Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

EU Media Coverage in Times of Crisis: Euroscepticism Becoming Mainstream?

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
Euroscepticism, Democracy and the Media

Part of the book series: Palgrave Studies in European Political Sociology ((PSEPS))

Abstract

Scholars have argued that Euroscepticism has become mainstream across Europe. By means of a qualitative comparison of media coverage in 2009 and 2014, this chapter explores the extent to which this is the case in mediated public debates. Mainstreaming would entail a changing rhetoric in mediated debates, with actors putting forward soft and hard Eurosceptic arguments (including rejection of European integration) at the expense of supportive positions and pro-system opposition. The focus is on quality newspapers in Britain and the Netherlands. If the mainstreaming thesis is correct, Euroscepticism should certainly no longer be confined to Britain. Moreover, for the mainstreaming thesis to hold it is exactly in quality newspapers that we should also increasingly find critical and Eurosceptic discourses.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
eBook
USD 16.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Hardcover Book
USD 129.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

Bibliography

  • Anderson, P.J. 2004. A Flag of Convenience? Discourse and Motivations of the London-Based Eurosceptic Press. In Euroscepticism: Party Politics, National Identity and European Integration, ed. R. Harmsen and M. Spiering, 151–170. Amsterdam: Rodopi.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bijsmans, P. 2017b, forthcoming. Varieties of Euroscepticism and Opposition to the EU in the European Press. In Euroscepticism in the EU: New Dimensions in Opposition to European Integration, ed. S. Usherwood, N. Startin, and S. Guerra. Cheltenham: Edward Elgar.

    Google Scholar 

  • ———. 2017a, forthcoming. Varieties of Opposition to the EU in the Low Countries. A Comparison of the Dutch and Flemish Press. In The Routledge Handbook of Euroscepticism, ed. N. Startin and S. Usherwood. London: Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • Brack, N., and N. Startin. 2015. Introduction: Euroscepticism, from the Margins to the Mainstream. International Political Science Review 36(3): 239–249.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Clements, B., K. Nanou, and S. Verney. 2014. “We No Longer Love You, But We Won’t Want to Leave You”: The Eurozone Crisis and Popular Euroscepticism in Greece. Journal of European Integration 36(3): 247–265.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Daddow, O. 2012. The UK Media and “Europe”: From Permissive Consensus to Destructive Dissent. International Affairs 88(6): 1219–1236.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • de Beus, J., and J. Mak. 2009. De kwestie Europa. Hoe de EU tot de NederlandsePolitiekdoordringt. Amsterdam: Amsterdam University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • de Vreese, C.H. 2007. A Spiral of Euroscepticism. Acta Politica 42(2–3): 252–270.

    Google Scholar 

  • de Wilde, P., A. Michailidou, and H.-J. Trenz. 2013. Contesting Europe. Exploring Euroscepticism in Online Media Coverage. Colchester: ECPR Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • FitzGibbon, J. 2013. ‘Another Europe Is Possible’ and the End of Euroscepticism? Addressing the Fine-Line Between Opposing Europe and Offering a Euro-Alternative. In University Association for Contemporary European Studies Annual Conference. Leeds: UACES. http://uaces.org/documents/papers/1301/fitzgibbon.pdf. Accessed 9 May 2016.

  • George, S. 1990. An Awkward Partner. Britain in the European Community. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Grix, J., and C. Lacroix. 2006. Constructing Germany’s Image in the British Press: An Empirical Analysis of Stereotypical Reporting on Germany. Journal of Contemporary European Studies 14(3): 373–392.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Guerra, S. 2017. What Is Euroscepticism and How Do We Measure It? In Euroscepticism in the EU: New Dimensions in Opposition to European Integration, ed. S. Usherwood, N. Startin, and S. Guerra. Cheltenham: Edward Elgar.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hallin, D.C., and P. Mancini. 2004. Comparing Media Systems. Three Models of Media and Politics. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hardy, C., B. Harley, and N. Phillips. 2004. Discourse Analysis and Content Analysis: Two Solitudes? Qualitative Methods 2(1): 19–22.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hooghe, L., and G. Marks. 2009. A Postfunctionalist Theory of European Integration: From Permissive Consensus to Constraining Dissensus. British Journal of Political Science 39(1): 1–23.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Karner, C. 2013. Europe and the Nation: Austrian EU-Scepticism and Its Contestation. Journal of Contemporary European Studies 21(2): 252–268.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Katsourides, Y. 2016. Negative Images of Europe in an Era Crisis: The Media and Public Opinion in Cyprus. Journal of Contemporary European Studies 24(1): 61–85.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kevin, D. 2003. Europe in the Media. A Comparison of Reporting, Representation, and Rhetoric in National Media Systems in Europe. Mahwah: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.

