UAE's Adnoc says Reuters story 'inaccurate,' calls for responsible reporting

Detailed summary

The Abu Dhabi company said the story's central claim is false. "Reuters should have verified it before publication. " A response statement by Adnoc was sent to Reuters. However,…

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Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (Adnoc) has said that a Reuters story that was published on Friday, November 13 was based on inaccurate information.

The news agency has earlier filed a story on the expected date to complete Adnoc's second crude oil pipeline. In a statement, the UAE company stated that the report relied on a single source outside Adnoc with no knowledge of Adnoc's operations.

Adnoc provided a timeline of verbal exchanges with the international news agency before the publication of the report. At 8am GST on Friday, it said, Reuters informed Adnoc of its intention to publish a news story. Despite being advised by Adnoc that the story was inaccurate, the report was published anyway at 8.22am.

The Abu Dhabi company said the story's central claim is false. "Reuters should have verified it before publication. " A response statement by Adnoc was sent to Reuters. However, the story's update took more than two hours to be published.

In its update on the story, Reuters quoted an Adnoc spokesperson as saying the story was "false and inaccurate" but did not give further details.

The incident does not represent the first time a Reuters report on the UAE has contained false information. In July, Dubai Media Office said that a Reuters story regarding "explosions" in Downtown Dubai is false.

The news agency later issued a statement saying it "regrets" the report and that the story had been retracted the same evening. The UAE's Public Prosecution has later expanded its investigation into the publication and circulation of the false report. Counsellor Dr Hamad Saif Al Shamsi, Attorney-General of the UAE, said Public Prosecution has taken statements from the Reuters reporter. Those involved in preparing, approving, and publishing the report have also been summoned.

Yasmin Hussein is an Assistant Digital Editor who believes that every news story…

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