The Impact of Media Representations of the EU and its Policies on European Identity

The primary goal of this paper is to review the literature on the impact of media representations of the EU and its policies on processes of European identity building. More specifically, the central scope of the review is to discuss previous studies using methodological frameworks similar to the COHESIFY project with the aim to examine their usefulness as well as their weaknesses in order to assess how media representations of the EU policies impact on citizens’ identification with the EU. Based on the existing typologies for the analysis of media effects, the last section proposes an analytical framework for a more systematic study of media representations of the EU Cohesion policy and their effect on citizen’s identification with the EU

Framing of Cohesion Policy

The importance of mass media in shaping citizens’ attitudes towards various political issues is well-documented in political communication and media studies. Moreover, mass media play an important role in the process of identity formation by influencing individual judgements towards the community and stimulating a sense of belonging in a group. Bearing these postulations in mind, it is clear that European integration and the formation of European identity can be affected by media representations of the EU and its policies. Following this logic, this research paper explores how media represent EU Cohesion policy and whether these representations can affect the formation of European identity. To address these goals, we undertake a framing analysis of 2714 media articles selected from European, national and regional media outlets over a 10-year period (2007-2017). The analysis revealed eight culturally-embedded frames producing news on Cohesion policy issues. The majority of the media articles had a positive valence, especially in relation to the EU. However, despite the positive valence of the analysed news articles, the analysis unfolded a low degree of Europeanisation of the public discourse. Overall, the results suggest that although media representations of Cohesion Policy can reflect a positive stance towards EU Cohesion policy, this does (yet) fully translate into the promotion of European identity mainly due to the fragmented and nationalised discourses employed by the media outlets that were investigated in this research

Their Two Cents Worth': Exploring User Agency in Readers” Comments in Online News Media

This paper explores the assumption that user-generated content in mass media websites gives audiences greater power over influencing news making. Employing a content analysis of readers’ comments in various Greek online mass media, the study examines whether commenters assume any of the core journalistic functions regarding news production, in terms of setting the agenda, providing original information, and airing oppositional views on reported issues. From a public sphere perspective, it also examines the degree of diversity of users’ opinions within media outlets. The results suggest that whereas users challenge journalistic viewpoints to some extent, this type of audience participation is not likely to render audiences co-producers of news content in significant ways or offer opportunities for cross-cutting political exchanges

Framing immigration in online media and television news in crisis-stricken Cyprus

© 2015, University of Nicosia. All rights reserved. Immigration is an issue of contestation across Europe. Since the 1990s, the retreat of multiculturalism has resulted in pressures exerted on immigrants to conform and integrate. The strengthening of anti-immigrant stances has intensified after the economic recession that has deteriorated standards of living for large populations and has increased the competition between social groups for public resources. Linguistic labels that evoke judgments have real consequences, as citizen attitudes depend on the labels attributed to immigrants in the public discourse. This study1 employs framing analysis of online articles and television news stories about third-country immigrants that appeared in the Cypriot media in 2013, when the consequences of the financial crisis were most strongly felt by the Cypriot population. The findings reveal the explicit discursive and sourcing mechanisms by which immigration is constructed as a problem and immigrants are ‘othered’ in the media discourse. The study concludes with a discussion of possible remedies deemed appropriate in the context of Cyprus

Conflict as news and news as conflict: a multidimensional content analysis of TV news in Cyprus

This research about how conflict is (re)presented on television news adopts a dual perspective on conflict: conflict as news and news as conflict. Focusing on the understudied case of Cyprus, it builds on the concept of conflict-oriented journalism, a theory-informed analytical framework for studying televised conflict. The analysis reveals the heavy presence of conflict-laden news referring to social conflict, violent crime, warfare, and political contestation. Especially in the case of political news, conflict is used as a paradigmatic mode of presentation. Current journalistic practices ignore the potential offered by peace journalism, meant as event reporting that includes various viewpoints but leaves open the possibility of resolution. This is especially important in societies of long-lasting conflict, such as Cyprus, because the media are one of the fields where conflict is reconstructed