Newsmax Leaders Urged Staff to ‘Soften’ Coverage of Qatar After Gulf Royal Invested $50 Million in Network: Report

The Washington Post on Tuesday revealed that a Qatari royal, Sheikh Sultan bin Jassim Al Thani, invested $50 million into the hard right cable news channel Newsmax, which eventually led to staff being told by management to “soften” coverage of Qatar. “We were not allowed to criticize Qatar,” a Newsmax employee told the Post. Then-President Donald Trump initially sided with the Saudis in the crisis and publicly slammed Qatar for having ties to Iran. Sheikh Sultan bin Jassim Al Thani made his investment in Newsmax in 2019 and 2020 through a London-based investment fund called Heritage Advisors. The $50 million investment represents a significant minority stake in Newsmax, a privately held media company estimated to be worth between $100 million and $200 million, according to S&P Global Market Intelligence.