ABSTRACT
The recent political struggle and the severe polarisation in Egypt were associated with unprecedented attempts by the media to discredit, defame online, and spread rumours about activists, among other tactics. Attackers target the private lives, values and the very identity of their victims in an attempt to subject them to scorn and ridicule, a process that can best be described as character assassination. The present chapter examines the causes and effects of character assassination campaigns against political activists in Egypt, with a particular focus on attacks on former vice president for international relations Mohammed ElBaradei.
