Dataset for a study on parliamentary debates about the Eurozone crisis in Germany, Austria, Spain... more Dataset for a study on parliamentary debates about the Eurozone crisis in Germany, Austria, Spain and Ireland between 2009 and 2014.
A growing literature in research on the European Union (EU) claims that European integration has ... more A growing literature in research on the European Union (EU) claims that European integration has become comprehensively politicized in the EU’s population. The most convincing evidence for this assertion stems from research on political and societal elites – studies of party manifestos, interest groups ’ activities, news media reporting and the like. By contrast, evidence on politicization trends in the broader citizenry is much more ambiguous.This article raises the question of whether politicization is more than an elite phenomenon. Based on a differentiated conception of politicization, it analyzes focus groups conducted with EU citizens in four member states. It shows that, for most citizens, only the fundamentals of European integration have gained political saliency, while the EU’s day-to-day activities remain largely non-politicized. In addition, patterns of politicization in the European population are conditioned by significant knowledge deficits.
A growing literature in research on the European Union (EU) claims that European integration has ... more A growing literature in research on the European Union (EU) claims that European integration has become comprehensively politicized in the EU’s population. The most convincing evidence for this assertion stems from research on political and societal elites – studies of party manifestos, interest groups ’ activities, news media reporting and the like. By contrast, evidence on politicization trends in the broader citizenry is much more ambiguous.This article raises the question of whether politicization is more than an elite phenomenon. Based on a differentiated conception of politicization, it analyzes focus groups conducted with EU citizens in four member states. It shows that, for most citizens, only the fundamentals of European integration have gained political saliency, while the EU’s day-to-day activities remain largely non-politicized. In addition, patterns of politicization in the European population are conditioned by significant knowledge deficits.
While it is undisputed that the Eurozone crisis has contributed to the politicization of European... more While it is undisputed that the Eurozone crisis has contributed to the politicization of European integration, the longer-term impact of this politicization on the structure of political conflict in Europe remains unclear. This article engages with research findings which argue that the crisis has contributed to a shift of political cleavages in Europe, from an economic (left vs. right) to a transnational (pro- vs. anti-EU) divide. We examine whether there is any evidence of such a shift in parliamentary debates about the crisis in four Eurozone states (Germany, Austria, Spain and Ireland) between 2009 and 2014. We use a combination of content and cluster analysis to identify the discursive frames that parliamentarians employed to make sense of the crisis, and then assess which factors affected how these frames were used. Our findings show that the economic (left-right) cleavage remained highly influential in shaping the four parliaments’ crisis discourse.
Paper Presented at the European Community Studies Association – Canada 8th Biannial Conference, &... more Paper Presented at the European Community Studies Association – Canada 8th Biannial Conference, 'Europe in an Age of Austerity: Integration, Disintegration, or Stagnation?'
The news media is a major forum for the discursive legitimation of the EU. This article analyses ... more The news media is a major forum for the discursive legitimation of the EU. This article analyses media debates in the context of three attempts at reforming EU primary law in the past decade: the Nice Treaty; the Constitutional Treaty; and the Lisbon Treaty. Focusing on four member states–the United Kingdom, Ireland, Germany and Austria–our study shows that the EU's legitimacy is discursively constructed according to distinct patterns, most of which are remarkably similar across countries and stable over time. In the context of the ...
While it is undisputed that the Eurozone crisis has contributed to the politicization of European... more While it is undisputed that the Eurozone crisis has contributed to the politicization of European integration, the longer-term impact of this politicization on the structure of political conflict in Europe remains unclear. This article engages with research findings which argue that the crisis has contributed to a shift of political cleavages in Europe, from an economic (left vs. right) to a transnational (pro- vs. anti-EU) divide. We examine whether there is any evidence of such a shift in parliamentary debates about the crisis in four Eurozone states (Germany, Austria, Spain and Ireland) between 2009 and 2014. We use a combination of content and cluster analysis to identify the discursive frames that parliamentarians employed to make sense of the crisis, and then assess which factors affected how these frames were used. Our findings show that the economic (left-right) cleavage remained highly influential in shaping the four parliaments’ crisis discourse.
