Founder of “As-Safir” newspaper Talal Salman (Credit: NNA)
BEIRUT — Journalist and founder of Lebanon's “As-Safir” newspaper Talal Salman died on Friday at age 85, the state-run National News Agency reported.
Salman, born in 1938, founded the newspaper in 1974.
In 1980, an explosion targeted the paper's headquarters. Several subsequent explosion attempts targeted Salman's home. In 1984, he escaped an assassination attempt next to his home in Ras Beirut.
The Dubai Media Forum named Salman “Media Personality of the Year” in 2009.
The next year, the Faculty of Information at the Lebanese University awarded him an honorary doctorate degree, in recognition of his unique role in journalism, media and literary journalism.
"As-Safir” was one of Lebanon's most famous newspapers. It shut down on Dec. 31, 2016 due to financial problems.
