Mind the Gulf!
Hackwatch , Issue 1639

LIKE Paul the Apostle and Moses before him, Keir Starmer went to Arabia earlier this month. The PM's state visits to the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia were awkward for the UK papers, who wanted to criticise him for being mercenary but rather like Gulf cash themselves.

Just before the PM visited Saudi Arabia, the Financial Times carried an investigation into the country's "brutal" recent crackdown on drug smuggling, which has included 100 executions so far this year. But the FT's critiques of Saudi human rights have become less convincing since the paper teamed up with the kingdom for a series of "partner" content articles – even creating a "Visit Saudi" section on the FT website last year (Eye 1629).

In recent months the deals have continued, with a new series bigging up Monsha'at, Saudi Arabia's official small and medium enterprises sector, with headlines including "Charting Saudi Arabia's rise as an SMEs hub".

The Pink'un's partner site also includes new sponsored content from Alat, a conglomerate owned by the Saudi Public Investment Fund, as well as an annual fintech festival in Riyadh.

Event horizon
The Daily Mail, meanwhile, showed distaste at Starmer's visit to the kingdom. It took the PM to task for hypocrisy, given he had criticised Boris Johnson for going "going cap in hand from dictator to dictator" on a trip to the region in 2022.

Luckily, the Mail has long stopped worrying about going cap in hand to the Gulf itself. DMG Events, the company's events arm, has 30 events listed in Saudi Arabia over the next year alone, including "The Saudi Food Show" and the "Saudi Entertainment and Amusement (SEA) Expo".

In the UAE it's running 23 events over the same period, including Abu Dhabi Global Health Week and "Kidspace" in Dubai.

Rebel voice
The Telegraph spent the PM's trip attacking the UAE on moral grounds, with articles including "Is David Lammy prioritising arms sales over human rights? With the UAE, it sure looks that way" and "Starmer warned any UAE deal 'makes British businessmen everywhere less safe'".

But as shown by its lack of similar coverage of the Saudis, the Torygraph's concerns were largely self-interested. To hacks' displeasure, the title is still effectively owned by Abu Dhabi royalty via investment firm Redbird IMI, which is still trying to sell it following a move by Rishi Sunak, who pushed through a new law earlier this year that blocks foreign ownership of newspapers (Eyes passim).

During Starmer's trip, Telegraph bosses were worried he might water down that ban, so it put pressure on the PM with two stories: "Ban on Telegraph ownership could be eased" and "No 10 will not confirm Telegraph UAE talks".

Washing line
At the Independent, some hacks are trying valiantly to report on the Gulf. Not long after Starmer's visit, chief football writer Miguel Delaney led the charge, repeatedly pointing out the suspect details of Saudi Arabia's successful cash-soaked bid for the 2034 World Cup. Delaney recently published a book about sportswashing in football (see Eye 1636).

However, hacks at the Indy and its stablemate the London Standard can't write exactly what they want about the kingdom – as their titles are 30 percent owned by a Saudi businessman close to the Saudi ruling family (Eyes passim ad nauseam).

The Saudi influence never quite goes away at the Indy, which recently published puff pieces including "Saudi Arabia launches Milaf Cola, the world's first date-based soft drink" and "Saudi Arabia launches partnership with King Charles's foundation to encourage handicrafts". Milaf colas all round!

More top stories in the latest issue:

SUCCESSION PLANNING
An unhappy Christmas for Rupert Murdoch, who has been told by a Nevada court that he has to give presents to all his children and not just Lachlan.

SANTA CLAWS
More experienced hacks are being let go by the digital-first regime at Reach plc, but there are new jobs too – albeit with distinctly un-editorial titles.

BLOODY SUNDAY
Fire and fury at the Guardian, where the paper's management and Scott Trust bosses felt the wrath of staff at a thunderous meeting over the Observer sale.

JACK FROST
London Standard bosses found a way to ensure someone would be at unpopular managing editor Jack Lefley's leaving do: combine it with the Christmas party!

NOT ROLLING IN IT
Like last year, Rolling Stone UK has again spaffed cash on an awards show while not paying some of its freelancers for more than a year.

SPONSORED WALK-BACK
The New Statesman's Christmas issue, and Jason Cowley's last as editor, provided a reminder of one of Cowley's legacies: corporate sponsorship!

EXPRESS PAIN
The Daily Express missed out on Campaign of the Year at the British Journalism Awards – three months after ditching the editor behind its campaign.