The European Public Sphere: Myth, Reality or Aspiration? (original) (raw)
Related papers
European Journal of Communication, 2011
This edited volume sets out to examine the Europeanization of media discourse vis-à-vis advancing European integration and to explore its relation to political practice and the 'European democratic deficit'. The studies presented investigate patterns of communication and interaction that emerge alongside institutional and policy regulation at the EU level and these are used to draw conclusions about how conditions of Europeanization, transnationalism and globalization affect the ways democratic politics is performed.
Transnational News Media and the Elusive European Public Sphere
Various initiatives to unite the people and the nations of Europe have often met resistance when trying to reach a level of integration that would comprise significant political and cultural components. European authorities have nurtured high hopes that mass media could play a decisive role in creating and securing a form of European public sphere driven by the development of a European media sphere. Despite daring and resolute initiatives, any significant European media sphere has remained as elusive as a comprehensive Europe-wide public sphere. Adding to the complexity of the matter, the articulation between regional, national, and European public and media spheres forms a range of complex configurations. Ultimately, while preserving the budding of transnational media spheres, attention should be shifted toward making existing public spheres more porous while interconnecting them to enhance mutual understanding and empathy among the peoples of Europe.
Having as theoretical basis the notion of the public sphere and its manifestations within the EU, the current paper seeks to trace similarities and differences in the public discourse developed in German and Greek news sites, regarding the financial and refugee crises. Our quantitative content analysis shows that there are both similarities and differences in the two distinct public spheres, regarding the evaluation of the EU, its policies on the aforementioned issues and the ways in which the public discourse is being articulated mainly on behalf of politicians and journalists, who appear to be the main carriers of the public discourse in the media under scrutiny.
The European Public Sphere – Barriers and Limitations
Zeszyty Prasoznawcze, 2018
The European public sphere appears only incidentally and temporarily and even then, European issues are presented through the prism of national benefits or loss. All of this is not conducive to the creation of a European identity, nor the legitimization of EU. Should the media and the journalists be blamed for this state of affairs? How do they perceive their role in the process of European integration? Where, in their opinion, are the causes, which render the creation of a European public sphere impossible? This article will present the results of individual depth interviews (IDI) conducted with German press journalists (16).
Grounding the European Public Sphere
Abstract The gold standard for discussing public spheres has long been established around mass media, with the prestige print press given a privileged place.
Agents of transnational debate across Europe: The press in emerging European public sphere
Javnost the Public, 2008
This article aims at assessing the theoretical and empirical role of the national press in the emerging European public sphere. The study draws on Europeanisation as the emerging framework for transnational communication across European nation states. It assumes that the press itself may perform as a political actor and make a substantial contribution to Europeanisation by advocating European integration and by broadening its scope to include the perspectives of all EU member states and the EU itself. In order to discern the infl uence or role of the media-its "voice"-this study analysed the content of editorials of 28 newspapers in seven European countries along two dimensions. First, the receptiveness of the press towards European perspectives is investigated by measuring the degree to which its editorials feature European scopes. Second, the study examines newspapers' attitudes about European integration as a political project. The overall fi ndings point to a remarkable representation of European perspectives, and substantial support for EU integration, by the national press in Germany, France, Italy and Spain. The newspapers in the Netherlands and Switzerland were somewhat more parochial, but still supportive. We also see that the United Kingdom (UK) media deviate substantially from these patterns. This study concludes that, in contrast with the fi ndings of earlier studies, the press must be regarded as a signifi cant agent of Europeanisation fostering transnational linkages of public debate.
Discussion on a European public sphere: the role of mass media and the EU's support
This short paper presents a various theoretical approaches of the European Public Sphere that emphasizes on the role on European integration and European identity. It discusses the extent to which the EU’s institutions are involved in building process of a European Public Sphere by financing a various projects. The aim of this paper is to analyze the arguments presented by various scholars who have developed the concept in the context of the EU and its policy. Furthermore, the purpose is to discuss to what extent does mass media and projects function as a European public sphere in the EU. The paper comes up with a current picture on how the EU supports the media outlets together with the projects that aim to foster the emergence of a European public sphere as well as to improve the image of the EU.