    Google Scholar 

  • Koopmans, R., and P. Statham. 2010. Theoretical Framework, Research Design, and Methods. In The Making of a European Public Sphere. Media Discourse and Political Contention, ed. R. Koopmans and P. Statham, 34–59. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kopecký, P., and C. Mudde. 2002. The Two Sides of Euroscepticism. Party Positions on European Integration in East Central Europe. European Union Politics 3(3): 297–326.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Krouwel, A., and K. Abts. 2007. Varieties of Euroscepticism and Populist Mobilization: Transforming Attitudes from Mild Euroscepticism to Harsh Eurocynicism. Acta Politica 42(2–3): 252–270.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Leconte, C. 2010. Understanding Euroscepticism. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mather, J. 2015. The United Kingdom: Reacting to Crises. In The European Union and the Member States, ed. E.E. Zegg and E.B. Pirro, 3rd ed., 111–131. Boulder: Lynne Rienner Publishers.

    Google Scholar 

  • Riffe, D., C.F. Aust, and S.R. Lacy. 1993. The Effectiveness of Random, Consecutive Day and Constructed Week Sampling in Newspaper Content Analysis. Journalism Quarterly 70(1): 133–139.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Risse, T. 2010. A Community of Europeans? Transnational Identities and Public Spheres. Ithaca: Cornell University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • ———., ed. 2015. European Public Spheres. Politics is Back. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Schout, A., and J. Rood. 2013. Europe Beyond Its Image. In The Netherlands as an EU Member: Awkward or Loyal Partner? ed. A. Schout and J. Rood, 15–30. The Hague: Eleven International Publishing.

    Google Scholar 

  • Startin, N. 2015. Have We Reached a Tipping Point? The Mainstreaming of Euroscepticism in the UK. International Political Science Review 36(3): 311–323.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Statham, P., and H.-J. Trenz. 2013. The Politicization of Europe. Contesting the Constitution in the Mass Media. London: Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • Statham, P., R. Koopmans, A. Tresch, and J. Firmstone. 2010. Political Party Contestation. Emerging Euroscepticism or a Normalization of Eurocriticism. In The Making of a European Public Sphere. Media Discourse and Political Contention, ed. R. Koopmans and P. Statham, 245–273. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Taggart, P., and A. Szczerbiak. 2008. Introduction: Opposing Europe? The Politics of Euroscepticism in Europe. In Opposing Europe? The Comparative Party Politics of Euroscepticism. Volume 1: Case Studies and Country Surveys, ed. A. Szczerbiak and P. Taggart, 1–15. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Touri, M., and S. Lynn Rogers. 2013. Europe’s Communication Deficit and the UK Press: Framing the Greek Financial Crisis. Journal of Contemporary European Studies 21(2): 175–189.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Usherwood, S., and N. Startin. 2013. Euroscepticism as a Persistent Phenomenon. Journal of Common Market Studies 51(1): 1–16.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Van Holsteyn, J., and H. Vollaard. 2015. Ratifying the European Constitutional Treaty by referendum. The End of Consensus Politics? In European Integration and Consensus Politics in the Low Countries, ed. H. Vollaard, J. Beyers, and P. Dumont, 213–233. London: Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • Vasilopoulou, S. 2013. Continuity and Change in the Study of Euroscepticism: Plus ça Change? Journal of Common Market Studies 51(1): 153–168.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Watts, D. 1997. Political Communication Today. Manchester: Manchester University Press.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Political Science, Maastricht University, P.O. Box 616, 6200 MD, Maastricht, The Netherlands

    Patrick Bijsmans

Authors
  1. Patrick Bijsmans
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Patrick Bijsmans .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Scuola Normale Superiore, Firenze, Italy

    Manuela Caiani

  2. University of Leicester, Leicester, United Kingdom

    Simona Guerra

Copyright information

© 2017 The Author(s)

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

Bijsmans, P. (2017). EU Media Coverage in Times of Crisis: Euroscepticism Becoming Mainstream?. In: Caiani, M., Guerra, S. (eds) Euroscepticism, Democracy and the Media. Palgrave Studies in European Political Sociology. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-59643-7_4

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-59643-7_4

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, London

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-137-59642-0

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-137-59643-7

  • eBook Packages: Social SciencesSocial Sciences (R0)

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation