A "groundless smear campaign" by some media organizations was aimed at his and his family's integrity, snapped Tsang, who should have been in good shape after a four-day break in Japan ahead of today's start of a three-day debate in the Legislative Council that is supposed to lead to a motion of thanks for his policy address on October 14.

Instead, Tsang showed he was bruised by claims that his son's father- in-law, a leading distributor of light bulbs, would benefit from a plan to promote energy-saving lighting - an initiative in the policy address - and that a younger brother's wife received preferential treatment in recovering part of a doomed investment in Lehman minibonds.

"Some media agencies have recently questioned my integrity," Tsang said after an Executive Council meeting. The allegations appeared part of a "growing trend," he said, and "I deeply regret the groundless attack, which is aimed at undermining the credibility of the government."

It was unfair for media to say that a HK$100 coupon scheme for energy- saving light bulbs was meant to benefit son Simon Tsang Hing-yin's father-in- law, Anthony Mok Kam-chuen, he went on. "The open, transparent and consistent government policies were twisted to become an idea for personal gain."

He then hit at a "purely empty accusation" that sister-in-law Lam Suk- jing was helped when she recovered 60 percent of a minibond investment three months before most other investors were made an offer. "When my relative went to negotiate with the bank, I was totally in the dark," he said.

On why he should be made a target, Tsang retorted that it is a "fact you can see in the media." Apple Daily, Oriental Daily and The Sun are three newspapers that have set the pace in churning the accusations.

Executive councillor Cheng Yiu- tong was in Tsang's corner, claiming "some media agencies have been attacking him continuously. It should not be allowed in a lawful society."

But others expressed surprise at Tsang's stance. The Democratic Party's Lee Wing-tat, referring to the previous chief executive, said: "Donald Tsang behaves worse than Tung Chee-hwa. Tung would at least keep his mouth shut and not blame the press."

League of Social Democrats legislator Raymond Wong Yuk-man, a former lecturer in journalism, asked: "How can someone as high as a chief executive smear the media when trying to clear his name?"

And former secretary for the civil service Joseph Wong Wing-ping said Tsang should face the reality that public figures come in for media criticism.

The public's view of Tsang was also being questioned yesterday. The latest University of Hong Kong opinion poll showed his policy address rated 43 out of 100, down 6.8 from a sounding last week. About 45 percent out of 513 respondents were dissatisfied with the address. On that, Tsang said he respects public opinion surveys.