BETHLEHEM (Ma'an) -- Ma'an News Agency is the 24th most popular news website in the Arab world and number one in Palestine, according to a new study published Thursday by Forbes Middle East.
The report by the Arabic edition of world renowned Forbes magazine ranks the most popular online media in the Arab world over a period from Aug. 31, 2011 to Aug. 31, 2012.
The study collected data on the number of visitors to each site, average time spent on the site, new visitors to the site and social media exposure to compare the popularity and influence of Arabic media sites.
The final list is made up of the 27 most popular news sites selected from the many hundreds in the Arab media world.
Ma'an News Agency ranked first in Palestine and 24th in the Arab world, with a total of 47 million visitors over the one year study period.
The most popular website was the Egyptian based Masrawy news-site.
"We do not think about this matter, but as Palestinians we are proud of this audience and being ranked as number one in Palestine," editor-in-chief of Ma'an News Agency Nasser Lahham said.
"This win is dedicated to all the workers and employees of Ma'an and is a result of their hard work," he added.