Holding Europe to no account: a media question

By Cristina Marconi and John Lloyd

The European Union occupies a central position in the political and economic life of its twenty-eight members and an important one in much of the rest of the world. Few other institutions of governance have such a controversial role, and its very existence is increasingly called into question by uncompromising critics who wish to see it killed off; and it is much more severely criticised than previously by those who want it radically reformed.

European mediaA debate on the legitimacy of the EU’s action has always existed and has been quite trenchant in the past, but it has never reached the current peak. The EU public has never been so engaged with and opinionated about the EU project as it is now: the news media have had to take this into account.

It is clearly important that citizens from the twenty-eight EU countries understand what effect the EU Commission, the Parliament and the Council of Ministers have on their lives – what policies they discuss and approve, what relationship they have with national governments, what assistance they offer to member states, how much they pay to them, what power they have and what powers they seek to have.

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A Shrinking Brussels Press Corps Could Put Investigative EU Journalism at Risk

By Sophie Lecheler

Flickr - europeanpeoplesparty - EPP Summit Brussels 25 March 2010 (98)Citizens rely on the news media for information about European politics. At the centre of the news media’s role in EU integration stands one group of journalists: Brussels correspondents. However, research shows that many correspondents experience both economic as well as professional obstacles when reporting on Europe – if they don’t get sent back home in the first place.

Most of us have little chance of experiencing European politics first-hand. We must thus rely on how the media report on Europe. This media coverage is shaped by journalists working in “Europe’s capital”, Brussels. The Brussels press corps is a close-knit group of correspondents, characterised by diverging journalistic traditions, languages, and journalistic skills. Brussels journalists are no “traditional” foreign correspondents as they do not report about “foreign affairs”, but national issues – from an international location. Many EU citizens are not particularly interested in these European issues, which thwarts the work of Brussels journalists. I have examined the work of Brussels journalism and their relationship with citizens, policymakers, as well as other observers of public life. Continue reading “A Shrinking Brussels Press Corps Could Put Investigative EU Journalism at Risk”