Party contestation and news visibility abroad: The 2019 European Parliament election from a pan-European perspective

Thomas M. Meyer, Katjana Gattermann

Publications: Contribution to journalArticlePeer Reviewed

Abstract

We ask whether and why European political parties receive election news coverage abroad and investigate this phenomenon by combining theoretical stipulations regarding the politicisation of European integration and the horizontal Europeanisation of national public spheres. Based on a content analysis of 64 newspapers in 16 European Union countries following the 2019 European Parliament election, we argue that contestation over European integration increases the likelihood that foreign journalists report election results from a particular member state. Eurosceptic parties are more often visible abroad than Europhile parties, unless they stood for election in a highly polarised party system. Our results have important implications for the European Union's legitimacy as contestation over European integration increases the chances for citizens to learn about election results in other European countries.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)398 - 416
Number of pages19
JournalEuropean Union Politics
Volume23
Issue number3
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Sept 2022

Austrian Fields of Science 2012

  • 506014 Comparative politics

Keywords

  • contestation
  • European Elections
  • Euroscepticism
  • media coverage
  • political parties
  • European elections
  • Contestation

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