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Across time and space: Explaining variation in news coverage of the European Union

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 January 2026

Hajo G. Boomgaarden ,
Claes H. De Vreese ,
Andreas R.T. Schuck ,
Rachid Azrout ,
Matthijs Elenbaas ,
Joost H.P. Van Spanje  and
Rens Vliegenthart
Hajo G. Boomgaarden*
Affiliation:
Amsterdam School of Communication Research (ASCoR), The Netherlands
Claes H. De Vreese
Affiliation:
Amsterdam School of Communication Research (ASCoR), The Netherlands
Andreas R.T. Schuck
Affiliation:
Amsterdam School of Communication Research (ASCoR), The Netherlands
Rachid Azrout
Affiliation:
Amsterdam School of Communication Research (ASCoR), The Netherlands
Matthijs Elenbaas
Affiliation:
Amsterdam School of Communication Research (ASCoR), The Netherlands
Joost H.P. Van Spanje
Affiliation:
Amsterdam School of Communication Research (ASCoR), The Netherlands
Rens Vliegenthart
Affiliation:
Amsterdam School of Communication Research (ASCoR), The Netherlands
*
Address for correspondence: Hajo G. Boomgaarden, Amsterdam School of Communication Research (ASCoR), University of Amsterdam, Kloveniersburgwal 48, 1012 CX Amsterdam, The Netherlands. E‐mail: H.Boomgaarden@uva.nl
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Abstract

News about the European Union (EU) looks different in different countries at different points in time. This study investigates explanations for cross‐national and over‐time variation in news media coverage of EU affairs drawing on large‐scale media content analyses of newspapers and television news in the EU‐15 (1999), EU‐25 (2004) and EU‐27 (2009) in relation to European Parliament (EP) elections. The analyses focus in particular on explanatory factors pertaining to media characteristics and the political elites. Results show that national elites play an important role for the coverage of EU matters during EP election campaigns. The more strongly national parties are divided about the EU in combination with overall more negative positions towards the EU, the more visible the news. Also, increases in EU news visibility from one election to the next and the Europeanness of the news are determined by a country's elite positions. The findings are discussed in light of the EU's alleged communication deficit.

Keywords

mediaEuropean UnionEuropean Parliament electionselite conflictnews coverage

Information

Type
Original Articles
Information
European Journal of Political Research , Volume 52 , Issue 5 , August 2013 , pp. 608 - 629
Copyright
Copyright © 2013 The Authors. European Journal of Political Research © 2013 European Consortium for Political Research

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