The story: Saudi Arabia’s ministry of human resources and social development has adopted new labor reforms as part of an initiative it had announced in November 2020. The new amendments target the “kafala [sponsorship] system,” which ties foreign workers to a single employer who has the power to renew or terminate their residency and work permits.

The coverage: In a March 14 article, the Riyadh-based Arab News described the reforms as “historic.” The English-language daily also wrote that “as many as 10 million migrant workers” would benefit from the latest changes...