New Book: EU and Journalism, Europeanness in the View of Brussels Reporters

author: Asst. Prof. Dr. Esra Arsan, İstanbul Bilgi University, Faculty of Communication

Avrupa Birliği ve Gazetecilik Brüksel’den Bildirenlerin Gözünden Avrupalılık, Esra Arsan, Ütopya Yayınevi :155 (Kızılay, Ankara), Ocak 2008, ISBN: 978-975-6361-63-4

ABSTRACT
The main concern of this book is to explore the role of the EU journalists in the process of informing European citizens about the EU events, and their role perceptions in creating European public sphere. This research shows that as a unique political communication space, EU reporting is not playing a big role in creation of the European public sphere, and journalistic practice in Brussels is not helping to bridge the democratic deficit of the EU by informing and educating the public.
To explore the role of the journalists in an emerging European public sphere, it is important to understand EU reporters’ daily routines and their professional job perceptions in terms of national and supranational levels. In this study, journalists from two countries, the one which has become a full member of the EU in the middle of the integration process (Greece, 1981) and the other which has newly become a full member of the EU (Hungary, 2004) have been taken as case studies to be examined by in depth interviews and have been surveyed. By asking about reporting and news gathering attitudes and source strategies of the Greek and Hungarian journalists who live and work in Brussels, the differences in the perceived level of understanding of Europeanization has been analyzed.

Key words: EU, Journalism, European public sphere, Europeanization, democratic deficit, political journalism.