Feed
donate A press fit for the purpose?
Finding a new model for press and public service broadcasting
editorial Despite the Internet's growing significance as vehicle of freedom of expression, public service broadcasting and the press will remain for some time the visible face of the watchdog on power. In western Europe, the traditional media need to prove they are still capable of performing this role. [ more ]
Too close for truth
Political interference in the French media
France The French government has a profoundly ambivalent relationship with the press. Nicolas Sarkozy has encouraged the public to treat journalists with mistrust; at the same time, his relationship with media owners is far too close, says the secretary-general of Reporters Sans Frontières. [ more ]
Giving racism an easy ride
The French media's response to Sarkozy's "law and order" clampdown
France Despite promises made after the violent confrontation in the French banlieues in 2005, little seems to have changed either in the government's attitude to migration or the media's coverage of migrant issues. This time round, writes Mogniss H. Abdallah, it is the Roma who are in the firing line. [ more ]
Restoring reality
The resurgence of investigative journalism in Italy
Italy In a surprising reversal of fortune, investigative journalism is enjoying a comeback in Italy. No longer can Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi's media empire dictate the terms of debate or protect Il Cavaliere and his cronies from growing public anger, writes Giulio D'Eramo. [ more ]
The new boys in Europe
Why are the super-rich bankrolling the press?
ownership Respected but bankrupt European newspaper titles such as "Le Monde", "El Pais" and the "Independent" have recently been sold to business tycoons unconnected with the media. Their motives are debatable, but the ones to watch are the Russians says Irena Maryniak. [ more ]
Farewell Fourth Estate?
How the UK press has abandoned its ideals
UK To a very considerable extent, the UK press is dominated by rightwing owners for whom "public interest" simply means "if we can sell it, we'll tell it". Julian Petley explains why the traditional ideals of the fourth estate seem like a utopia in the UK today. [ more ]
Enter the Fifth Estate
The lobbies' influence on journalism in Germany
Germany It is an established fact that lobbyists, MPs and journalists are integrated in a closed circuit of information. Less well known is the extent to which journalists and politicians actively cultivate close ties with this "Fifth Estate". Thomas Leif reports on the German situation. [ more ]
Scapegoater hunted down as a witch
Geert Wilders and the Dutch press
Netherlands Judgmental journalism directed at members of parliament is an orchestrated form of "mob-justice" in the Netherlands today. Self-appointed media watchdogs present a bigger danger to society than the persons they pursue, writes Tjebbe van Tijen. [ more ]
Diversity's future
Public service broadcasting in a digital Europe
PSB As the great digital switchover moves ever closer, the threatened loss of public service broadcasting concerns those interested in diversity of programming. Petros Iosifidis points out marked differences in approaches to the structure, funding and content of PSB across Europe. [ more ]
Cracks in the fortress
The political conflict over Dutch public service broadcasting
PSB Accusations of "leftwing bias" coincide with the announcement of cuts to Dutch public broadcasting budgets. If the government has its way, it could inflict the final blow to The Netherlands' chaotic but unique broadcasting system, comments Angelo van Schaik. [ more ]
The first to go
Economic crisis and the decline of Greek newspapers
Greece The loss of advertising revenues following the IMF measures aimed at restoring the Greek economy have exacerbated the decline of the Greek press. Yet there are other factors at work in the parlous state of Greek newspaper publishing, says a media expert in Athens. [ more ]
A return to news?
The Irish press after the crash
Ireland When the Celtic Tiger roared ahead, foreign media owners rushed in to take advantage of advertising revenues. Now, in the wake of the collapse, they are leaving the country, with Irish readers returning to tried and trusted domestic voices, writes Michael Foley. [ more ]
Media landscapes: Central and eastern Europe
focal point Those in central and eastern Europe who in 1989 saw the media as the handmaiden of democracy have today become targets for new and subtler forms of censorship. A Eurozine focal point illustrates how media autonomy in Europe's "newer democracies" is being inhibited by market forces, continuing political intervention and, not seldom, organized crime. [ more ]
Changing media -- Media in change
focal point Media-technological developments are causing a fundamental re-structuring of the newspaper and publishing sectors. Yet media change is about more than just the "newspaper crisis" and the iPad: property law, privacy, free speech and the functioning of the public sphere are all affected. A new Eurozine focal point debates a field experiencing profound and constant transformation. [ more ]
More focal points
The bonfire of the universities
The uni's burning! The slogan was everywhere in the German-speaking space last winter, as the protests at the University of Vienna set off a wave of similar strikes, first at Austrian universities, then beyond: in Frankfurt, Heidelberg, Zürich... 2009/10 saw further protests at universities in Athens, Zagreb, Marseilles and London. Eurozine surveys a debate enflaming (not only) Europe. [ more ]
Climate of change?
