19-Jul-18, The Guardian
The Independent has joined up with Saudi Research and Marketing Group (SRMG) to launch websites across the Middle East and Pakistan in a deal that will raise questions about the growing influence of Gulf finance in the British media.
%20News%20Champs.jpg "UKs Independent newspaper to launch Middle East websites (c) News Champs")
Image: News Champs
The joint partnership will see four Independent-branded sites launched in Arabic, Urdu, Turkish and Persian by the end of 2018.
Although the sites will be Independent-branded, the content would be mainly produced by Saudi Research & Marketing Group (SRMG) journalists based in London, Islamabad, Istanbul and New York. SRMG is a publishing business whose chairman was until recently Prince Bader bin Abdullah bin Mohammed bin Farhan Al Saud, and is now Saudi minister of culture.