Saudi Arabia is set to open its first alcohol store in Riyadh
The shop will be located in the Diplomatic Quarter and purchases are subject to a monthly quota system per registered individual.
This marks a major breakthrough for the highly conservative Muslim country where alcohol has been banned since 1952.
Saudi Arabia is set to open its first alcohol store in Riyadh, accessible only to a select group of non-Muslim diplomats. The shop will be located in the Diplomatic Quarter and purchases are subject to a monthly quota system per registered individual. This marks a major breakthrough for the highly conservative Muslim country where alcohol has been banned since 1952.
Saudi Arabia has opened its first alcohol store in the diplomatic quarter of Riyadh.
The venue is only accessible to non-Muslim diplomats and authorization must be validated through an app called Diplo. No guests or people under 21 are allowed to accompany authorized visitors.
Purchases are subject to a monthly quota system per registered individual.
Accuracy
The clientele will be limited to diplomatic staff and there will be limitations on who can enter the store and how much alcohol they can purchase per month.
Alcohol consumption or possession penalties include fines, jail time, public flogging and deportation for unauthorised foreigners.
Deception
(30%)
The article is deceptive in several ways. Firstly, it states that the store is only accessible to non-Muslim diplomats and authorization must be validated through an app called Diplo. However, this information contradicts a statement made later in the article where it says that foreign embassy staff are able to import alcohol for their own consumption on embassy premises. This implies that they do not need authorization from Diplo to purchase alcohol and therefore cannot access the store as stated earlier. Secondly, the article states that no guests or people under 21 are allowed to accompany authorized visitors to the store, but it does not specify what happens if an authorized visitor brings a guest who is underage. This could be seen as deceptive because it implies that there will be strict enforcement of age restrictions when in fact this may not always be the case. Lastly, the article states that purchases are subject to a monthly quota system per registered individual, but it does not specify what happens if someone exceeds their quota or how they can request an increase in their quota.
Purchases are subject to a monthly quota system per registered individual, but it does not specify what happens if someone exceeds their quota or how they can request an increase in their quota.
No guests or people under 21 are allowed to accompany authorized visitors to the store, but it does not specify what happens if an authorized visitor brings a guest who is underage. This could be seen as deceptive because it implies that there will be strict enforcement of age restrictions when in fact this may not always be the case.
The store is only accessible to non-Muslim diplomats and authorization must be validated through an app called Diplo. However, this information contradicts a statement made later in the article where it says that foreign embassy staff are able to import alcohol for their own consumption on embassy premises.
Fallacies
(85%)
The article contains several fallacies. The author uses an appeal to authority by stating that the Saudi government has not officially confirmed the opening of the alcohol store, but then quotes sources who claim it is true. This creates a false sense of credibility for their claims.
> Spirits on display in a UK bar in Cardiff, United Kingdom. <br> Matthew Horwood | Getty Images News | Getty Images
According to a list of store rules seen by CNBC, the venue is only accessible to non-Muslim diplomats.
No guests or people under the age of 21 are allowed to accompany authorized visitors to the store.
Bias
(85%)
The article is biased towards the idea that Saudi Arabia's decision to open an alcohol store in its capital Riyadh marks a major breakthrough for the country. The author uses language such as 'major step', 'baby step', and 'extremely well stocked' to convey this sentiment, despite not providing any evidence of how significant this change is or what impact it will have on society. Additionally, the article only quotes anonymous sources which makes it difficult to verify the information presented.
Spirits on display in a UK bar in Cardiff, United Kingdom.
Site
Conflicts
Of
Interest (50%)
The author Natasha Turak has a conflict of interest on the topic of Saudi Arabia as she is reporting for CNBC which is owned by Comcast. Additionally, there are financial ties between Saudi Arabia and Comcast through their investments in each other's companies.
Author
Conflicts
Of
Interest (50%)
The author Natasha Turak has a conflict of interest on the topic of Saudi Arabia as she is reporting for CNBC which is owned by Comcast. Additionally, there are financial ties between Comcast and companies that have business interests in Saudi Arabia.
Saudi Arabia will open a shop in Riyadh selling alcohol to a select band of non-Muslim expats, the first to open in more than 70 years.
The clientele will be limited to diplomatic staff and there will be limitations on who can enter the store and how much alcohol they can purchase per month.
Alcohol consumption or possession penalties include fines, jail time, public flogging and deportation for unauthorised foreigners.
Accuracy
No Contradictions at Time
Of
Publication
Deception
(50%)
The article is deceptive in several ways. Firstly, the author claims that Saudi Arabia will open a shop selling alcohol to non-Muslim expats for the first time in over 70 years. However, this statement is misleading as it implies that there has never been any sale of alcohol before when in fact there have been instances where diplomatic staff were allowed to import and consume alcohol within certain limits.
The article claims that Saudi Arabia will open a shop selling alcohol for the first time in over 70 years. However, this statement is misleading as it implies that there has never been any sale of alcohol before when in fact there have been instances where diplomatic staff were allowed to import and consume alcohol within certain limits.
The article states that drinkers will be limited to 240 'points' per month. This is a deceptive way of presenting the limitations as it does not specify what each point represents or how many litres of alcohol can be purchased with them.
