Saudi cables suggest money links with media
Source: Associated Press
Saudi cables suggest money links with media
By HAMZA HENDAWI and BASSEM MROUE, Associated Press | June 23, 2015 | Updated: June 23, 2015 4:51pm
BEIRUT (AP) — A financially troubled Lebanese TV network received a $2 million Saudi bailout in return for adopting a pro-Riyadh editorial policy. A news agency in Guinea got a $2,000 gift, while small publications across the Arab world received tens of thousands of dollars in inflated subscription fees.
That's the picture that has emerged from Saudi diplomatic correspondence published by the WikiLeaks group, backing long-held suspicions the kingdom uses its oil wealth to buy influence with media and research centers across the Muslim world.
The leaked cables suggest an effort by the U.S. ally to dampen criticism, varnish its image and strengthen allies in an Arab world torn by religious militancy and sectarian tensions.
Many of the cables were linked to the growing rivalry between Sunni Saudi Arabia and mostly Shiite Iran over influence in the region and point to Lebanon, an ethnically and religiously diverse nation with a vibrant press, as a key battlefield in the battle of wills between Riyadh and Tehran.
Read more: http://www.chron.com/news/world/article/Saudi-cables-suggest-money-links-with-media-6344850.php
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