A growing literature in research on the European Union (EU) claims that European integration has ... more A growing literature in research on the European Union (EU) claims that European integration has become comprehensively politicized in the EU's population. The most convincing evidence for this assertion stems from research on political and societal elites — studies of party manifestos, interest groups' activities, news media reporting and the like. By contrast, evidence on politicization trends in the broader citizenry is much more ambiguous. This article raises the question of whether politicization is more than an elite phenomenon. Based on a differentiated conception of politicization, it analyzes focus groups conducted with EU citizens in four member states. It shows that, for most citizens, only the fundamentals of European integration have gained political saliency, while the EU's day-to-day activities remain largely non-politicized. In addition, patterns of politicization in the European population are conditioned by significant knowledge deficits.
Paper Presented at the European Community Studies Association – Canada 8th Biannial Conference, '... more Paper Presented at the European Community Studies Association – Canada 8th Biannial Conference, 'Europe in an Age of Austerity: Integration, Disintegration, or Stagnation?'
The news media is a major forum for the discursive legitimation of the EU. This article analyses ... more The news media is a major forum for the discursive legitimation of the EU. This article analyses media debates in the context of three attempts at reforming EU primary law in the past decade: the Nice Treaty; the Constitutional Treaty; and the Lisbon Treaty. Focusing on four member states – the United Kingdom, Ireland, Germany and Austria – our study shows that the EU's legitimacy is discursively constructed according to distinct patterns, most of which are remarkably similar across countries and stable over time. In the context of the EU Constitution, legitimation debates became more intensive and more critical; however, these developments were largely reversed when the Lisbon Treaty was debated. This suggests that, in the media arena, the much-discussed politicization of European integration is an episodic occurrence, rather than a unidirectional trend.
Traditionally, the mass media has been identified as not only a significant factor in opinion-for... more Traditionally, the mass media has been identified as not only a significant factor in opinion-formation, but also an essential tool for an active and legitimate democracy. When Irish citizens went to the polls to vote on the European Union’s Lisbon Treaty in June 2008, the Irish media provided a major if not the most important source of facts, arguments and other information on which voters based their decisions. This study of the Irish media’s coverage of the referendum questions the effectiveness of the Irish print media in adequately preparing citizens to make a properly informed decision in the 2008 referendum and how this compares to coverage prior to the second referendum in the autumn of 2009. This question, therefore, indirectly asks whether referendums are an appropriate democratic mechanism for complex issues that may lack salience and understanding among the general population. The discussion provides an empirical study of the media coverage of the referendum in three Irish daily newspapers in the week preceding each referendum. The empirical analysis tests the theoretical concept of the media as an “information shortcut” to making an informed decision.
The Irish Independent and the Irish Times as well as the Evening Herald, a tabloid, are analyzed for attitudes regarding the treaty, accuracy, and utility of the published arguments. The observations reveal that while there was certainly no lack of coverage of the Lisbon referendum in 2008 or 2009, the coverage failed to provide citizens with the adequate tools to make a reasonably informed decision. With this in mind, it is appropriate to suggest that the referendum did not perform the democratic function it was designed for.
Abstract: Traditionally, the mass media has been identified as not only a significant factor in o... more Abstract: Traditionally, the mass media has been identified as not only a significant factor in opinion-formation, but also an essential tool for an active and legitimate democracy. When Irish citizens went to the polls to vote on the European Union’s Lisbon Treaty in June 2008, the Irish media provided a major if not the most important source of facts, arguments and other information on which voters based their decisions. This study of the Irish media’s coverage of the referendum questions the effectiveness of the Irish print media in adequately preparing citizens to make a properly informed decision in the 2008 referendum and how this compares to coverage prior to the second referendum in the autumn of 2009. This question, therefore, indirectly asks whether referendums are an appropriate democratic mechanism for complex issues that may lack salience and understanding among the general population. The discussion provides an empirical study of the media coverage of the referendum in three Irish daily newspapers in the week preceding each referendum. The empirical analysis tests the theoretical concept of the media as an “information shortcut” to making an informed decision. The Irish Independent and the Irish Times as well as the Evening Herald, a tabloid, are analyzed for attitudes regarding the treaty, accuracy, and utility of the published arguments. The observations reveal that while there was certainly no lack of coverage of the Lisbon referendum in 2008 or 2009, the coverage failed to provide citizens with the adequate tools to make a reasonably informed decision. With this in mind, it is appropriate to suggest that the referendum did not perform the democratic function it was designed for.
