Saudi social media users have been circulating what they described as a 'leaked document' detailing annual payments "generously granted by the prince of Qatar" to a number of well-known anchors who work for the Aljazeera Arabic channel, saying that it explains their loyalty to the Qatari government.

الصراحة والحق يُقال، إن ما تدفعه شبكة #الجزيرة من دعم مالي يُصرف مباشرة من أمير #قطر تشجع العاملين بالقناة على ألا يبيعون ذممهم وحسب، بل يبيعون حتى كرامتهم وما دون ذلك كثير .. pic.twitter.com/Bawx5SGhjs — خلف الخميسي (@k_alkhamesi) February 16, 2020

Translation: "Honestly, the financial support granted directly by the prince of Qatar to Aljazeera network and people who work for it doesn't only encourage them to sell their own beliefs but also their dignity."

The document signed and sealed mentions the names of eight well-known news anchors, program presenters, and international correspondents with payments ranging from $100k to $400k.

In Saudi, people widely shared the photo, suggesting that these journalists were rewarded for their constant attacks on Saudi Arabia through Aljazeera's daily coverage of news in the region.

مكافآت مرتزقة قناة الجزيرة لهجومهم على السعودية.



#سفيه_الدوحه_وجزيه_المرتزقه pic.twitter.com/jYGAdcgy7P — ممدوح الرفيد (@mamdouh4729) February 17, 2020

Translation: "This is how Aljazeera's mercenaries are being awarded for attacking Saudi Arabia."

Some of the journalists, whose names were mentioned in the document, retweeted it with sarcastic counter-attacks mocking what they described as a "desperate attempt to target Aljazeera."

مساء الدولارات 👍 عاد توقعت تكون مكافأتي انا بالذات مليون وفوق ان شاء الله في ٢٠٢٠ اجتهد اكثر pic.twitter.com/z6427Khyz0 — Ola Al Fares ⚖️ (@OlaAlfares) February 17, 2020

Translation: "Here come the dollars. Although I was expecting at least a whopping million. Let's hope I work better in 2020."

Many pro-Qatar commentators ridiculed the document, saying that whoever created it failed to sign it as "approved," writing "depends" instead. Others noted that the indicated total payment sum isn't equal to the listed payouts.

اللي زور الورقه ما يعرف يحسب المجموع — واثق (@wwathiqq) February 18, 2020

Translation: "Whoever faked this document can't do math."

Since the beginning of the crisis between Qatar and other Gulf countries in the summer of 2017, the Qatari-owned Aljazeera network has dedicated more time highlighting Saudi issues, most notably the war in Yemen and the 2018 gruesome murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, which has been perceived by Saudi viewers as an attack against their country.