Lebanese group slams Chidiac threats

Lebanese press advocacy group Media Against Violence [MAV] has denounced a “rabid campaign” to smear broadcaster May Chidiac. The MAV statement detailed “abuse and threats on her telephone, over social networking websites and other online avenues.” Newspapers, it added, “are accustomed to using this unethical and journalistic method of expressing opinion.” The press rights group warned against an "ethical slippery slope" which "would establish a new era of no-holds-barred violence" in the country. "The methods used by those who are constantly attacking Chidiac, as they did several months ago, is unimaginable in terms of profanity, accusations of ill-will and threats,” it added. Media Against Violence announced it had passed on the details of those committing “death threats and other actions” to the relevant authorities. Chidiac, a Christian Maronite, has come under fire before, surviving an assassination attempt in Jounieh in 2005, in a wave of attacks carried out by elements loyal to the ruling Syrian regime.