KEY WORDS: Direct Democracy, European Union, Legitimacy, Lisbon Treaty, Media
This thesis provides a descriptive study comparing the change, or lack thereof, in levels of Euro... more This thesis provides a descriptive study comparing the change, or lack thereof, in levels of Europeanization of the Czech and Polish Green parties between the 2004 and 2009 elections to the European Parliament. The aim is not to explain, but to observe the extent to which Europeanization has occurred and assess what, if anything, this can teach us more broadly about democracy in the European Union with a particular focus on the second-order nature of European elections. Organizing Europeanization into cooperative and communicative varieties reveals a deficit in the communicative Europeanization among the two parties. It is suggested that further communicative Europeanization of national political parties may be the key to overcome the second-order nature of the European Parliament elections.
When the euro crisis hit Europe, so did recurring claims of an 'unprecedented' politicization of ... more When the euro crisis hit Europe, so did recurring claims of an 'unprecedented' politicization of European integration charcterized by increased attention to the EU in the media and claims of rising euroscepticism among EU citizens. These are characteristic of the media-based analyses that dominate politicization research. This dissertation disputes the generalizability of these claims from the media to lay citizens and to other political arenas. It argues than an approach that differentiates between the various dimensions of politicization (i.e. salience, scope and contestation) and between the various arenas on which it plays out (i.e. institutional, intermediary and citizen) is necessary for an accurate understanding of the character and development of politicization. Through a mixed-methods quantitative-qualitative analysis that applies equivalent indicators longitudinally over parallel time periods, it investigates how the politicization of the EU compares between media debates and citizen discourse. It then maps how it evolved comparatively between them over the duration of the crisis.
Politicization in the Irish news media, observed through media content analysis of the Irish Times and the Irish Independent in chapter 4, is then compared with that among Irish citizens, observed through focus group discussions and Eurobarometer surveys in chapter 5. This dissertation finds that contrary to claims of an 'unprecedented' degree of politicization, politicization of the EU in the Irish news media during the crisis can be characterized as a moderately salient, deep, moderately euro-critical polarization that is becoming somewhat wider in scope over time with no consistent trend in either the salience or contestation of EU politics. In contrast, in the citizen arena it was characterized as a week to moderately salient, wide, moderately polarized politicization that is slowly progressing in a wider but not deeper euro-critical direction. It finds that even where the intensity of politicization does not change over time, there can still be significant changes to the character of politicization in any one or more of its three dimensions.
Dataset for a study on parliamentary debates about the Eurozone crisis in Germany, Austria, Spain... more Dataset for a study on parliamentary debates about the Eurozone crisis in Germany, Austria, Spain and Ireland between 2009 and 2014.
A growing literature in research on the European Union (EU) claims that European integration has ... more A growing literature in research on the European Union (EU) claims that European integration has become comprehensively politicized in the EU’s population. The most convincing evidence for this assertion stems from research on political and societal elites – studies of party manifestos, interest groups ’ activities, news media reporting and the like. By contrast, evidence on politicization trends in the broader citizenry is much more ambiguous.This article raises the question of whether politicization is more than an elite phenomenon. Based on a differentiated conception of politicization, it analyzes focus groups conducted with EU citizens in four member states. It shows that, for most citizens, only the fundamentals of European integration have gained political saliency, while the EU’s day-to-day activities remain largely non-politicized. In addition, patterns of politicization in the European population are conditioned by significant knowledge deficits.
