Do European elections create a European public sphere?

Abstract

This chapter answers the question whether the news coverage of European Parliament (EP) elections across time has helped create a European public sphere. The focus is on the salience of European Union affairs in the mass media during EP election campaigns and on the Europeanness of such coverage, two central aspects of a European public sphere. While the EP elections are more visible in the news media across the EU than previously, the campaign and coverage leading up to the elections have not become European in nature and are still, even increasingly so, dominated by national political actors. Explanatory models show that tabloid newspapers, in particular, show less signs of a European public sphere, while in countries with political parties that are strongly polarized about EU politics, there appears to be more Europeanization of mass media coverage.