NEWSLETTER #6

The MEDIATIZED EU Project is delighted to share the latest contributions from its dedicated team of researchers. In a significant stride toward understanding and explaining media discourses surrounding European integration, with a focus on information, disinformation and polarisation, four articles have been published in the October 2023 special issue of the open-access journal Media and Communication. Edited by Dr. Ana Pérez-Escoda and MEDIATIZED EU Project Coordinator Dr. Tetyana Lokot, these articles delve into topics such as media discourses on European integration, euroscepticism, and the portrayal of the EU.

Three other articles stemming from MEDIATIZED EU research were published in the past six months. The team of the Centre for Social Sciences (CSS) in Georgia published an insightful analysis on de-Europeanization as a progressive disengagement between domestic authorities and EU actors manifested through their discourses.

The team of Spain’s Nebrija University (UANE) co-authored an important piece on the human rights narratives in Spanish media discourses on the European Union. It was published in the July 2023 special issue of the open-access journal El Profesional de la información, focusing on International Political Communication. The special issue was edited by Dr. Ana Pérez-Escoda and the Principal Investigator of the Portuguese team, Dr. Maria-Raquel Freire.

Finally, the team of the Tallinn University of Technology (TalTech), Estonia, published an article on elites, media framing, and public perception of European integration in the TalTech Journal of European Studies.

Check out the Publications section on our website.

In the last six months, our researchers participated in six international conferences: the 29th International Conference of Europeanists of the Council of European Studies (CES); the General Conference of the European Consortium for Political Research (ECPR); the 16th Pan-European Conference on International Relations of the European International Studies Association (EISA PEC); the International Congress of the DiscourseNet International Association of Discourse Studies and the Latin American Discourse Studies Association (DNC5ALED); the Annual Conference of the Hungarian Sociological Association; and the 27th Annual Conference of the Central European Political Science Association (CEPSA).

Six partner institutions from Hungary, Portugal, Georgia, Estonia, Spain, and Ireland presented research outcomes the CES conference, themed “Europe’s Past, Present, and Future: Utopias and Dystopias”, which was held at the University of Iceland in Reykjavik on 27-29 June 2023. Our researchers presented the preliminary results of media analysis and elite interviews as part of a dedicated panel titled “Elite and Media Discourses on the European Union”.

Researchers from three partner organisations also participated in ECPR 2023, held in Prague, Czechia on 4-8 September 2023: Dublin City University (DCU), Ireland; Corvinus University Budapest (CUB), Hungary; and the Centre for Social Studies (CES), Portugal. Their presence marked a significant contribution, as they presented their research on media discourses and elite perceptions of the EU, enriching the conference with diverse insights and perspectives.
Researchers of the CUB, UANE and CSS teams presented research in the panel titled “Elite and public discourses on European integration” at the Annual Conference of the Hungarian Sociological Association, on November 17-18, 2023 in Budapest, Hungary; and the CUB team presented their work on “Political and media polarisation in communicating war and peace” at the CEPSA Annual Conference on September 28-29, 2023 in Dubrovnik, Croatia.
The CES team presented their research at EISA PEC in Potsdam, Germany on 5-9 September, 2023 in a panel on right-wing authoritarianism and populism, and finally, the CSS team also presented research at DNC5ALED Congress “Discourses and their impacts on a world of multiple crises”, on July 25-28, 2023 in Valencia, Spain.

More information can be found below:

MEDIATIZED EU teams present preliminary results in conference in Iceland

Gabriella Ilonszki and György Lengyel present research on consensus and polarisation in Hungary in ECPR conference

Tetyana Lokot presents research on Irish media discourses on European integration at ECPR General Conference

CES team presents research on the Portuguese media’s representations of the EU in ECPR and EISA conferences

Lika Tsuladze presents research on the use of Europeanization in Georgian media at DiscourseNet Congress

MEDIATIZED EU teams present research at the Annual Conference of the Hungarian Sociological Association

Following the publication of the third and fourth episodes of our MEDIATIZED EU podcast series, another five episodes were published in the past six months. These episodes focus on the preliminary results of the media analysis and elite interviews conducted by the research teams in Hungary, Portugal, Estonia, Spain, and Belgium.

Listen to the teams explain the results of our research by tuning into our podcast series here.

In September 2023, MEDIATIZED EU successfully underwent the project’s second midterm review with very positive feedback from external reviewers. They remarked on our excellent research track record and timely submission of high-quality deliverables. During the very productive session, the research teams engaged with the reviewers’ insightful suggestions and encouraging comments on the work already completed and on the project’s next steps.

After finishing the elite interview analysis report, the MEDIATIZED EU teams have been actively involved in conducting and analysing data from national public opinion surveys over the past few months. In each country, representative surveys were conducted to understand public perceptions of the Europeanization process, people’s opinions about the EU, and how these relate to the pragmatic, identity, and sociodemographic factors. The results are quite exciting, and we look forward to sharing some of these insights soon!

The MEDIATIZED EU researchers are gearing up for our final project year and are currently in the planning phase of civic discussions (CIREREFs) in each target country. These discussions aim to actively engage the public, seeking their invaluable reactions and reflections on the project’s topic and preliminary findings. The goal is to foster a deliberative environment, encouraging individuals to thoughtfully consider and discuss matters related to media discourses, Europeanization, and perceptions of the EU. Stay tuned for more details and our report on the seven discussions which will be held in Belgium, Ireland, Portugal, Estonia, Hungary, Georgia and Spain in early 2024.