescue of Citigroup with a much-needed cash injection today. …” and the title is Saudi prince comes to rescue of Citigroup

    my comment is:

    this is an election year and it is a mid term election so they ($pat & murball$) probably want to get the kinks work out berfore the primary in 2012 – just planing ahead and running some tests don't worry about a thing just go back to shopping

    wake up amerikans … wake TF up

  • nerfball

    wow, middle eastern foxettes in burka's!

  • JPMP

    The motive being: instigate a few terrorist attacks by which to discredit Obama?

  • http://profiles.yahoo.com/u/5ADH43ZCS3NITAIJKNHHOXH5SY C H

    If a news organization with any nice things to say about the left were to do this, can you imagine what Fix would be saying? And another network for Fix will have as much credibility as Fix does.

    Do you think the stuff they will put on as news will be fair and balanced? Murdoch has so much to answer for, one can only hope this moves him closer to that final ring in Dante's inferno.

  • 2fat2fish

    Terrorist attacks on the U.S. are also good for business for some people….
    the Australian egomaniac Murdoch being one of them.

    We should have never let this foreign megalomaniac buy up multiple U.S media outlets the way he has.
    It's bad for the future of the country to let evildoers like Murdoch buy up U.S. media for propaganda purposes.

  • Schmice

    Consorting with terrorists!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Pawns of the Jihadists!!!!!!!!! Why does this man hate America?????????? By extension, all his FOX employees are guilty by association!!!!!!!!!

  • chrislib

    Pallin' around with terists, the very people who've been funding and training terists for decades. Of the 19 9/11 hijackers, 15 were from where? SAUDI FRACKIN' ARABIA!!!

    FAUXNOOZ has been fomenting domestic terism for years. Now they're all officially in the international terism binniss.

    Murdoch just became the Osama bin Laden of the airwaves. Say it loud, say it often.

  • http://profiles.yahoo.com/u/6YQEOUFZSWSSGGDHBIPYZJCWKA Frank

    Fox News is the biggest divider of the American people. Partner Saudi Prince Alwaleed bin Talal, is the same man who sent the Mayor of New York a check for $10 million dollars the day after people from his country attacked the US on 9/11, and then held a press conference that 9/11 was America's fault for supporting Israel! Mayor Giuliani sent back the prince's money. Fox seems to be doing everything in their power to provoke a race war in this country…and destroying a country from within by causing a civil war is an old, old tactic. We should all love America more than this…we have free elections every 2 years…but people calling for “2nd amendment remedies” if we don't like the party in power, or calling the US govenment a “regime” if your guy didn't win is so ugly and against the American Spirit.

  • http://celebrity-hub.com/television/saudi-prince-fox-to-begin-arabic-news-channel/ Celebrity-Hub.com

    Saudi prince, Fox to begin Arabic news channel…

    Saudi Prince Alwaleed bin Talal has announced plans to launch a 24-hour Arabic-language news channel in partnership with Rupert Murdoch’s Fox network.Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, former editor in chief of Alwatan newspaper and a media adviser to …

  • http://travel-feed.com/middle-east/another-day-another-though/ Travel-Feed.com

    Another day another though…

    I like the review of one of my posts: the thoughts are much more valuable when people have more time to observed. This is so true and exactly what I have been doing last weekend. I observed and I observed being observed… I tried to flow with the crow…

  • americangirl2

    Rupert, You have more than enough money!!! Why would you do something like this???
    It is disgraceful to the US and really sdows your true colors. Shame on you!!!!!

  • americangirl2

    Rupert, What you have done is absolutely disgusting!!! America deserves better. You are certainly financially in a position to do something more becoming of an American. Shame on you!!!

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  • markusgarvey

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  • americangirl2

    Thanks!!

  • markusgarvey

    your welcome.. :)

  • KamJos

    He only became an American for the sake of money. He has no interest in American ideals. All he wants to do is line his pocket.

  • http://7finder.com/business/no-comment-murdoch-not-drawn-on-preferred-pm/ 7finder.com

    No comment: Murdoch not drawn on preferred PM…

    By business editor Peter Ryan Updated August 5, 2010 15:53:00 Keen eye: Rupert Murdoch states he has ‘no comment at all’ on who the question of his preferred prime minister (Reuters: Mike Sega…

  • http://clinchersblog.blogspot.com/ clincher

    FoxNews has never been pro-Israel, gung-ho or otherwise. FoxNews is gung-ho pro-Israeli right wing. FoxNews has about as much use for Labor, Meretz, Peace Now and the rest of the Israeli left as Likud, Shas and Yisrael Beteinu.

