The Mediated Politics of Europe

Mats Ekström is Professor, Department of Journalism, Media and Communication, University of Gothenburg, Sweden. His research focuses on media discourse, conversation in institutional settings, journalism and political communication. Julie Firmstone is Associate Professor at the School of Media and Communication, University of Leeds, UK. Her research focuses on the sociology of news, journalism and political communication in relation to a range of issues including European politics and local democracy.

This edited collection makes a unique contribution to analyses of the changing nature and challenges of mediated political communication, through a distinctive comparative discourse analytical approach. The book explores how politics is performed and discursively constructed in television news and current affairs in five countries (France, Greece, Italy, Sweden and the UK) and focuses on a moment in time in European politics characterized by challenging tensions; increased Euroscepticism, questioning of mainstream politics; accentuated gaps between the elite and the citizens, and polarizations between member states. Emphasising the performative and discursive dimensions of political communication, the chapters provide a detailed comparative analysis that is centred around three themes: how symbolic representations of politics are shaped by journalistic practices, genres and styles of news reporting; the language and performances of mainstream and populist political leaders; and the participation and representation of citizens' voices. 

Designed as a qualitative comparative study of how the politics of the EU are constructed in television journalism, in five countries which have been selected to represent different media systems and political cultures

1. Introduction: A Discourse Analytical Approach to Researching Mediated Political Communication; Mats Ekström and Julie Firmstone.- 2. A Tale of Two Narratives; Stephen Coleman.- 3. Mediated Constructions of Crisis; Marianna Patrona and Joanna Thornborrow.- 4. Genre and Cultural Style in TV News Coverage of the European Elections 2014; Joanna Thornborrow and Louann Haarman.- 5. Political Interviews: Pushing the Boundaries of 'Neutralism'; Mats Ekström and Andrew Tolson.- 6. Different Views of Europe in TV News Reports; Andrew Tolson and Joanna Thornborrow.- 7. Reporting the 'Public' - Discourses of Interpretation, Evaluation and Prediction; Julie Firmstone and John Corner.- 8. Citizens Talking Politics In The News: Opinions, Attitudes And (Dis)engagement; Mats Ekström and Andrew Tolson.- 9. On the Broadcast Spectrum of Citizen Participation: Citizen Talk in the Audience Discussion Genre; Marianna Patrona.- 10. The Performances of Mainstream Politicians: Politics as Usual?; Stephen Coleman and Julie Firmstone.- 11. The performances of right-wing populism: Populist discourse, embodied styles and forms of news reporting; Mats Ekström and Andrew Morton.- 12. Conclusion: Tensions and Disruptions in Mediated Politics; Mats Ekström and Julie Firmstone.-