Christos Frangonikolopoulos

EUJ 201 Concepts and Aspects of European Journalism

Semester:

ECTS :

10

Course Description

This course examines contemporary concepts and aspects of journalism in a ‘European’ context. ‘European journalism’ in this sense is understood and explored as a practice that covers political, economic and social issues explicitly from a ‘European’ rather than a ‘local’ and ‘national’ perspective. Bearing that in mind, the aim of the course is to explore the role of journalism in the context of European interdependence and integration – the process whereby Europe’s countries formally coordinate their laws, economies and policies-, and in so doing, discuss the limits, opportunities and challenges of journalism practices and media coverage on the European Union, its institutions and policies.

Course Objectives

  • Analyze the concept and aspect of ‘European Journalism’
  • Understand the main theory and practice of ‘European Journalism’.
  • Examine the importance of ‘European Journalism’ in European Integration
  • Provide an insight on how journalism has responded to the transformation of politics and economics as a result of the advancement of European integration and enlargement
  • Examine the dilemmas and obstacles of ‘European Journalism’

Learning outcomes

Upon successful completion of the course students will be able to:

  1. Critically understand the mainstream media coverage of Europe
  2. Define the core concepts and aspects of ‘European Journalism’
  3. Understand how ‘European Journalism’ can facilitate the transformation of local and national practices and norms of journalism, contributing to the development of a European public sphere
  4. Develop tools through which they can better appreciate their local contexts through the prism of a European narrative of journalistic practices
  5. Help the audience and citizens understand why ‘European Journalism’ is desirable as European societies are becoming more complex and political institutions like the European Union are expected to do more and more.

Class and learning activities

Lectures, workshops, group-work, class presentations, literature study and written assignments.

Workload

Type of work Description Hours
Lectures Ten 3-hours lectures 30
Independent study Study of compulsory and optional literature 50
Exercises and Presentations To be discussed and decided with the tutor of the course 100
Written assignments To be discussed and decided with the tutor of the course 120
Total workload 300

Assessment

Type of assessment Learning outcome Impact on final grade Date of assessment
Written assignment 1-5 60% 13th-15th week
Presentations 1-5 20% 11th– 13th week
Exercises 1-5 20% Regularly

Bibliography – required reading

  • AIM Research Consortium (2006) Understanding the Logic of EU Reporting in Mass Media: Analysis of EU Media Coverage and Interviews in Editorial Offices in Europe (Bochum: Projekt Verlag).
  • AIM Research Consortium (2007a) Reporting and Managing European News: Final Report of the Project ʹAdequate Information Management in Europeʹ, 2004–2007 (Bochum/Freiburg: Projekt Verlag).
  • Aim Research Consortium (2007b) Understanding the Logic of EU Reporting from Brussels: Analysis of Interviews with EU Correspondents and Spokespersons (Bochum: Projekt Verlag).
  • Baisnée (2007) ʹThe European Public Sphere does Not Exist (at Least itʹs Worth  Wondering . . . )ʹ, European Journal of Communication, 22(4): 493–503.
  • Baisnée, O. (2002) ʹCan Political Journalism Exist at the EU Level?ʹ, in R. Kuhn and E. Neveu (eds), Political Journalism: New Challenges, New Practices (London: Routledge), 108–28.
  • Downey, J., and Koenig, T. (2006) ʹIs there a European Public Sphere? The Berlusconi–Schultz Caseʹ, European Journal of Communication, 21(2): 165–87.
  • EURONAT (2005) Representations of Europe and the Nation in Current and Prospective Member‐States: Media, Elites and Civil Society. Final Report (Florence: EURONAT/European University Institute).
  • Gleissner, M., and de Vreese, C. H. (2005) ʹNews about the EU Constitution: Journalistic Challenges and Media Portrayal of the European Union Constitution. Journalism, 6(2): 221–42.
  • Lloyd, J. & C. Marconi (2014) Reporting the EU: News Media and the European Institutions (London, I.B. Tauris).
  • Machill, M. (1998) ʹEuronews: The First European News Channel as a Case Study for Media Industry Development in Europe and for Spectra of Transnational Journalism Researchʹ, Media, Culture and Society, 20(4): 427–50.
  • Machill, M., Beiler, M., and Fischer, C. (2006) ʹEurope‐Topics in Europeʹs Media: The Debate about the European Public Sphere. A Meta‐Analysis of Media Content Analysisʹ, European Journal of Communication, 21(1): 57–88.
  • Making Journalists (London: Routledge).
  • Mancini, P. (2005) ʹIs there a European Model of Journalism?ʹ, in H. De Burgh (ed.),
  • Mancini, P.et al. (2007) ʹContext, News Values and Relationships with Sources: Three Factors Determining Professional Practices of Media Reporting on European Mattersʹ, in A. R. Consortium (ed.), Reporting and Managing European News: Final Report of the Project ʹAdequate Information Management in Europeʹ 2004–2007 (Bochum/Freiburg: Projekt Verlag), 117–53.
  • Ornebring, H. (2009) Working Paper: Comparative European Journalism (Reuters Institution for the Study of Journalism, University of Oxford).
  • Semetko, H. A., and Valkenburg, P. M. (2000) ʹFraming European Politics: A Content Analysis of Press and Television Newsʹ, Journal of Communication, 50(2): 93–109.
  • Trenz, H.‐J. (2004) ʹMedia Coverage on European Governance: Exploring the European Public Sphere in National Quality Newspapersʹ, European Journal of Communication, 19(3): 291–319.
  • Triandafyllidou, A. (2007) Policy Brief: Main Findings and Recommendations Regarding Media Communication in and on Europe and the EU (Florence: European University Institute).

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