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Renaldo-Ricketts/100000309240798 Renaldo Ricketts

    The ultra right wing and the Saudis,hmmm who are we fooling? This should be a match made in heaven/hell ? Let’s see how Murduck-tape and his old all- lies align this should be interesting.

  • http://www.wwnewsflash.com/alwaleed-bin-talal#2220511 World Wide News Flash

    Murdoch, Saudi prince team up to launch 'Arabic Fox News' | Raw Story…

    I found your entry interesting do I’ve added a Trackback to it on my weblog :)…

  • http://fontofliberty.blogspot.com/ Rarian Rakista

    There would never of been Nazis if there hadn’t been the Versailles Treaty handwritten by the French Clemenceau which cast Germany into a wretched hellhole of disease and starvation. French asked for massive repatriations as well as the largest act of revanchism the world had ever seen and got war, they reaped what they sowed.

    The French were raping Africa for resources at the time and took almost all of Germany’s colonial territories.

  • http://fontofliberty.blogspot.com/ Rarian Rakista

    Foxnews sells fear, not any particular ideology.

  • http://fontofliberty.blogspot.com/ Rarian Rakista

    We need a cross between Caligula and Charlemagne, I would follow that.

  • http://fontofliberty.blogspot.com/ Rarian Rakista

    Considering they are the most illiterate region on the planet outside of Africa, I would have to think decades of being ruled by royal families and warlords has beaten Murdoch to the punch somewhat.

  • http://fontofliberty.blogspot.com/ Rarian Rakista

    20% of America believes Obama is a Muslim, not even the Saudis will believe that.

  • http://fontofliberty.blogspot.com/ Rarian Rakista

    He is Australian.

  • http://wakefromthesystem.com/?p=214 Fox News shareholder funded ‘Ground Zero mosque’ Imam: report | Wake From The System

    [...] Middle East-based media conglomerate, Rotana Group. Murdoch and Prince Al-Waleed are reportedly working on launching an Arabic news network that will compete with existing pan-Arabic networks Al-Jazeera and [...]

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  • Jaywalk00

    Call me cynical, but I doubt that this will go anywhere. There have always been a few conservatives willing to complain about issues like this, but the vast majority of Right Wingers won’t hear about it, or give a toot if they do hear. As long as Hannity and the rest of the twits tell the Wingnuts that everything is OK, that “look at the dangerous Negro!” and that socialists are coming to take their pickup trucks, a few Saudi dollars won’t faze them at all.

    “If we anger the Saudis, they’ll take their gasoline and go home, and then how will you drive to WalMart?”

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  • http://www.therightperspective.org/2010/09/01/fox-news-shareholder-funding-gzm-imam/ FOX News Shareholder Funding GZM Imam

    [...] Prince Al-Waleed’s Middle East-based media conglomerate, Rotana Group. The two are reportedly working on launching an Arabic news network that will compete with existing pan-Arabic networks Al-Jazeera and [...]

  • http://www.worldspinner.us/saudi-prince World Spinner

    Murdoch, Saudi prince team up to launch 'Arabic Fox News' | Raw Story…

    Here at World Spinner we are debating the same thing……

  • http://www.politicalforum.com/current-events/155995-racist-leftist-npr-fires-juan-williams-79.html#post3070931 Racist leftist NPR fires Juan Williams. – Page 79 – Political Forum

    [...] Alwaleed bin Talal, the world's 19th-wealthiest person according to Forbes, said in a statement. Source I don't like Murdoch but the man has a head for what sells and "tabloid journalism" [...]

  • http://www.politicalforum.com/current-events/155995-racist-leftist-npr-fires-juan-williams-81.html#post3071126 Racist leftist NPR fires Juan Williams. – Page 81 – Political Forum

    [...] Alwaleed bin Talal, the world's 19th-wealthiest person according to Forbes, said in a statement. Source Hi-larious….as none of Murdoch's "critics" and "media experts" have even [...]

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