Gulf Publishing and Printing Company

Gulf Publishing and Printing Company is the media house behind two of Qatar’s longstanding newspapers: Al Raya(Arabic for “The Banner”), an Arabic-language daily launched in May 1979, and Gulf Times, its English-language counterpart founded in 1978. Both publications have played a central role in shaping the modern Qatari media landscape, acting as key vehicles for government messaging and national development narratives.

Media assets

Publishing: Al Raya, Gulf Times

State Media Matrix Typology

Ownership and governance

The company is privately owned by Abdullah bin Hamad Al Attiyah, a veteran political figure and former Deputy Prime Minister of Qatar. He also previously headed the Emir’s Diwan (royal court), giving him a long-standing proximity to the ruling Al Thani family.

While registered as a private holding, the company’s governance is opaque. There are no public records on board composition, internal structure, or mechanisms for editorial accountability. Ownership by a figure so deeply embedded in Qatar’s political establishment has long fuelled perceptions that the publisher serves as a de facto extension of state communication infrastructure.

Source of funding and budget

There is no public disclosure of Gulf Publishing and Printing Company’s financial accounts. The bulk of its revenue is assumed to come from advertising sales, particularly from Qatari government agencies and affiliated businesses. Informed observers and local experts interviewed for this report in May 2024 and March 2025 confirm that state financial support is also extended to the company, but the precise share of government funding relative to commercial revenue remains unknown.

Editorial independence

Gulf Publishing and Printing Company’s editorial content is widely viewed as aligned with government policy. Neither Al Raya nor Gulf Times publishes criticism of the authorities. Editorial decisions are known to favor official perspectives, and sources confirm that stories perceived as inconsistent with the government’s preferences are systematically discarded.

For instance, Al Raya routinely devotes prominent coverage to the activities, speeches, and ceremonial engagements of the Al Thani royal family, serving more as a governmental chronicle than an independent journalistic outlet.

There is no legal or institutional mechanism to guarantee editorial independence at either of the company’s publications. Qatar lacks statutory provisions for media autonomy, and no independent oversight body exists to assess or enforce editorial standards across the country’s privately held news organizations.

July 2025