Saudi Arabia Expands Missile Factory, Study Says

Questions about this coverage

How did the left and right cover Saudi Arabia Expands Missile Factory, Study Says?

Of the 16 outlets on this story carrying a published leaning rating, 6% are rated left, 38% are rated centre, 56% are rated right. Those percentages are shares of the rated outlets, not of every outlet that ran it, which was 31. The sections above set out what each side emphasised, in its own terms.

Is Saudi Arabia Expands Missile Factory, Study Says left or right?

Neither side dominates it. Of the 16 rated outlets on this story, 6% are rated left, 38% are rated centre, 56% are rated right, and no side holds the 70% this site would want before calling a field one-sided. A story is not left or right in any case; the outlets that carried it are what carry ratings.

Is the coverage of Saudi Arabia Expands Missile Factory, Study Says biased?

Saudi Arabia Expands Missile Factory, Study Says is one event reported by 31 outlets, and this page does not rate the story as biased or unbiased. What it publishes is the spread: which outlets ran it, where named rating organisations place each of them on the spectrum, and what each side chose to lead with. A leaning rating describes an outlet's record over time, not this article, and the two should not be run together.

Which side is not reporting Saudi Arabia Expands Missile Factory, Study Says?

When we first saw this story, outlets rated left had barely covered it. Coverage accretes for hours after an event, so that is where to look rather than a verdict — the split above is the current count, and it is the one to read.

Which outlets covered Saudi Arabia Expands Missile Factory, Study Says?

31 that we know of, every one of them listed further up this page with a link to its own report and to what we hold on the publisher. Nothing here is a summary of somebody else's summary: the outlets are named so the original reporting can be read.

What is Saudi Arabia expanding at its missile factory?

Saudi Arabia appears to be expanding its ballistic missile factory at the al-Duwadimi complex. Analysis of satellite imagery suggests the construction of new facilities, including a larger building possibly for casting solid-fuel missile motors and another for storing components.

What are the potential implications of this expansion?

The expansion could lead to Saudi Arabia producing larger, more powerful solid-fuel missiles. This may increase regional tensions by fueling a missile race and could also deepen opposition in the US Congress to a proposed US-Saudi civilian nuclear agreement.

Who provided the satellite images and who analyzed them?

Commercial satellite images of the al-Duwadimi complex were provided by the satellite company Planet Labs. Researchers Sam Lair and Michael Duitsman of the Foreign Policy Research Institute analyzed these images.