A growing literature in research on the European Union (EU) claims that European integration has ... more A growing literature in research on the European Union (EU) claims that European integration has become comprehensively politicized in the EU’s population. The most convincing evidence for this assertion stems from research on political and societal elites – studies of party manifestos, interest groups ’ activities, news media reporting and the like. By contrast, evidence on politicization trends in the broader citizenry is much more ambiguous.This article raises the question of whether politicization is more than an elite phenomenon. Based on a differentiated conception of politicization, it analyzes focus groups conducted with EU citizens in four member states. It shows that, for most citizens, only the fundamentals of European integration have gained political saliency, while the EU’s day-to-day activities remain largely non-politicized. In addition, patterns of politicization in the European population are conditioned by significant knowledge deficits.
While it is undisputed that the Eurozone crisis has contributed to the politicization of European... more While it is undisputed that the Eurozone crisis has contributed to the politicization of European integration, the longer-term impact of this politicization on the structure of political conflict in Europe remains unclear. This article engages with research findings which argue that the crisis has contributed to a shift of political cleavages in Europe, from an economic (left vs. right) to a transnational (pro- vs. anti-EU) divide. We examine whether there is any evidence of such a shift in parliamentary debates about the crisis in four Eurozone states (Germany, Austria, Spain and Ireland) between 2009 and 2014. We use a combination of content and cluster analysis to identify the discursive frames that parliamentarians employed to make sense of the crisis, and then assess which factors affected how these frames were used. Our findings show that the economic (left-right) cleavage remained highly influential in shaping the four parliaments’ crisis discourse.
Paper Presented at the European Community Studies Association – Canada 8th Biannial Conference, &... more Paper Presented at the European Community Studies Association – Canada 8th Biannial Conference, 'Europe in an Age of Austerity: Integration, Disintegration, or Stagnation?'
The news media is a major forum for the discursive legitimation of the EU. This article analyses ... more The news media is a major forum for the discursive legitimation of the EU. This article analyses media debates in the context of three attempts at reforming EU primary law in the past decade: the Nice Treaty; the Constitutional Treaty; and the Lisbon Treaty. Focusing on four member states–the United Kingdom, Ireland, Germany and Austria–our study shows that the EU's legitimacy is discursively constructed according to distinct patterns, most of which are remarkably similar across countries and stable over time. In the context of the ...
While it is undisputed that the Eurozone crisis has contributed to the politicization of European... more While it is undisputed that the Eurozone crisis has contributed to the politicization of European integration, the longer-term impact of this politicization on the structure of political conflict in Europe remains unclear. This article engages with research findings which argue that the crisis has contributed to a shift of political cleavages in Europe, from an economic (left vs. right) to a transnational (pro- vs. anti-EU) divide. We examine whether there is any evidence of such a shift in parliamentary debates about the crisis in four Eurozone states (Germany, Austria, Spain and Ireland) between 2009 and 2014. We use a combination of content and cluster analysis to identify the discursive frames that parliamentarians employed to make sense of the crisis, and then assess which factors affected how these frames were used. Our findings show that the economic (left-right) cleavage remained highly influential in shaping the four parliaments’ crisis discourse.
A growing literature in research on the European Union (EU) claims that European integration has ... more A growing literature in research on the European Union (EU) claims that European integration has become comprehensively politicized in the EU's population. The most convincing evidence for this assertion stems from research on political and societal elites — studies of party manifestos, interest groups' activities, news media reporting and the like. By contrast, evidence on politicization trends in the broader citizenry is much more ambiguous. This article raises the question of whether politicization is more than an elite phenomenon. Based on a differentiated conception of politicization, it analyzes focus groups conducted with EU citizens in four member states. It shows that, for most citizens, only the fundamentals of European integration have gained political saliency, while the EU's day-to-day activities remain largely non-politicized. In addition, patterns of politicization in the European population are conditioned by significant knowledge deficits.
