Third International Conference on Communication & Media Studies

Abstract

In a globalized world, the European Union is among an increasing number of organizations struggling to define themselves as international actors capable of solving various trans-national problems. Considering cross-border flows of information, the actorness of any organization is no longer determined solely from within, but is shaped by “outsider” perceptions. These external perceptions differ based on national perspectives of “closeness to” or “distance from” an organization in geographical, economic, political, military, and cultural terms. As a main source of information representing how an actor is perceived by various outsiders, international news media can be used to better understand how an organization is perceived in comparison with other actors and in connection to which issues. Therefore, this study investigates the online content of four regionally diverse international news media outlets (CNN International, BBC World, RT English, and Al Jazeera English) to understand how the EU as an institution is represented in comparison with “EU Member States” or “Europe.” The two-step content analysis of the headlines related to the EU helps to show how or whether the EU is present as an international actor in these outlets, which issues are linked in reporting to the EU, and how positively or negatively the EU is depicted. Considering the increasing amount of research concerning the “discursive construction” of the EU, the content analysis of this study better clarifies and identifies what these different discourses are as a first level to understanding how these discourses each work to construct the organization. Drawing on prior research of “outside” perceptions of the EU and considering the relation between the international news media’s framing of issues and relative “outsiderness” of a media outlet, this research sheds light on how the EU as an organization is viewed in its actor capabilities in various regions. A clearer picture of how the EU is portrayed in international news helps the organization understand how its actions are recognized externally and bridge the gap between internal definition and external recognition. The multi-level content analysis revealed that there are similar models of the EU’s representation in international news. In the reporting of all four outlets in this study, the EU was, to a greater or lesser extent: “a non-existent or secondary actor” to specific regions, countries, or individuals, a “(un)reliable partner or actor” in international agreements or problem solving, and a “bureaucratic/complicated/misunderstood organization” in terms of function. While the EU is not represented any more or less negatively in the news than “Europe” or specific “Member States,” it is linked to different issues in each outlet. The representations of the EU in each of these outlets reveals that the relative “outsiderness” of a country does in fact influence how the EU is represented in international news reporting of a domestically based news outlet. An analysis of reporting on the issues of Syria, Calais (Migration), and CETA shows how the closer a country is to the EU in terms of economics, politics, military, and culture in addition to geography, the more present the organization will be in the international news reporting of a domestic outlet. Furthermore, the EU and related actors are also reported on more specifically the “closer” an issue is to the host country of an international news outlet and more generally the “further” an issue is from its shared common interest. When the country is relatively distant to the EU in terms of common interest in a particular issue, the organization and subsequent actors tend to be more generalized and simplified or even interchangeable with “Europe” as a whole. Meanwhile, when an issue is of particular importance to a host country, the international news reporting represents specific actors and their roles in the issue more clearly. While this study has taken the first step in identifying the external discourses defining the EU’s “actorness,” further research is needed to understand how these distinct discourses have developed over time and are likely to develop in the future. A greater understanding of how the EU and other international actors are perceived as capable of solving or handling specific international problems depending on the relative “outsiderness” will help these organizations choose the best course of action to maintain stability in a globalized world.