Center · Read · October 21, 2026
Oct 19 · Saudi Arabia postpones ‘Davos in the Desert’ after Houthi attacks
Semafor: Exclusive: Saudi postpones FII in person after Wall Street lobbying
Grade F (58/100). Scoop: executives' safety worries
Lehrer score 58/100 (−18 unnamed source/unsourced figure: core claim from unnamed sources [documentary support: the update note on FII's decision]: “after Wall Street executives privately relayed safety concerns to organizers, including the boss of the kingdom’s sovereign wealth fund, people familiar with the matter said”; −24 own-voice claim/analysis: own-voice claim: “Those who show up in tough times are rewarded, while fair-weather friends are often excluded from lucrative deals.”). Fixed scale: 90+ A, 80s B, 70s C, 60s D, under 60 F → F.
Unnamed sources; own-voice claims: “after Wall Street executives privately relayed safety concerns to organizers, including the boss of the kingdom’s sovereign wealth fund, people familiar with the matter said”; “Those who show up in tough times are rewarded, while fair-weather friends are often excluded from lucrative deals.”.
Agrees: In-person event pushed to 2027
Splits: Adds Wall Street lobbying of PIF's Al-Rumayyan
- Met. Rule: do nothing I cannot defend (Reuters and WSJ reports credited)
- Broken. Rule: no anonymous sources or blind quotes except on rare and monumental occasions (“after Wall Street executives privately relayed safety concerns to organizers, including the boss of the kingdom’s sovereign wealth fund, people familiar with the matter said”)
- Broken. Rule: carefully separate and label opinion and analysis (“Those who show up in tough times are rewarded, while fair-weather friends are often excluded from lucrative deals.”)