''Al-Monitor'' is a news website launched in 2012 by the Arab-American entrepreneur Jamal Daniel. Based in Washington, D.C., ''Al-Monitor'' provides reporting and analysis from and about the

Middle East The Middle East (term originally coined in English language) is a geopolitical region encompassing the Arabian Peninsula, the Levant, Turkey, Egypt, Iran, and Iraq. The term came into widespread usage by the United Kingdom and western Eur ...

. ''Al-Monitor'' is the recipient of the International Press Institute's 2014 Free Media Pioneer Award.

History and organization

''Al-Monitor'' was launched on 13 February 2012 by Jamal Daniel. It was founded with the mission to foster a deeper understanding between the Middle East and the international community by diving deep with analytical pieces from some of the most trusted, independent authors from across the globe. In 2018, ''Al-Monitor'' partnered with North Base Media which was founded by former editor of ''

The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'', locally known as ''The'' ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'' or ''WP'', is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C., the national capital. It is the most widely circulated newspaper in the Washington m ...

'' and ''The Wall Street Journal'', Marcus Brauchli and Sasa Vucinic to manage ''Al-Monitor'' in order "to provide top-level operational and financial decision-making, and work with the company to explore possible content and commercial avenues."

Content

''Al-Monitor'' features reporting and analysis by journalists and experts from the Middle East, with special focus sections on

Egypt Egypt ( , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a country spanning the Northeast Africa, northeast corner of Africa and Western Asia, southwest corner of Asia via the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to northe ...

, the

Persian Gulf The Persian Gulf, sometimes called the Arabian Gulf, is a Mediterranean seas, mediterranean sea in West Asia. The body of water is an extension of the Arabian Sea and the larger Indian Ocean located between Iran and the Arabian Peninsula.Un ...

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) and also known as Persia, is a country in West Asia. It borders Iraq to the west, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Armenia to the northwest, the Caspian Sea to the north, Turkmenistan to the nort ...

Iraq Iraq, officially the Republic of Iraq, is a country in West Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to Iraq–Saudi Arabia border, the south, Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq border, the east, the Persian Gulf and ...

Israel Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in West Asia. It Borders of Israel, shares borders with Lebanon to the north, Syria to the north-east, Jordan to the east, Egypt to the south-west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the west. Isr ...

Jordan Jordan, officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, is a country in the Southern Levant region of West Asia. Jordan is bordered by Syria to the north, Iraq to the east, Saudi Arabia to the south, and Israel and the occupied Palestinian ter ...

, Lebanon,

North Africa North Africa (sometimes Northern Africa) is a region encompassing the northern portion of the African continent. There is no singularly accepted scope for the region. However, it is sometimes defined as stretching from the Atlantic shores of t ...

, Palestine,

Syria Syria, officially the Syrian Arab Republic, is a country in West Asia located in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Levant. It borders the Mediterranean Sea to the west, Turkey to Syria–Turkey border, the north, Iraq to Iraq–Syria border, t ...

, and

Turkey Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...

. In 2015, ''Al-Monitor'' relaunched its website and expanded coverage to include further reporting on Washington, the addition of a

culture Culture ( ) is a concept that encompasses the social behavior, institutions, and Social norm, norms found in human societies, as well as the knowledge, beliefs, arts, laws, Social norm, customs, capabilities, Attitude (psychology), attitudes ...

section, a new

podcast A podcast is a Radio program, program made available in digital format for download over the Internet. Typically, a podcast is an Episode, episodic series of digital audio Computer file, files that users can download to a personal device or str ...

and video coverage. In 2023, Al-Monitor launched its business and technology coverage, released several newsletters and introduced a subscription model to access its content. In 2024, ''Al-Monitor'' integrated article translation in seven languages and narrated audio to listen to articles. Past and present editors, columnists, and contributors include Amberin Zaman, formerly a Turkey correspondent for ''

The Economist ''The Economist'' is a British newspaper published weekly in printed magazine format and daily on Electronic publishing, digital platforms. It publishes stories on topics that include economics, business, geopolitics, technology and culture. M ...

''; Ben Caspit, one of Israel's top national security commentators and analysts; Daoud Kuttab, columnist for ''Al-Monitor''’s Palestine Pulse; Sultan al Qassemi, former columnist with the United Arab Emirates–based '' The National'' and one of ''

Time Time is the continuous progression of existence that occurs in an apparently irreversible process, irreversible succession from the past, through the present, and into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequ ...

''s 140 Best

Twitter Twitter, officially known as X since 2023, is an American microblogging and social networking service. It is one of the world's largest social media platforms and one of the most-visited websites. Users can share short text messages, image ...

Feeds of 2011 selections; Barbara Slavin, former diplomatic correspondent for ''

USA Today ''USA Today'' (often stylized in all caps) is an American daily middle-market newspaper and news broadcasting company. Founded by Al Neuharth in 1980 and launched on September 14, 1982, the newspaper operates from Gannett's corporate headq ...

