1. Bringing the mass media in: the ontribution of the mass media for understanding citizens' attitudes towards the European Union
- Author
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Adam, Silke and Freie Universität Berlin, FB Politik- und Sozialwissenschaften, Otto-Suhr-Institut für Politikwissenschaft Kolleg-Forschergruppe 'The Transformative Power of Europe'
- Subjects
Mass Communication ,europäischer Markt ,European Politics ,political elite ,descriptive study ,300 Sozialwissenschaften::380 Handel, Kommunikation, Verkehr::384 Kommunikation, Telekommunikation ,Politikwissenschaft ,300 Social sciences, sociology & anthropology ,deskriptive Studie ,300 Sozialwissenschaften::350 Öffentliche Verwaltung, Militärwissenschaft ,Europapolitik ,mass media ,political opinion ,ddc:070 ,politische Meinung ,identity ,ideas ,integration theory ,media ,European Public Sphere ,Europeanization ,european identity ,Informationsvermittlung ,politische Elite ,europäische Integration ,Political Process, Elections, Political Sociology, Political Culture ,Political science ,News media, journalism, publishing ,politische Willensbildung, politische Soziologie, politische Kultur ,information policy ,formulation of political objectives ,information flow ,Informationsfluss ,citizen ,EU policy ,Massenmedien ,politische Willensbildung ,Bürger ,Massenkommunikation ,EU-Politik ,ddc:320 ,Publizistische Medien, Journalismus,Verlagswesen ,information brokerage ,EU ,European integration ,Informationspolitik ,European market ,europäische Identität - Abstract
Economic considerations, identity related considerations and cueing theory are used for explaining citizens' attitudes towards the European Union. Yet, all of this research has failed to show how elite cues on interests and identities actually reach the citizens. As a consequence, the author argues that domestic mass media as the most widely used source for citizens' information about the European Union has the potential to fill this missing link. Mass media actively construct reality by promoting ideas (agenda-setting and framing) and thereby shaping processes of socialization and persuasion. In this article the author discusses theoretical concepts of how mass media might affect citizens' attitudes, summarizes what we know about the role of domestic mass media in the course of EU integration, derives research desiderates and finally shows why knowledge on the link between mass media and citizens is paramount to understand the future of EU integration.
- Published
- 2009