RIYADH: Arab News, the Middle East’s leading English-language daily, has announced the establishment of a new Research and Studies Unit (RSU) at the newspaper’s headquarters in Riyadh where a team of experts will produce research studies and by-invitation-only roundtable discussions and policy briefings would be held.
The RSU will also manage Deep Dive, the newspaper’s research-based, long-form journalism department, and be responsible for the regional media partnership that the newspaper has established with globally acclaimed online polling firm YouGov.
Since inauguration in 2016, Arab News/YouGov polls have helped shed light on regional sentiment toward international events, as well as produced credible research on Arab affairs. Some of the most recent polls include “Mosque and State: How Arabs See the Future,” “How US Views the Qatar Crisis,” “How Brits View the Arab World” and “How Arabs View Japan.”
In this undated photo, vehicles plying in front of Arab News headquarters in Riyadh. (Photo Courtesy: Social Media)
Arab News Editor-in-Chief Faisal J. Abbas said: “Quoted by a large number of media outlets, academic institutions and foreign diplomats, our exclusive YouGov polls have become a staple of the quality, credible content Arab News produces to help get the Middle East better explained.”
He added: “Our new Research and Studies Unit will manage our YouGov partnership and ensure we produce more of these valuable polls more frequently. In addition, the unit will also be commissioning independent research papers on various issues, and host experts for talks on the topics of the hour, be it over video conferencing or in person at our Riyadh headquarters whenever COVID-19 travel restrictions are removed.
“Despite living in a region of the world rich in natural resources, we suffer from scarcity when it comes to reliable data and research that help decision makers and business executives form informed views. This is the gap we hope to fill with this unit.”
RSU’s website is now live and can be visited at www.arabnews.com/Research. Its next big study will be published on Oct. 26, and will be titled “US Elections 2020: What Do Arabs Want?” It will be accompanied by a high-level panel discussion in the US hosted via Zoom on Oct. 30.
Founded in 1975, Arab News has established itself as the newspaper of record of Saudi Arabia and the Middle East. It offers regional news and views via its multiplatform, multilingual network that includes a print edition, its main English website and its Pakistan, Japan and French digital editions.
