The European Parliament in the News: A Critical Analysis of the Coverage in the United Kingdom and Greece (Contributions to Political Science)

This book analyzes the social legitimacy deficit of the European Parliament (EP) in the United Kingdom and Greece. It does so by considering it, partially, a communication deficit, and by addressing the relevant inadequacies of its communication and media relations performance. Following this approach, the book identifies and critically analyzes the problems that the European Parliament is facing in communicating and portraying itself to news websites in the United Kingdom and Greece, and offers potential solutions to the issues presented. The book provides an initial comparison of the scale of the problems that the EP is facing in its communication and media relations performance in Greece and in the United Kingdom, focusing on a number of prominent, carefully selected, impartial or pro-European websites. The failures of the EP to secure adequate levels of visibility on these websites automatically signify serious basic weaknesses in its communication strategy. This bookidentifies those weaknesses, their causes, and presents solutions on how to solve them. Therefore, this book is a must-read for students and scholars of political science and media communication, as well as policy-makers and practitioners interested in a better understanding of the European Parliament's social legitimacy and communication deficit. Acknowledgements Contents About the Author Chapter 1: Introduction 1.1 The Setting and the Intellectual Rationale of the Book References Chapter 2: The European Parliament 2.1 The European Parliament in the EU Context 2.1.1 Brief History of the European Parliament and Its Empowerment The European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC) Treaty (1951) The Treaty of Rome (1957): The Creation of the European Economic Community and the Euratom Treaty The Budgetary Treaties (1970) and (1975) The First European Elections (1979) The Single European Act (1987) The Treaty of Maastricht (1992) The Treaty of Amsterdam (1997) The Treaty of Nice (2001) The Treaty of Lisbon (2007) 2.1.2 The Current Institutional Powers of the European Parliament 2.1.3 Internal Organization and Operation of the European Parliament References Chapter 3: European Parliament ́s Legitimacy: Conceptualization and Empirical Assessment 3.1 Legitimacy in Political Theory and in Social Sciences 3.1.1 The Approach of Legitimacy in Normative Political Theory 3.1.2 The Approach of Legitimacy in the Political and Social Sciences 3.2 Legitimacy Beyond the Nation-State 3.3 Legitimacy in the Context of the EU 3.4 The Perceived Performance of the EP as Determinant of Popular Legitimacy 3.5 Trust Towards a Political Institution as a Determinant of Legitimacy 3.6 Electoral Turnout and the Feeling for the Impact of Vote as a Determinant of Legitimacy of the EP 3.7 Empirical Data for Assessing the Social Legitimacy of the EP in the UK and Greece 3.7.1 Declining Trust in the European Parliament 3.7.2 European Parliament Perceived as an Inefficient Institution 3.7.3 Electoral Turnout in the European Parliament Elections 3.7.4 Dissatisfaction with the European Parliament and Belief that European Parliament Vote Has No Consequences 3.7.5 Concluding Remarks References Chapter 4: European Parliament and the News Media 4.1 The Role of the News Media in Shaping Public Perceptions Towards the EP 4.2 Characteristics of the Media Coverage 4.3 The EU and the EP Affairs in the UK News Media 4.4 The EU and EP Affairs in the Greek News Media 4.5 Communication Deficit of the EU and Its Institutions 4.6 EP Information, Communication, and Media Relations Competences 4.7 EU Media Relations 4.8 Online News Media and Online News Journalists 4.8.1 The Online News Media Context and the Unique Characteristics of the Online News Media Environment (Hyperlinks and Multim... Hyperlinks and Multimedia 4.8.2 The Use of Hyperlinks and Multimedia in Online Journalism 4.8.3 Online Coverage of the European Parliament 4.8.4 Online News Journalism 4.8.5 Conclusion References Chapter 5: Content Analysis and Semi-Structured Interviews as Assessment Tools 5.1 Use of Content Analysis for Examining the Coverage of the EP in News Websites in the UK and Greece 5.1.1 Defining the Research Problem 5.1.2 Review of Relevant Literature and Research 5.1.3 Selection of the Media Sample 5.1.4 Defining Analytical Categories 5.1.5 Constructing a Coding Schedule and Protocol 5.1.6 Piloting the Coding Schedule and Checking Reliability 5.1.7 Data Preparation and Analysis 5.2 Use of Semi-Structured Interviews 5.2.1 Building the Set of Themes and Questions 5.2.2 Sampling of the Online Journalists 5.2.3 Sampling of the EPLO Officers 5.2.4 Data Analysis References Chapter 6: European Parliament ́s Media Coverage in the News Websites 6.1 European Parliament ́s Media Coverage in the Selected News Websites in Greece 6.1.1 The Visibility of the European Parliament ́s Institutional Powers in Greece 6.1.2 The Tone Towards the EP (or any Equivalent) 6.1.3 The Visibility and the Patterns of Visibility of the European Parliament ́s Output 6.1.4 The Tone of the Coverage of the European Parliament ́s Powers Output 6.1.5 The Existence of Additional Internet-Facilitated Information Provided in the Coverage of the EP Video Elements in the EP News Stories in the Greek News Websites Hyperlinks in the EP News Stories in the Greek News Websites 6.1.6 Conclusions from the Examination of the EP Media Coverage in the Selected Greek News Websites 6.2 European Parliament ́s Media Coverage in the Selected News Websites in the UK 6.2.1 The Visibility of the