Qatar News Agency

Qatar News Agency (QNA) is the official state-run news agency of Qatar. Established by decree on 25 May 1975, it was created to gather, produce and distribute news concerning Qatar and the wider region. The agency is headquartered in Doha and has operated as a public information institution associated with the Qatari government. Its work includes reporting on domestic affairs, government activities, diplomacy, public events and international developments relevant to Qatar. QNA initially developed in an Arab and regional news-exchange environment. By 1980, it had concluded cooperation agreements with the news agencies of Oman, the United Arab Emirates, France and Tunisia. It also opened a bureau in Tunis, which at that time served as the administrative center of the Arab League. These arrangements supported the exchange of reports and helped connect QNA with regional and international news networks. The agency publishes in Arabic and English and has also provided Spanish- and Portuguese-language news services. Its output includes written news reports, official statements, photographs and video material. As a national news agency, QNA serves both media organizations and public institutions, while also functioning as an official channel for the publication of government and state-related information. QNA's institutional affiliation has changed within Qatar's governmental structure. The agency was formerly associated with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and was described as attached to the Ministry of Information in its earlier administrative history. Emiri Resolution No. 50 of 2014 reorganized the agency's management structure. The resulting framework included the Director General's Office, internal audit, planning and quality, legal affairs, public relations and communications, shared services, data analysis and documentation, editorial and media monitoring, news, external media affairs and technical affairs functions. The agency is involved in international and professional news-agency networks. Its memberships include the Federation of Arab News Agencies, the Non-Aligned News Agencies Pool, the Organization of Asia-Pacific News Agencies, the Union of OIC News Agencies and the International Federation of Journalists. These affiliations place QNA within broader systems for news exchange, professional cooperation and media development. QNA became a focal point in the Gulf diplomatic crisis of 2017 after Qatar reported that its website had been compromised and that fabricated remarks attributed to Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani had been published. The incident was followed by the blocking of Qatari media in several countries and, on 5 June 2017, by the severing of diplomatic relations with Qatar by Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates and several other states. The episode illustrated the importance of official news platforms in regional political communication and information security. Since October 2021, the agency has been headed by Ahmed Saeed Jaber Al-Rumaihi, also rendered in English-language sources as Ahmed bin Said Jabor Al Rumaihi. QNA remains an active national news service with a multilingual publishing role and a mandate centered on official and general news distribution.

Qatar News Agency was established by a decree dated 25 May 1975 as Qatar's national news agency. Its institutional purpose was to collect and distribute news about Qatar and the region, provide an official channel for state information, and participate in the international exchange of news. The agency is based in Doha and has remained a state-run public information institution. During its early development, QNA built relationships with other news organizations in the Arab world and beyond. By 1980, it had signed cooperation agreements with the news agencies of Oman, the United Arab Emirates, France and Tunisia. The same period saw the opening of a QNA bureau in Tunis, then the administrative center of the Arab League. These links gave the agency a mechanism for exchanging reports and extending its access to regional and international coverage. QNA's publishing activity has not been limited to Arabic. The agency provides Arabic and English services and has also operated Spanish and Portuguese news services. Its media output encompasses text reports, official announcements, photographs and video. This combination allows QNA to serve domestic institutions, international media, diplomatic audiences and readers seeking official Qatari information. The agency's governmental position has been reflected in its administrative history. It was formerly connected with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and was described in its historical profile as attached to the Ministry of Information. Emiri Resolution No. 50 of 2014 provided a formal framework for the organization of QNA management and established a broad set of operational departments. These included the Director General's Office, internal audit, planning and quality, legal affairs, public relations and communications, shared services, data analysis and documentation, editorial and media monitoring, news, external media affairs and technical affairs. The sequence of QNA directors shows continuity across different phases of the institution. Othman Abu Zaid led the agency from its establishment until 1980, followed by Issa bin Saeed Al Kuwari until 1994 and Ahmed Jassim Al Hamar until 2007. Jabr bin Yusuf Al Thani served from 2007 to 2011, Ahmed Saeed Al Buainain from 2011 to 2017, and Yousef Al Maliki from 2017 to 2021. Ahmed Saeed Jaber Al-Rumaihi became Director-General in October 2021 and remains the listed head in the reference material. QNA is also part of several professional and intergovernmental news networks. It is listed as a member of the Federation of Arab News Agencies, the Non-Aligned News Agencies Pool, the Organization of Asia-Pacific News Agencies, the Union of OIC News Agencies and the International Federation of Journalists. These memberships connect the agency to cooperative arrangements involving news exchange, professional practice and media technology. The most consequential event in QNA's public history occurred in May 2017. Qatar stated on 24 May that the agency's website had been hacked and that fabricated statements attributed to Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani had been placed on the site before it went offline. The remarks concerned sensitive regional political issues and were rapidly reproduced by Arab media outlets. Qatar rejected them as false. The incident was followed by extensive media restrictions and the diplomatic rupture announced on 5 June by several states. Subsequent reporting offered competing accounts of responsibility, including early speculation about Russian-linked hackers and later reporting that U.S. intelligence officials had attributed the operation to the United Arab Emirates, which denied involvement. The FBI sent investigators to Doha, and later accounts described the event as part of a broader Gulf cyber and information conflict. QNA continues to operate as Qatar's official news agency, combining national reporting, government communication and multilingual distribution. Its history reflects the development of Qatar's state media infrastructure, the growing importance of international news-agency cooperation and the security risks facing official digital information channels.