Paper Presented at the European Community Studies Association – Canada 8th Biannial Conference, '... more Paper Presented at the European Community Studies Association – Canada 8th Biannial Conference, 'Europe in an Age of Austerity: Integration, Disintegration, or Stagnation?'
The news media is a major forum for the discursive legitimation of the EU. This article analyses ... more The news media is a major forum for the discursive legitimation of the EU. This article analyses media debates in the context of three attempts at reforming EU primary law in the past decade: the Nice Treaty; the Constitutional Treaty; and the Lisbon Treaty. Focusing on four member states – the United Kingdom, Ireland, Germany and Austria – our study shows that the EU's legitimacy is discursively constructed according to distinct patterns, most of which are remarkably similar across countries and stable over time. In the context of the EU Constitution, legitimation debates became more intensive and more critical; however, these developments were largely reversed when the Lisbon Treaty was debated. This suggests that, in the media arena, the much-discussed politicization of European integration is an episodic occurrence, rather than a unidirectional trend.
Traditionally, the mass media has been identified as not only a significant factor in opinion-for... more Traditionally, the mass media has been identified as not only a significant factor in opinion-formation, but also an essential tool for an active and legitimate democracy. When Irish citizens went to the polls to vote on the European Union’s Lisbon Treaty in June 2008, the Irish media provided a major if not the most important source of facts, arguments and other information on which voters based their decisions. This study of the Irish media’s coverage of the referendum questions the effectiveness of the Irish print media in adequately preparing citizens to make a properly informed decision in the 2008 referendum and how this compares to coverage prior to the second referendum in the autumn of 2009. This question, therefore, indirectly asks whether referendums are an appropriate democratic mechanism for complex issues that may lack salience and understanding among the general population. The discussion provides an empirical study of the media coverage of the referendum in three Irish daily newspapers in the week preceding each referendum. The empirical analysis tests the theoretical concept of the media as an “information shortcut” to making an informed decision.
The Irish Independent and the Irish Times as well as the Evening Herald, a tabloid, are analyzed for attitudes regarding the treaty, accuracy, and utility of the published arguments. The observations reveal that while there was certainly no lack of coverage of the Lisbon referendum in 2008 or 2009, the coverage failed to provide citizens with the adequate tools to make a reasonably informed decision. With this in mind, it is appropriate to suggest that the referendum did not perform the democratic function it was designed for.
Abstract: Traditionally, the mass media has been identified as not only a significant factor in o... more Abstract: Traditionally, the mass media has been identified as not only a significant factor in opinion-formation, but also an essential tool for an active and legitimate democracy. When Irish citizens went to the polls to vote on the European Union’s Lisbon Treaty in June 2008, the Irish media provided a major if not the most important source of facts, arguments and other information on which voters based their decisions. This study of the Irish media’s coverage of the referendum questions the effectiveness of the Irish print media in adequately preparing citizens to make a properly informed decision in the 2008 referendum and how this compares to coverage prior to the second referendum in the autumn of 2009. This question, therefore, indirectly asks whether referendums are an appropriate democratic mechanism for complex issues that may lack salience and understanding among the general population. The discussion provides an empirical study of the media coverage of the referendum in three Irish daily newspapers in the week preceding each referendum. The empirical analysis tests the theoretical concept of the media as an “information shortcut” to making an informed decision. The Irish Independent and the Irish Times as well as the Evening Herald, a tabloid, are analyzed for attitudes regarding the treaty, accuracy, and utility of the published arguments. The observations reveal that while there was certainly no lack of coverage of the Lisbon referendum in 2008 or 2009, the coverage failed to provide citizens with the adequate tools to make a reasonably informed decision. With this in mind, it is appropriate to suggest that the referendum did not perform the democratic function it was designed for.