European Parliament ́s Institutional Powers in the UK 6.2.2 The Tone Towards the EP (or any Equivalent) 6.2.3 The Visibility and the Patterns of Visibility of the European Parliament ́s Output 6.2.4 The Tone of the Coverage of the European Parliament ́s Powers Output 6.2.5 The Existence of Additional Internet-Facilitated Information Provided in the Coverage of the EP Video Elements in the EP News Items in the UK News Websites Under Examination Hyperlinks and Other Online Features Accompanying EP News Items in the UK News Websites 6.2.6 Conclusions from the Examination of the EP Media Coverage in the Selected UK News Websites 6.3 Conclusions for the Greek and the UK Case References Chapter 7: Assessment of the Media Relations Performance of the EPLOs 7.1 Assessment of the Media Relations Performance of the EPLO in Greece 7.1.1 The Extent to which the EPLO ́s Communication Material Either in Written or in Oral Form Fits Online Journalist ́s Needs a... 7.1.2 The Extent to which the EPLO ́s Media Relations Activities Facilitate Online Journalists ́ Work when Producing EP News Sto... 7.1.3 The Extent to which the EPLO Implements an Adequate ``Source Strategy ́ ́ 7.1.4 The Extent to which the EPL Media Relations Activities Take into Consideration the Changes in the Journalistic Practices... 7.1.5 Conclusions of the Assessment of the EPLO Media Relations Performance in Greece 7.2 Assessment of the Media Relations Performance of the EPLO in the UK 7.2.1 The Extent to which the EP Communication Material Either in Written or Oral Form Fits Online Journalist ́s Needs and Expe... 7.2.2 The Extent to which the EPLO ́s Media Relations Activities Facilitate Online Journalists ́ Work when Producing EP News Sto... 7.2.3 The Extent to which the EPLO Implements an Adequate ``Source Strategy ́ ́ 7.2.4 The Extent to which the EPLO Media Relations Activities Take into Consideration the Changes in the Journalistic Practice... 7.2.5 Conclusions of the Assessment of the EPLO Media Relations Performance in the UK 7.3 Conclusions Concerning the Assessment of the EPLO ́s Media Relations Performance in Greece and in the UK References Chapter 8: Identification and Critical Analysis of the Problems in the Online Media Coverage and Media Relations Performance o... 8.1 Lack of Collective Representation or Voice for the EP in the Media and Co-Existence of Different News Management Policies ... 8.2 Not Newsworthy Information Provided by the EP/EPLOs 8.3 Inefficient Source Strategy by the EPLOs 8.4 Communication Strategy Not Taking into Consideration Online Journalists ́ Needs 8.5 Problems Related to the Operation: Function of the EPLOs 8.6 Conclusion References Chapter 9: Identification of Potential Ways of Communicating the EP more Effectively in Greece and in the UK 9.1 Greece 9.2 UK 9.3 Conclusions Concerning the Identification of Potential Ways of Communicating the EP more Effectively in Greece and in the ... 9.3.1 In the Case of Greece 9.3.2 In the Case of the UK References Chapter 10: Critical Analysis of the Potential Ways of Communicating the EP More Efficiently 10.1 The EP as a More Effective Communicator 10.1.1 An Institution with a Communication Strategy Customized for News Websites 10.1.2 An Institution that Applies (Via the EPLOs) a More Aggressive Source Strategy towards Online Journalists 10.1.3 An Institution that Does More to Facilitate Contacts Between Online Journalists and MEPs or High-Profile EP Executives 10.1.4 An Institution that Provides Information Customized for Domestic Audiences 10.1.5 An Institution with the EPLO Website Structured in an Online Newsroom Format 10.1.6 Conclusion 10.2 Barriers in the Way of the EP Becoming a More Effective Communicator 10.2.1 Institutional Mind-Sets 10.2.2 Barriers Deriving from Institutional Characteristics 10.2.3 Resource Limitations 10.2.4 The Competition from Non-Media-Related Tasks in the Daily Routine of EPLO Officials 10.2.5 Insufficient Media and Public Relations Training of the EPLO Officers 10.2.6 Barriers Deriving from the Political Nature of the European Parliament 10.3 Filtering the Various Possibilities for Reform References Chapter 11: Overall Conclusion Appendix A Questions Asked in the Semi-Structured Interviews with Online Journalists in the UK and Greece Appendix B Questions for Semi-Structured Interviews with Officers in EPLO ́s This book analyzes the social legitimacy deficit of the European Parliament (EP) in the United Kingdom and Greece. It does so by considering it, partially, a communication deficit, and by addressing the relevant inadequacies of its communication and media relations performance. Following this approach, the book identifies and critically analyzes the problems that the European Parliament is facing in communicating and portraying itself to news websites in the United Kingdom and Greece, and offers potential solutions to the issues presented. The book provides an initial comparison of the scale of the problems that the EP is facing in its communication and media relations performance in Greece and in the United Kingdom, focusing on a number of prominent, carefully selected, impartial or pro-European websites. The failures of the EP to secure adequate levels of visibility on these websites automatically signify serious basic weaknesses in its communication strategy. This book identifies those weaknesses, their causes, and presents solutions on how to solve them. Therefore, this book is a must-read for students and scholars of political science and media communication, as well as policy-makers and practitioners interested in a better understanding of the European Parliament's social legitimacy and communication deficit