Media sponsors withdraw from Saudi conference


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Last year, the US media group signed an agreement with a Saudi publisher to manage a network of financial information in Arabic. He did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the status of this agreement.

CNN, CNBC and the Financial Times announced Friday that they would not sponsor the conference. The New York Times has withdrawn earlier in the week.

Organized by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and due to open on October 23, the event aims to present the Prince's Vision 2030 plan to end the country's dependence on oil.

But the media began to break off relations as the fate of Khashoggi, a prominent Saudi journalist, contributed to the Washington Post and openly criticized the Saudi regime.

Khashoggi has been missing for more than a week after going to the Saudi Arabian Consulate General in Istanbul to obtain marriage papers. The Turkish authorities have sound and visual evidence that Khashoggi was killed inside the consulate of Saudi Arabia, CNN told a source close to the ongoing investigation.

Saudi Arabia firmly denies any involvement in its disappearance.

CNN said Friday in a statement that it had "withdrawn its participation" in the conference. CNBC said on Twitter that he was pulling out because of "continuing questions" about the journalist's disappearance.

Finola McDonnell, head of communications and marketing at the Financial Times, said on Twitter that the British newspaper would not attend the conference until Khashoggi's disappearance "remains unexplained".

Andrew Ross Sorkin, columnist for the New York Times who also works as a presenter for CNBC, tweeted On Thursday, he was "terribly distressed" by Khashoggi's disappearance and would no longer participate. He had to moderate three sessions.

Zanny Minton Beddoes, editor of The Economist, and Patrick Soon-Shiong, owner of the Los Angeles Times newspaper, also canceled their intention to speak.

Other media sponsors of the conference on investment are Fox Business Network and Saudi Arabian television channel Al Arabiya.

Fox Business Network is monitoring the situation, according to a spokesman for the network.

Corporate retaliation against Khashoggi threatens economic dreams of Saudi Arabia

Companies other than the media industry are also rethinking their involvement.

Uber CEO, Dara Khosrowshahi, who was to talk about the future of transportation, said Thursday that he was pulling out.

Chris Liakos, Charles Riley, Zahraa Alkhalisi and Julia Horowitz contributed to this report.

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