KEY WORDS: Direct Democracy, European Union, Legitimacy, Lisbon Treaty, Media
This thesis provides a descriptive study comparing the change, or lack thereof, in levels of Euro... more This thesis provides a descriptive study comparing the change, or lack thereof, in levels of Europeanization of the Czech and Polish Green parties between the 2004 and 2009 elections to the European Parliament. The aim is not to explain, but to observe the extent to which Europeanization has occurred and assess what, if anything, this can teach us more broadly about democracy in the European Union with a particular focus on the second-order nature of European elections. Organizing Europeanization into cooperative and communicative varieties reveals a deficit in the communicative Europeanization among the two parties. It is suggested that further communicative Europeanization of national political parties may be the key to overcome the second-order nature of the European Parliament elections.
When the euro crisis hit Europe, so did recurring claims of an 'unprecedented' politicization of ... more When the euro crisis hit Europe, so did recurring claims of an 'unprecedented' politicization of European integration charcterized by increased attention to the EU in the media and claims of rising euroscepticism among EU citizens. These are characteristic of the media-based analyses that dominate politicization research. This dissertation disputes the generalizability of these claims from the media to lay citizens and to other political arenas. It argues than an approach that differentiates between the various dimensions of politicization (i.e. salience, scope and contestation) and between the various arenas on which it plays out (i.e. institutional, intermediary and citizen) is necessary for an accurate understanding of the character and development of politicization. Through a mixed-methods quantitative-qualitative analysis that applies equivalent indicators longitudinally over parallel time periods, it investigates how the politicization of the EU compares between media debates and citizen discourse. It then maps how it evolved comparatively between them over the duration of the crisis.
Politicization in the Irish news media, observed through media content analysis of the Irish Times and the Irish Independent in chapter 4, is then compared with that among Irish citizens, observed through focus group discussions and Eurobarometer surveys in chapter 5. This dissertation finds that contrary to claims of an 'unprecedented' degree of politicization, politicization of the EU in the Irish news media during the crisis can be characterized as a moderately salient, deep, moderately euro-critical polarization that is becoming somewhat wider in scope over time with no consistent trend in either the salience or contestation of EU politics. In contrast, in the citizen arena it was characterized as a week to moderately salient, wide, moderately polarized politicization that is slowly progressing in a wider but not deeper euro-critical direction. It finds that even where the intensity of politicization does not change over time, there can still be significant changes to the character of politicization in any one or more of its three dimensions.
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Papers by Anna Gora
This study of the Irish media’s coverage of the referendum questions the effectiveness of the Irish print media in adequately preparing citizens to make a properly informed decision in the 2008 referendum and how this compares to coverage prior to the second referendum in the autumn of 2009. This question, therefore, indirectly asks whether referendums are an appropriate democratic mechanism for complex issues that may lack salience and understanding among the general population. The discussion provides an empirical study of the media coverage of the referendum in three Irish daily newspapers in the week preceding each referendum. The empirical analysis tests the theoretical concept of the media as an “information shortcut” to making an informed decision.
The Irish Independent and the Irish Times as well as the Evening Herald, a tabloid, are analyzed for attitudes regarding the treaty, accuracy, and utility of the published arguments. The observations reveal that while there was certainly no lack of coverage of the Lisbon referendum in 2008 or 2009, the coverage failed to provide citizens with the adequate tools to make a reasonably informed decision. With this in mind, it is appropriate to suggest that the referendum did not perform the democratic function it was designed for.
Talks by Anna Gora
This study of the Irish media’s coverage of the referendum questions the effectiveness of the Irish print media in adequately preparing citizens to make a properly informed decision in the 2008 referendum and how this compares to coverage prior to the second referendum in the autumn of 2009. This question, therefore, indirectly asks whether referendums are an appropriate democratic mechanism for complex issues that may lack salience and understanding among the general population. The discussion provides an empirical study of the media coverage of the referendum in three Irish daily newspapers in the week preceding each referendum. The empirical analysis tests the theoretical concept of the media as an “information shortcut” to making an informed decision.
The Irish Independent and the Irish Times as well as the Evening Herald, a tabloid, are analyzed for attitudes regarding the treaty, accuracy, and utility of the published arguments. The observations reveal that while there was certainly no lack of coverage of the Lisbon referendum in 2008 or 2009, the coverage failed to provide citizens with the adequate tools to make a reasonably informed decision. With this in mind, it is appropriate to suggest that the referendum did not perform the democratic function it was designed for.
