A questionable source exhibits one or more of the following: extreme bias, consistent promotion of propaganda/conspiracies, poor or no sourcing to credible information, a complete lack of transparency, and/or is fake news. Fake News is the deliberate attempt to publish hoaxes and/or disinformation for profit or influence (Learn More). Sources listed in the Questionable Category may be very untrustworthy and should be fact-checked on a per article basis. Please note sources on this list are not considered fake news unless specifically written in the reasoning section for that source. See all Questionable sources.
QUESTIONABLE SOURCE
Detailed Report
Questionable Reasoning: Propaganda, Poor Sourcing, Lack of Transparency
Bias Rating: RIGHT
Factual Reporting: MIXED
Country: Lebanon
Press Freedom Rating: LIMITED FREEDOM
Media Type: Website
Traffic/Popularity: Minimal Traffic
MBFC Credibility Rating: LOW CREDIBILITY
History
Launched in August 2014, Al-Masdar News, or AMN, is an English-language online newspaper founded by Leith Abou Fadel. Al-Masdar’s coverage focuses on news from Syria, Yemen, and Iraq. Al-Masdar has several Syria-based correspondents and claims to have sources within the Syrian military. The website has been described as pro-Assad and Syria.
Read our profile on Lebanon media and Government.
Funded by / Ownership
AMN does not state ownership, though Leith Abou Fadel possibly owns it. Advertising generates revenue.
Analysis / Bias
In review, Al-Masdar News publishes world news stories from credible sources such as LA Times, Reuters, and the New York Times; however, Middle East news is poorly sourced, without links provided. Through a search, we found that one of the stories came from the Questionable propaganda source, The Duran. Further, BBC, Newsweek, The Independent, and the New York Times all described Al-Masdar as a “pro-government website.”
Al-Masdar says on their about page that they are an independent media service free from any political or corporate funding, sponsorship, or association. Still, western media refers to them as “Pro-Regime.” Finally, they have also been described as a source for Russian Disinformation regarding Syria in which they always favor the Government. In general, they publish pro-Syrian Government propaganda.
Overall, we rate Al-Masdar Right Biased and Questionable based on promoting pro-state propaganda, the use of poor sources, and a lack of transparency. (M. Huitsing 9/25/2017) Updated (12/26/2021)
Source: https://www.almasdarnews.com
Last Updated on May 26, 2022 by Media Bias Fact Check
Left vs. Right Bias: How we rate the bias of media sources
