{"id":1940,"date":"2024-09-18T06:54:55","date_gmt":"2024-09-18T06:54:55","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/css.ge\/?p=1940"},"modified":"2024-09-18T14:46:22","modified_gmt":"2024-09-18T14:46:22","slug":"mediatized-discourses-on-europeanisation-a-changing-landscape","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/css.ge\/?p=1940","title":{"rendered":"Mediatized Discourses on Europeanisation: A\u00a0Changing Landscape"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The MEDIATIZED EU project held its final Conference, Mediatized Discourses on Europeanisation: A Changing Landscape,<\/em><\/strong> on September 10, 2024, in Brussels. Our researchers showcased key project key results and evidence-based recommendations for EU policy-makers. The conference also brought together top experts on Europeanisation, media freedom and democratic transformations. Watch the video stream of the conference in full, below. <\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

Dr. Tetyana Lokot, Project Coordinator and Associate Professor in the School of Communications of Dublin City University (DCU), opened the conference by explaining the project\u2019s aims and key challenges. She pointed out that \u201cour project is particularly interesting because it brings together seven countries, six of which are EU members, and Georgia, which is not a EU member but is one of the countries that aspire to join the EU.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mr. Jarkko Siren, Project Advisor of the European Research Executive Agency (REA) and the MEDIATIZED EU Project Officer, also gave opening remarks to contextualise the project within the EU\u2019s Horizon 2020 programme. In coordination with Mr. Paco de la Torre, REA Policy Officer for MEDIATIZED EU and sister projects, he explained the call under which the projects were funded, related to democratic transformations in Europe and the role of the media (more information available here<\/a>). Mr. Siren pointed out that the questions first posed by MEDIATIZED EU four years ago remain very pertinent today.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For the conference\u2019s keynote speech, Dr. Donnacha \u00d3 Beach\u00e1in, Professor of Politics at the School of Law and Government, Dublin City University, Ireland, tackled the challenge of disinformation in Europe. Professor Beach\u00e1in discussed how impactful disinformation tactics have been for a number of recent political developments, from Brexit to Russia\u2019s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, and argued that they can have long term results by polarising society and undermining the confidence in government and trust in the media. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dr. Lokot commented on the complexity of the political and media landscape, due to the disinformation coming from third states to damage the EU and its reputation, and the central role of the media as spaces where disinformation is being promoted. Therefore, \u201cthe challenge for our project was how to design a research framework that takes account of these external threats but also the internal dynamics in each country to explain the different variables that combine to shape representations and public perceptions of the EU\u201d, Dr. Lokot said. <\/p>\n\n\n

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Dr. Lia Tsuladze, Executive Director of the Center for Social Sciences (CSS) and Associate Professor of Sociology at Tbilisi State University, leading the project\u2019s research package, presented the MEDIATIZED EU theoretical framework. She tackled fundamental concepts such as the mediatization of politics, the development of media democracy, as well as the media logic shaped by different tools and different discursive strategies. All of these processes reveal the importance of scrutinising the media discourses, Dr. Tsuladze explained. She also presented the methodology adopted by the research teams and summarised the project\u2019s outputs, which are being made available in conferences<\/a>, publications in open-access<\/a>, and in other formats, through the project\u2019s website<\/a>, newsletters<\/a>, and podcasts<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Next, the research teams reported on the findings of wide-ranging media analysis, in-depth interviews with political and media elites, and public opinion surveys, structured around the project\u2019s seven country case studies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ms. Asuman Kubra Bas and Dr. Thomas Jacobs (European Neighbourhood Council \u2013 ENC) presented the findings of Belgium\u2019s case, Dr. Holger M\u00f6lder (TalTech) presented Estonia\u2019s findings, Dr. Lia Tsuladze (CSS) presented findings from Georgia, Prof. Gy\u00f6rgy Lengyel (Corvinus University Budapest), discussed results from Hungary, Dr. Tanya Lokot (DCU), spoke about the Irish case, while Dr. Maria Raquel Freire (Centre for Social Studies \u2013 CES), summarised the findings of Portugal\u2019s case, and Dr. Sonia Boulos (Antonio de Nebrija University \u2013 UANE), discussed those of Spain. Researchers highlighted the cases\u2019 commonalities and differences, and answered engaging questions and comments from the audience. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Finally, Dr. Sonia Boulos, Assistant Professor of Law and International Relations at UANE, Spain, presented the project\u2019s recommendations for EU policy makers, which focus on how to ensure a healthy, pluralist and constructive debate about Europeanisation in the European media and public sphere. The recommendations were then discussed by Mr. Jack Parrock, EU Affairs Correspondent working in Brussels, and Mr. Samuel Doveri Vesterbye, Managing Director at ENC, moderated by Dr. Alessio Cornia, Assistant Professor in the School of Communications (DCU).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Watch the opening remarks, the research team presentations, and the discussion of the project\u2019s policy recommendations in full, below. And stay tuned for more publications and summary results from MEDIATIZED EU.<\/p>\n\n\n\n