Qatar has no official censorship, but newspapers recognize the need for self-censorship in not publishing material critical of the ruling family, the government, or religious issues. The privately owned press consists of three Arabic dailies--Ar Rayah (The Banner), Al Arab (The Arab), and Ash Sharq (The East)--and an English daily, Gulf Times. The Ministry of Information and Culture operates the Qatar News Agency, the Qatar Broadcasting Service, and the Qatar Television Service.
Data as of January 1993