Thursday, June 27, 2013
2.04 (Binnengasthuis)
The ongoing institutional and economic crisis of the EU has created new stereotypes and perceptions, as well as facilitated the return of old prejudices across the Member States, with important implications for the future of European integration. The crisis has generated media coverage across the board challenging the reputations of countries most affected by the recession and those who bear the financial burden of bailouts. In this paper we examine the media presentation and representation of countries, their political actors and institutions in the context of the EU economic crisis. References to ‘the sinking boat of the EU’; ‘lazy Greeks’; ‘hard-working Germans’; and, ‘detached Brits’ are frequently hosted in headlines, news reports and editorial commentary. How the media covers the crisis and the political actors involved has important implications for public opinion perceptions that exceed a country's reputation, shaping attitudes towards Europeanization, integration, and prospects about European identity and citizenship. Attitudes like Euro-skepticism and North-South divisions have been demonstrated in the past to correlate with media coverage. Thus, the examination of media content is essential in understanding the effect on citizens’ orientation towards the EU. In this paper, we illuminate Britain as a special case of ‘awkward partnership’ with the EU with a vocal and often anti-EU press coverage and political orientation. We employ a combination of qualitative and quantitative methodologies by conducting content and discourse analysis of the main editorial pieces and the readers’ letters published in four major British newspapers from 2008 to 2012. We focus on the reputation, emotional responses to, and stereotypical perceptions of Germany, Greece and the European Union. We map the presence of affective expressions, such as anger, fear, hope and pride and identify stereotype-inducing frames and discourses, which underpin the public’s trust and confidence in EU and domestic institutions. By studying the media representations of the actors of the financial crises, we contribute to the systematic understanding of public opinion of the EU in times of crisis.
