In order to determine the nature of foreign news coverage in the Arab Gulf states, a study examined six newspapers in these states (one in each country) in regard to the volume, news sources, and kinds of news (both subject categories and regions covered). Data were selected from 12 issues (one from each month) in 1986 from the following newspapers: "Al-Jazeera" from Saudi Arabia, "Al-Qabas" from Kuwait, "Al-Ittihad" from United Arab Emirates, "Arrayah" from Qatar, "Akhbar Alkhaleej" from Bahrain, and "Oman" from Oman. All newspapers provide international coverage and are considered prestigious; each has the highest circulation in its country. Stories were separated into foreign and domestic categories and measured by length. Findings indicated the following: (1) foreign news comprised more than half the total news space of these papers; (2) there was very little coverage of Latin America or East bloc countries; (3) the Conflict and Defense subject category dominated foreign news; (4) international agencies emphasized conflict at the expense of more positive news; and (5) there was a strong imbalance in the regional coverage and the subject category distribution of foreign news in the Gulf states. (Five tables of data are included, and 34 references are appended.) (MS)