Qatar News Agency is the official news agency of the State of Qatar. It has been in operation since 1975. The agency’s site was hacked in 2017 and sensitive stories were published on its platform before the site went offline, triggering a major regional crisis. In 2022, the agency launched its Spanish, French and German services, adding them to their new production in Arabic and English.
Media assets
News agency: QNA
State Media Matrix Typology: State-Controlled (SC)
Ownership and governance
QNA was established by the Emiri decree No 94 of 1975. The agency is owned by the state and formally affiliated with the Ministry of Information. The editor-in-chief of the agency is directly responsible to the minister of information. The ministry issues all the decisions regarding the organization of the QNA. The director general of the agency is appointed directly by the Emir of Qatar. In 2021, Emir HH Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani appointed through a decree Ahmed Said Jaber Al Rumaihi as Director-General of QNA.
Source of funding and budget
According to the Emiri decree No 94, QNA is fully funded through a state subsidy that is budgeted in the Ministry of Information annual budget.
Editorial independence
As a ministry-run agency, QNA closely follows a set of editorial rules imposed on the station by the Qatari government. Criticism of the authorities is not allowed.
There is no domestic statute and no independent assessment/oversight mechanism that would validate the independence of QNA.
August 2023