The London School of Economics and Political Science News about the European Parliament: Patterns and Drivers of Broadsheet Coverage Katjana Gattermann 31 July 2012 A thesis submitted to the European Institute of the London School of Economics for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy, London, December 2011 Declaration I certify that the thesis I have presented for examination for the MPhil/PhD degree of the London School of Economics and Political Science is solely my own work other than where I have clearly indicated that it is the work of others (in which case the extent of any work carried out jointly by me and any other person is clearly identified in it). The copyright of this thesis rests with the author. Quotation from it is permitted, provided that full acknowledgement is made. This thesis may not be reproduced without my prior written consent. I warrant that this authorisation does not, to the best of my belief, infringe the rights of any third party. I declare that my thesis consists of 88,740 words. 2 Abstract This thesis is about broadsheet coverage of the European Parliament (EP). More precisely, it studies the amount and content of news referring to the EP as well as the professional attitudes of their producers. The main purpose of the thesis is to explain variation in the press coverage. Thereby it combines political communication research with the European integration literature discussing the legitimacy of the EP. It argues that cross-country and inter-temporal variation cannot be explained by factors internal to news production alone. Instead, national parliamentary traditions impact profoundly on the way EU parliamentary affairs are reported. The thesis employs a mixed-methods research design. It conducts a quantitative content analysis of 18 broadsheets published in six European countries – Ireland, the United Kingdom, France, the Netherlands, Germany and Austria – over three time periods: one is a routine period of two years; the remaining two datasets are oriented at key issues and events over time. In total, 3956 newspaper articles are analysed. In addition, 18 in-depth interviews with the respective Brussels correspondents and a director at the EP Directorate-General for Communication complement the findings. While the EP receives regular coverage, the thesis finds that news are selected and presented according to the interest of the audience. Hence the domestic angle prevails in the news coverage and the EP’s own prominence and potential to generate conflict attract media attention more often when major issues are at stake. However, domestic relevance is not the only explanatory factor. While newsmakers also respond to varying levels of public support for EU membership, the thesis identifies national parliamentary traditions as a strong external driver of EP news coverage. Here, procedural characteristics and public expectations shape the amount and content of EP news as well as newsmakers’ attitudes – and more significantly so with the rising powers of the Parliament. 3 Acknowledgements I am sincerely grateful for the thoughtful guidance from my supervisors, Damian Chalmers and Simon Hix. I would have never completed this thesis without Damian’s invaluable commitment and encouragement. I am indebted to Simon for his enthusiasm for my research and his vigorous advice. Their continuous support turned my PhD into an exciting and academically inspiring experience. I would also like to thank my examiners, Sara Hobolt and Claes de Vreese, for taking the time to engage with my thesis; and especially for their helpful criticism and encouraging advice on improving the final version. The PhD is a lengthy process, and at times difficult. But my friends and colleagues at the LSE were a vital source of fun, creativeness and support. Emelyne was an irreplaceable companion throughout our PhDs. I am grateful to have met Sofia and Valentina with whom I could share the ups and downs of the PhD experience and beyond. Alison has not only been indispensable for answering my many questions on Stata, but also for being an amazing colleague! I thank Nadine and Ninfa who brought me down to earth more than once amid the numerous little PhD crunches. The endless conversations with Bryon, Costi, Mariana, Matthias, Max, Niclas, Roch and Zsofi contributed greatly to the development of my thesis. And, of course, the countless nights at the George with Andreas, Attila, Chris, Daphne, Johann, Ronan, Sotiris, Steve, Tine and the others were also an essential part of the completion process. Throughout the years, many people commented on my work and provided me with some valuable ideas. My special thanks go to Kenneth Benoit, Michael Bruter, Theofanis Exadaktylos, Kostas Gemenis, Simon Glendinning, Francis Jacobs, Alison Johnston, Andreas Maurer, Waltraud Schelkle, Michael Shackleton, Eiko Thielemann, Sofia Vasilopoulou, and Helen Wallace. UACES and the European Commission funded the research trip to Brussels during which I conducted the interviews for my study. My gratitude also extends to the interviewees who took the time to share their opinion and expertise with me. I furthermore thank the coders for their hard work! Eva deserves special mention here; the others are also acknowledged apart from their great job. My PhD experience would have not been the same without the love and support of my closest friends outside academia throughout the years. Anne, Ela, Kamilla and Kathi were there for me from afar – each of them in their own wonderful and kindhearted way. Danke! Emma always cheered me up when I was down and motivated me to keep going. Jochem, Ryan, Sally and Thomas were the best flat mates ever! And our lovely home was a place of solace after long days of work. I thank Anne-Sophie, Cecile, Irmak, Laura and Tushar who took great care of me during my PhD. Any time I passed with them helped me forget about the stress. And I am glad to have met Andre, Pieter, Richard, Robbert-Jan, Stefan, Vikki and Zernil along the way, for they contributed greatly to turning my PhD into an enjoyable experience. Last, but by no means least, I would like to thank my family, Manfred, Angelika and Stefanie. Their belief in me throughout the years of my PhD was invaluable. I am grateful for their love and that they never questioned the path I chose for myself. 4 Table of Contents Abstract .......................................................................................... 3 Acknowledgements ........................................................................... 4 Table of Contents ............................................................................. 5 List of Tables ................................................................................... 8 List of Figures .................................................................................. 9 List of Abbreviations ........................................................................ 10 Chapter 1 Introduction: The European Parliament and the press ................... 12 1.1 The research puzzle ................................................................... 13 1.2 The research agenda .................................................................. 17 1.3 The argument ........................................................................... 23 1.4 Outline of the thesis ................................................................... 26 Chapter 2 News coverage of EU parliamentary affairs: A framework for analysis ............................................................. 32 2.1 Why one would expect media coverage of the European Parliament .... 34 2.2 The issue-dependence of EU news coverage ................................... 38 2.2.1 The applicability of news values ............................................ 39 2.2.2 Concurring with national politics for visibility in the press .......... 46 2.3 Explaining press coverage of parliamentary affairs at the EU level ...... 47 2.3.1 Public opinion towards the EU as a driver of EP news coverage .. 48 2.3.2 The impact of the national parliamentary tradition ................... 53 2.4 Conclusions .............................................................................. 60 Chapter 3 Tackling the research question: A mixed-methods approach to the broadsheet coverage of the EP .. 64 3.1 Case selection ........................................................................... 66 3.1.1 The choice of national broadsheets ........................................ 66 3.1.2 Country selection ................................................................ 69 3.1.2.1 French and German particularities in parliamentary traditions ..................................................................... 73 3.1.2.2 Parliamentary cultures of Austria and the UK .................... 74 3.1.2.3 Differences between the Irish and Dutch parliaments ......... 75 3.2 Methodology and data ................................................................ 78 3.2.1 Quantitative content analysis of newspaper articles .................. 79 5 3.2.1.1 Time periods selected .................................................... 79 3.2.1.2 Newspaper article selection ............................................ 84 3.2.1.3 Newspaper particularities ............................................... 86 3.2.1.4 Coding scheme ............................................................. 88 3.2.2 Qualitative approach: interviews with correspondents ............... 90 3.2.2.1 Interviewee sample ....................................................... 91 3.2.2.2