KEY WORDS: Direct Democracy, European Union, Legitimacy, Lisbon Treaty, Media
Theses / Dissertations by Anna Gora
Politicization in the Irish news media, observed through media content analysis of the Irish Times and the Irish Independent in chapter 4, is then compared with that among Irish citizens, observed through focus group discussions and Eurobarometer surveys in chapter 5. This dissertation finds that contrary to claims of an 'unprecedented' degree of politicization, politicization of the EU in the Irish news media during the crisis can be characterized as a moderately salient, deep, moderately euro-critical polarization that is becoming somewhat wider in scope over time with no consistent trend in either the salience or contestation of EU politics. In contrast, in the citizen arena it was characterized as a week to moderately salient, wide, moderately polarized politicization that is slowly progressing in a wider but not deeper euro-critical direction. It finds that even where the intensity of politicization does not change over time, there can still be significant changes to the character of politicization in any one or more of its three dimensions.
This study of the Irish media’s coverage of the referendum questions the effectiveness of the Irish print media in adequately preparing citizens to make a properly informed decision in the 2008 referendum and how this compares to coverage prior to the second referendum in the autumn of 2009. This question, therefore, indirectly asks whether referendums are an appropriate democratic mechanism for complex issues that may lack salience and understanding among the general population. The discussion provides an empirical study of the media coverage of the referendum in three Irish daily newspapers in the week preceding each referendum. The empirical analysis tests the theoretical concept of the media as an “information shortcut” to making an informed decision.
The Irish Independent and the Irish Times as well as the Evening Herald, a tabloid, are analyzed for attitudes regarding the treaty, accuracy, and utility of the published arguments. The observations reveal that while there was certainly no lack of coverage of the Lisbon referendum in 2008 or 2009, the coverage failed to provide citizens with the adequate tools to make a reasonably informed decision. With this in mind, it is appropriate to suggest that the referendum did not perform the democratic function it was designed for.
This study of the Irish media’s coverage of the referendum questions the effectiveness of the Irish print media in adequately preparing citizens to make a properly informed decision in the 2008 referendum and how this compares to coverage prior to the second referendum in the autumn of 2009. This question, therefore, indirectly asks whether referendums are an appropriate democratic mechanism for complex issues that may lack salience and understanding among the general population. The discussion provides an empirical study of the media coverage of the referendum in three Irish daily newspapers in the week preceding each referendum. The empirical analysis tests the theoretical concept of the media as an “information shortcut” to making an informed decision.
The Irish Independent and the Irish Times as well as the Evening Herald, a tabloid, are analyzed for attitudes regarding the treaty, accuracy, and utility of the published arguments. The observations reveal that while there was certainly no lack of coverage of the Lisbon referendum in 2008 or 2009, the coverage failed to provide citizens with the adequate tools to make a reasonably informed decision. With this in mind, it is appropriate to suggest that the referendum did not perform the democratic function it was designed for.
KEY WORDS: Direct Democracy, European Union, Legitimacy, Lisbon Treaty, Media
Politicization in the Irish news media, observed through media content analysis of the Irish Times and the Irish Independent in chapter 4, is then compared with that among Irish citizens, observed through focus group discussions and Eurobarometer surveys in chapter 5. This dissertation finds that contrary to claims of an 'unprecedented' degree of politicization, politicization of the EU in the Irish news media during the crisis can be characterized as a moderately salient, deep, moderately euro-critical polarization that is becoming somewhat wider in scope over time with no consistent trend in either the salience or contestation of EU politics. In contrast, in the citizen arena it was characterized as a week to moderately salient, wide, moderately polarized politicization that is slowly progressing in a wider but not deeper euro-critical direction. It finds that even where the intensity of politicization does not change over time, there can still be significant changes to the character of politicization in any one or more of its three dimensions.