Published in English under the close editorial supervision of the Saudi authorities, the magazine was in particular intended to foster a sense of belonging at Aramco for employees and their families, as well as to more generally promote the company's interests.
[2] Its coverage focuses on the Arab world as a whole, albeit with an emphasis on perspectives thought to be of interest to its primarily American intended audience.
Originally published to inform American Aramco employees of company activities, the magazine's coverage was expanded over the following decade to a more general interest format,[2] modeled after contemporary US magazines such as Life and The Saturday Evening Post, and covering a wide variety of topics related to the Arab world and oil industry.
[3] Under the close editorial control of the Saudi government,[3] the magazine serves as a public relations effort to promote a "favorable business climate" for the oil industry and in particular to foster a sense of belonging at the company for American employees and their families, as well as to curb negative sentiment against the company both from both employees and the public.
[2] The magazine is noted for its inclusion of full-color visual features, and its coverage of film production in Lebanon during the magazine's Beirut residency is a noteworthy resource for area studies, albeit with significant biases towards the interests of US audiences.