The Emergence of the Euro-journalists

Abstract

During the 1950s, a group of Western European journalists passionate about the European Communities and their supranational version of European integration emerged. This book refers to this group as Euro-journalists. The Euro-journalists adopted the belief that the Communities were not merely technocratic international organisations, but rather the nucleus of a democratic European polity. Moreover, they viewed European integration through the ECSC and EEC as a process which necessarily needed to move forward in order to preserve peace and prosperity in Western Europe, as well as Western Europe’s relevance in the world. As outlined in the previous chapter, Western European media coverage of European integration initially contained considerable indifference and opposition to the European Communities. In this context, Euro-journalists were instrumental in two ways. First, they put the EEC on the Western European media agenda and reported on its existence, organisation and functioning. In this regard, they were aided by the communication efforts of other supporters of the ECSC and EEC in politics, business, academia and the Community institutions. Second, Euro-journalists and other pro-European activists helped to shape a Euro-narrative within media discourse. This narrative promoted the EEC as a sui generis organisation that embodied European integration and Europe. Euro-journalists defended the EEC against attacks and competing projects for European integration, arguing that the only valid path to integration was through the EEC. By doing so, these journalists developed an advocacy journalism based on Europeanist beliefs, technical EEC-knowledge, certain journalistic practices and the Euro-narrative. In short, they created what this book terms Euro-journalism.