1. 2021Ahmed Saeed Jaber Al-Rumaihi became Director-General

   Ahmed Saeed Jaber Al-Rumaihi took leadership of QNA in October 2021.

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2. 2017Website hacking and Gulf diplomatic crisis

   Qatar reported that fabricated remarks had been posted on the agency's hacked website, an event that preceded a wider regional media and diplomatic crisis.

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3. 2014Management structure reorganized

   Emiri Resolution No. 50 of 2014 set out a revised organizational structure for the agency.

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4. 1980Regional and international cooperation expanded

   QNA signed cooperation agreements with the news agencies of Oman, the United Arab Emirates, France and Tunisia, and opened a bureau in Tunis.

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5. 1975Qatar News Agency established

   A decree issued on 25 May established QNA as Qatar's national news agency.

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Official Qatari news source and national news-agency service

• Arabic news serviceNews agency service1975

  QNA's Arabic service is its core national news operation, covering Qatari government activity, domestic affairs, diplomacy, public events and regional or international developments. It distributes written reports and official information for domestic audiences and media users.

• English news serviceNews agency service

  The English service extends QNA's reporting to international readers, foreign media, diplomatic audiences and institutions that require official Qatari news in a global working language.

• Spanish and Portuguese news servicesMultilingual news service

  QNA has also provided Spanish- and Portuguese-language news, broadening the agency's international distribution beyond its Arabic and English services. Specific launch dates and current publishing scope are not stated in the reference material.

• Photo and video servicesVisual news service

  QNA distributes visual media alongside written reporting, including photographs and video related to national events, official activities and news developments.

• 2017Response to the QNA website intrusionOther

  Qatar reported that fabricated statements had been published on the agency's website after an unauthorized intrusion.

  What changed. The website was taken offline, Qatar rejected the statements as false, and investigative assistance was sought from the FBI. The incident was publicly contested by Qatar and the states later accused in reporting of involvement.

  Aftermath. The episode was followed by blocking of Qatari media and a major diplomatic rupture between Qatar and several Arab states.

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• 2014Formal reorganization of QNA managementStrategy

  Qatar issued Emiri Resolution No. 50 of 2014 concerning the organization of the Qatar News Agency's management.

  What changed. The agency's structure was organized around executive leadership and specialist departments covering audit, planning, legal affairs, communications, documentation, editorial monitoring, news, external media, shared services and technical affairs.

  Aftermath. The resolution provided the administrative framework described in QNA's institutional profile.

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• 2017QNA website hacking and fabricated emir remarksControversy

  Qatar said that QNA's website had been hacked on 24 May and that false remarks attributed to Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani had been published. The statements were circulated by regional media and became part of the information environment surrounding the 2017 Gulf diplomatic crisis. Responsibility remained disputed: later reporting attributed the operation to the United Arab Emirates, which denied involvement, while other accounts discussed possible Russian or non-state actors.

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1. Qatar News Agency