Fallacies
(70%)
The article contains several fallacies. The author uses an appeal to authority by stating that the new shop will counter 'the illicit trade of alcohol'. However, this statement is not supported by any evidence or data. Additionally, the author quotes a source who states that patrons will be limited to 240 'points' of alcohol per month, but does not provide any context for what these points represent or how they are calculated. This creates confusion and makes it difficult to understand the limitations on alcohol consumption. The article also contains an example of inflammatory rhetoric when it states that penalties for consuming or possessing alcohol can include fines, jail time, public flogging and deportation for unauthorised foreigners.
The new shop will counter 'the illicit trade of alcohol'.
Bias
(100%)
None Found At Time Of
Publication
Site
Conflicts
Of
Interest (50%)
The author of the article has a conflict of interest on several topics related to Saudi Arabia. The author is based in Riyadh and reports for BBC News World Middle East, which may have financial ties or professional affiliations with diplomatic staff who are mentioned in the article. Additionally, the topic of alcohol shops being allowed in Saudi Arabia could be seen as a controversial one that may not align with the values of non-Muslim expats living there.
The author is based in Riyadh and reports for BBC News World Middle East.
Author
Conflicts
Of
Interest (50%)
The author has a conflict of interest on the topic of alcohol shops in Saudi Arabia as they are reporting for BBC News which is an international news organization and may have financial ties to countries that sell or prohibit alcohol. Additionally, the article mentions diplomatic staff which could indicate personal relationships with individuals who hold positions within governments where there may be conflicting interests.
The author reports on Saudi Arabia's first alcohol shop in more than 70 years.
Saudi Arabia will open a shop in Riyadh selling alcohol to a select band of non-Muslim expats, the first to open in more than 70 years.
The clientele will be limited to diplomatic staff and there will be limitations on who can enter the store and how much alcohol they can purchase per month.
Alcohol consumption or possession penalties include fines, jail time, public flogging and deportation for unauthorised foreigners.
These moves are part of a series of initiatives known as Vision 2030 to liberalise Saudi society under the crown prince and de facto ruler Mohammed bin Salman.
Other Gulf states operate similar alcohol regimes but there is no suggestion from the Saudi document that they are considering doing the same.
Alcohol is forbidden under Islam, but Saudi Arabia had until 1952 held a conciliatory attitude to its presence inside the kingdom.
Accuracy
Saudi Arabia has opened its first alcohol store in the diplomatic quarter of Riyadh.
Deception
(50%)
The article is deceptive in several ways. Firstly, the author claims that Saudi Arabia has not had an alcohol shop for over 70 years when in fact there have been a few pop-up bars selling non-alcoholic drinks and some restaurants serving alcohol to foreigners with diplomatic privileges. Secondly, the article states that this new store will be located in Riyadh's Diplomatic Quarter but does not mention anything about it being exclusive for non-Muslim expats only. Thirdly, the author claims that drinkers would need to register beforehand and receive clearance by the government which is true but they do not provide any details on how this process works or what happens if someone is denied access. Fourthly, the article states that there will be monthly limitations on alcohol consumption but does not specify what these limits are or who enforces them.
The author claims that drinkers would need to register beforehand and receive clearance by the government which is true but they do not provide any details on how this process works or what happens if someone is denied access. For example, the article mentions that patrons will need to be registered and cleared but does not provide any information on who registers them or how they are cleared.
The author claims that this new store will be located in Riyadh's Diplomatic Quarter but does not mention anything about it being exclusive for non-Muslim expats only. For example, the article mentions that the shop will be located in a specific area of Riyadh but does not provide any details on who is allowed to enter or purchase alcohol.
The author states that there will be monthly limitations on alcohol consumption but does not specify what these limits are or who enforces them. For example, the article mentions that drinkers will be limited to 240 'points' per month but does not provide any details on what these points represent or how they are calculated.
The author claims that Saudi Arabia has not had an alcohol shop for over 70 years when in fact there have been a few pop-up bars selling non-alcoholic drinks and some restaurants serving alcohol to foreigners with diplomatic privileges. For example, the article mentions that these places exist but does not provide any details on how they operate or who is allowed access.
Fallacies
(70%)
The article contains an appeal to authority fallacy by stating that the shop will counter 'the illicit trade of alcohol'. The author does not provide any evidence or data to support this claim. Additionally, there is a dichotomous depiction of the clientele as either diplomatic staff who are allowed access to alcohol or ordinary foreigners in the kingdom without diplomatic privileges who are not allowed access. This creates an 'us versus them' mentality and can be seen as inflammatory rhetoric.
The shop will counter "the illicit trade of alcohol".
Bias
(85%)
The article reports that Saudi Arabia will open a shop in Riyadh selling alcohol to non-Muslim expats. The clientele is limited to diplomatic staff and there are strict limitations on who can enter the store and how much they can consume. However, it also mentions that this move is part of a series of initiatives known as 'Vision 2030' which aims to liberalize Saudi society under Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. The article does not provide any evidence or quotes from experts in order to support the claim that alcohol consumption will have positive effects on Saudi society.
The clientele is limited to diplomatic staff
There are strict limitations on who can enter the store and how much they can consume
This move is part of a series of initiatives known as 'Vision 2030' which aims to liberalize Saudi society under Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman
