The Daily Beast website claims none of the people purported to have written for publications including The Jerusalem Post and South China Morning Post existed.

Instead, fake LinkedIn and Twitter accounts were used and author headshots were either stolen or made using AI that creates realistic looking images of people.

The articles were written mostly for right-wing publications, among them Spiked and the Washington Examiner. The op-eds praised the UAE and criticised Qatar and its news outlet Al Jazeera. Qatar has been put under an economic embargo by the UAE because of its alleged support for terrorist groups.