Kuwait News Agency (KUNA) is Kuwait’s official state news wire service. The agency was established in 1956.
Media assets
News agency: KUNA
State Media Matrix Typology: State-Controlled (SC)
Ownership and governance
KUNA operates as a branch of the Ministry of Information, which owns it. The agency has a Board of Directors consisting of its chair and director general and four other members, all appointed by the Cabinet based on nominations by the Ministry of Information.
Source of funding and budget
KUNA is fully funded through a state subsidy. Unlike Kuwait Television and Kuwait Radio, whose budgets are included in the Ministry of Information’s financial expenditures, KUNA has its own budget line, according to our information provided by scholars based in Qatar who study the media in Kuwait. In the fiscal year 2023-2024, KUNA had an allocation of KWD 16m (US$ 52.1m), according to a budget document analyzed for this project.
Editorial independence
KUNA operates according to a series of editorial rules established by the Ministry of Information. The agency is the official channel for all key government announcements and statements.
No domestic statute and independent assessment/oversight mechanism that would validate the independence of KUNA have been identified.
July 2024