'' and senior fellow at the '' Atlantic Council''; Laura Rozen, a former foreign policy reporter for '' Politico'', ''

Foreign Policy Foreign policy, also known as external policy, is the set of strategies and actions a State (polity), state employs in its interactions with other states, unions, and international entities. It encompasses a wide range of objectives, includ ...

'', and '' Yahoo''; the late

Cairo Cairo ( ; , ) is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Egypt and the Cairo Governorate, being home to more than 10 million people. It is also part of the List of urban agglomerations in Africa, largest urban agglomeration in Africa, L ...

-based political analyst Bassem Sabry, an Egyptian writer who wrote extensively on

and the Arab Spring; Ali Hashem, correspondent for ''Al-Jazeera TV''; and Jack Detsch, columnist for ''

''; and Joyce Karam, former Washington correspondent for ''The Nationa''l; and Edward Felsenthal, former editor-in-chief of ''Time''.

Awards

In 2014, the International Press Institute awarded ''Al-Monitor'' its Free Media Pioneer Award, stating that ''Al-Monitor'''s "unrivalled reporting and analysis exemplify the invaluable role that innovative and vigorously independent media can play in times of change and upheaval". In 2017, the

Online News Association The Online News Association (ONA), founded in 1999, is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization of digital journalists headquartered in Washington, D.C., Washington D.C., United States. The founding members first convened in December 1999 in Chicago. ...

awarded ''Al-Monitor'' an Online Journalism Award for Best Explanatory Reporting for the series: "Middle East Lobbying: The Influence Game". The

Society for Advancing Business Editing and Writing The Society for Advancing Business Editing and Writing is an association of business journalists. Originally founded as the Society of American Business Editors and Writers, in 2018, it changed its name "as part of a broader effort to embrace a ...

awarded ''Al-Monitor'' a Best in Business Award for its Middle East lobbying newsletter in 2019.

Reception

In January 2013, Ian Burrell of ''

The Independent ''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publis ...

'' called ''Al-Monitor'' "an ambitious website that pulls together the commentary of distinguished writers from across the region." In 2012, former ''

'' foreign affairs blogger Max Fisher called ''Al-Monitor'' "an invaluable Web-only publication following the Middle East." '' The Huffington Post'' has referred to ''Al-Monitor'' as "increasingly a daily must-read for insightful commentary on the Middle East", and ''

'' recommended ''Al-Monitor'''s Egypt and Iran coverage in its What to Read section. Al-Monitor, alone among independent media outlets covering the Middle East, has covered the entire region – including field reporting and high-profile interviews from

, Lebanon, the

West Bank The West Bank is located on the western bank of the Jordan River and is the larger of the two Palestinian territories (the other being the Gaza Strip) that make up the State of Palestine. A landlocked territory near the coast of the Mediter ...

, Gaza,

, the Gulf and

– and all governments consistently since inception in 2012, leading to its unique standing in the region. Its coverage of Syria has been recognized for the stellar on the ground reporting by Amberin Zaman, as well as independent and opposition-affiliated Syrian reporters in Idlib, Aleppo, and elsewhere, working under often dangerous and difficult conditions. Al-Monitor, throughout its history, has featured contributors from Israel, the

and Gaza, avoiding the taint of 'bias' in its coverage of Israeli-Palestinian issues. Its inclusive and groundbreaking initiatives included a collaboration with PBS News Hour featuring a discussion with an Iranian academic (from

Tehran Tehran (; , ''Tehrân'') is the capital and largest city of Iran. It is the capital of Tehran province, and the administrative center for Tehran County and its Central District (Tehran County), Central District. With a population of around 9. ...

), an Israeli reporter (from

Tel Aviv Tel Aviv-Yafo ( or , ; ), sometimes rendered as Tel Aviv-Jaffa, and usually referred to as just Tel Aviv, is the most populous city in the Gush Dan metropolitan area of Israel. Located on the Israeli Mediterranean coastline and with a popula ...

), and former US officials including Dennis Ross and Fiona Hill (from Washington). ''Al-Monitor'' editors and journalists are frequently cited in global media as experts on the Middle East, including by the ''New York Times'', '' Washington Post'', '' BBC'', '' Fox News'', ''Al-Jazeera'' and many others. In 2024, the ''BBC'' described the outlet as a "respected Middle East newsletter".

Events

In September 2023, on the sidelines of the

United Nations General Assembly The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA or GA; , AGNU or AG) is one of the six principal organs of the United Nations (UN), serving as its main deliberative, policymaking, and representative organ. Currently in its Seventy-ninth session of th ...

meetings in New York City, ''Al-Monitor'' partnered with ''Semafor'' to host the Middle East Global Summit. Interviews at the summit included His Majesty King Abullah II of Jordan; Prime Minister Mohammed Al Sudani of Iraq; Senior Diplomatic Adviser to the UAE President Dr. Anwar Gargash; White House Senior Advisor for Energy and Investment Amos Hochstein; Oman Foreign Minister Sayyid Badr Albusaidi; US Assistant Secretary of State Barbara Leaf, as well as other senior regional ministers and private sector leaders.

References