The National

Political leaning and stance

Across the measured period, the outlet is favourable toward the United Arab Emirates in every month measured, foregrounding its economic and diplomatic achievements and quoting officials with honorifics and without distancing. It is critical of Iran but not hostile. Toward Donald Trump and the United States it alternates between neutral and skeptical stretches; the skeptical ones centre on his Iran policy, volatility and handling of NATO, while coverage of US companies stays neutral to positive. Lebanon and Syria are covered neutrally, with critical distance toward Hezbollah. Stance is measured from headlines toward countries and persons; it is not a rating of accuracy.

Based on headlines from January 2026 to August 2026.

Who owns The National

The National was launched in Abu Dhabi in 2008 and is owned by International Media Investments, an Abu Dhabi company.

What The National covers

Iran and the United States lead, followed by the Gulf States, the Levant, Israel, Iraq, Palestine, Saudi Arabia and Yemen. Politics is the largest topic, ahead of security and economy, with diplomacy the biggest sector.