"For twenty years, conservative media called Al Jazeera terror TV because Qatar funded it. They insisted that Qatari money in journalism meant Qatari influence, and Qatari influence meant danger. This was the refrain on Fox News, talk radio, and all across the right-wing blogosphere. A foreign state owning a news outlet was treated not as a story but as a threat."
"Today, with Qatar in line to help finance a takeover bid for CNN and with the bid routed through Trump's family those warnings have entirely disappeared. The reason is obvious. The difference is not Qatar. The difference is Donald Trump whose son-in-law, Jared Kushner, is serving as a proxy in a deal built around Gulf sovereign wealth, a deal Trump appears positioned to benefit from. And conservative media will defend that deal before it defends press independence. This is not ideological inconsistency. It is hierarchy."
Conservative outlets labeled Al Jazeera as dangerous due to Qatari funding, equating foreign money with influence and threat. Reuters reported that Gulf sovereign wealth funds, including Qatar's, were approached to help finance a takeover bid that could include CNN, with outreach documented though investments remain unconfirmed. Past conservative alarm over foreign-state-owned news outlets has been replaced by silence amid a potential deal routed through Trump's family. The shift reflects prioritization of Trump-world access and interests over consistent defense of press independence and prior media warnings about Gulf-state influence.
Read at www.mediaite.com
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