UK media curiously silent on Saudi journo fate: WikiLeaks

Whistleblower organization WikiLeaks has raised suspicions about the way the British media have been covering the disappearance and alleged death of a Saudi journalist in Turkey, saying there could be Saudi money at work.

News ID: 440935

Date: 10 October 2018 - 11:57

RNA - A tweet from WikiLeaks said that despite massive media coverage by mainstream media about the alleged murder of Jamal Khashoggi inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, there was almost no mention of the story in the media in the United Kingdom since they went on print this week.

No UK paper today led with the diplomatic crisis over the alleged murder and dismemberment of Washington Post columnist & journalist #JamalKashoggi inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul despite AP and Reuters newswires on the subject. All take Saudi money https://t.co/q0Gu9yjgA7 pic.twitter.com/H05mUzbKLG
— WikiLeaks (@wikileaks) October 8, 2018

“No UK paper today led with the diplomatic crisis over the alleged murder and dismemberment of Washington Post columnist & journalist #JamalKashoggi inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul despite AP and Reuters newswires on the subject. All take Saudi money,” read the post on Twitter on Monday.

According to Press TV, Kashoggi has been unaccounted for since last Tuesday when he entered the Saudi diplomatic mission in Istanbul to receive a certificate about his finished marriage in Saudi Arabia. Turkish authorities believe Khashoggi was killed in the consulate but Saudis deny the allegations and say he had left the mission on foot, without providing any evidence to support the claim.

The WikiLeaks criticism of the British media comes amid widespread concerns that Saudi Arabia has been allowed to freely influence certain outlets in the UK. Reports over the past weeks even suggested that the Saudis had spent around $250 million to launch a Farsi television station to spread their propaganda against Iran, a regional rival.

Some accuse the British media of hypocrisy in dealing with the case of Khashoggi, a former columnist for the American newspaper Washington Post, who was very critical of Saudi Arabia, saying major UK newspapers have previously given full coverage to similar stories that involved journalists opposed to Russia.

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