The New York Times says received training from a private American security group, a move first authorised by the administration of former president Barack Obama in 2014
It continued at least until the start of Donald Trump's presidency, the newspaper adds
Its report details the cases of 34 other journalists who have been jailed in Saudi Arabia, including the blogger Raif Badawi, who has been imprisoned in his home country since 2012 on charges of "insulting Islam".