GCO statement in response to The Times allegations

Government Communications Office (GCO)

The article published by The Times on 4 June 2021, which makes serious and baseless claims about Qatar, is predicated on misleading assertions, factual inaccuracies, and bias. Other media outlets were shown the same falsified information but declined to publish it after determining that it had no factual basis. Despite Qatar engaging with The Times on these issues, they chose to publish falsehoods, in an apparent abandonment of their journalistic responsibilities. The author of the article, Andrew Norfolk, has a well-documented history of promoting Islamophobic sentiment and this article is another milestone in that effort.