Social agreement about the necessity of radical ecological change may be unprecedented, yet rhetoric and reality go their separate ways. As ambitions for a legally-binding agreement at the Copenhagen recede, serious doubts arise about the efficacy of multilateral climate deals and the assumptions behind cap-and-trade.[ more ]
Dilemma 89
Twenty years after 1989, most former communist states in central and eastern Europe are members of the EU. Yet the transition from closed to open societies is far from "complete". '89 not only historic moment of liberation, but also political and social dilemma for the present day. [ more ]
The malady of infinite aspiration?
Sound in principle or sick at heart? Articles on the financial crisis, compiled under Durkheim's memorable phrase. Including: Jacques Rupnik, Ralf Dahrendorf, Daniel Daianu, Mircea Vasilescu, Heiner Flassbeck, Olivier Mongin. [ more ]
Olympic indifference
The Beijing Olympics 2008 are unusual insofar as not one country has boycotted them. This, despite the fact that the political dimension of the Games has seldom been more controversial. Are we seeing a new kind of "Olympic indifference"? With this in mind, Eurozine compiles articles on sport, politics, and protest. [ more ]
Shared space, divided society
Migration is part of modern society, meaning more and more people of different ethnic, religious, and cultural backgrounds live together in Europe. The multitude of perspectives and experiences represents an enormous resource, but as cultural conflicts inherent in today's urban societies become visible, doubts are also raised about the value of diversity. [ more ]
1968: Beyond soixante-huite
Forty years on, the differences between the 1968 uprisings in western and eastern Europe move into ever sharper focus. "In retrospect, the great event of '68 in Europe was not Paris, but Prague. But we were unable to see this at the time." Including articles on '68 in Czechoslovakia, Poland, Russia, Ukraine, France and West Germany. [ more ]
Illiberal Europe?
Parliament or the soapbox? Populist politics are enjoying renewed success in Europe, above all in the former socialist countries. Ivan Krastev, G.M.Tamás, Ralf Dahrendorf, Jacques Rupnik and others investigate the rise of "democratic illiberalism". [ more ]
Cultural citizenship
The concept of cultural citizenship responds to the multicultural context of contemporary societies, in which the concern with equality is increasingly being complemented with a concern with difference. Contributors include Gerard Delanty, Axel Honneth, Rainer Bauböck, Ivaylo Ditchev, Charles Taylor, Rada Ivekovic, António Sousa Ribeiro. [ more ]
Decentring Europe
Any reinvention of the concept of Europe that takes into account the complexities inherent in Europe's place in a globalized world must contain a critique of Eurocentrism. Learning from the South, i.e. absorbing the full critical impact of alternative approaches may be a key element in the rethinking – and unthinking – of "Europe".[ more ]
The future of war
Are wars that are fought between nations a thing of the past, and are the future challenges more a case of ethnic strife, break-up of failed states, secession and civil wars? In a special focal point, Eurozine analyzes the changing face of warfare in the twenty-first century, in which terrorism and new security threats have profoundly transformed the way wars are conducted. [ more ]
The city as stage for social upheaval
From the western European city to the Third World megacity, one is able to observe how a single principle asserts itself in the social structure of the urban space. That principle – privatization – is geared towards the concentration of wealth and assets on an increasingly global scale, a manoeuvre its beneficiaries seek to naturalize. [ more ]
Big Brother goes global
Post 9/11, governments are increasingly tailoring "international standards" to ratify domestic policies that intrude on civil liberties. Welcome to the phenomenon of "policy laundering". [ more ]
Changing Europe
As political Europe turns 50, the questions about its future are as open as ever. A special focus featuring some of Eurozine's most outstanding contributions on the European project: From analyses of the current crisis to a hilarious parody of Brussels' literary ambitions. [ more ]
European histories: Towards a grand narrative?
In order for there to be solidarity within the enlarged EU, it will be necessary to develop a broader historical consciousness that includes both western and eastern experiences. [ more ]
Europe talks to Europe: Towards a European public sphere?
The European integration project has made the discussion about transnational spaces for cultural and political debate acute. Can there at all be a common Europe without a pan-European public sphere? [ more ]
Politics of border making and (cross-)border identities
Have borders become irrelevant with the project of a united Europe? No, just the opposite. On the dilemmas of border building and cross-border cooperation in the EU and its neighbourhood. [ more ]
Documenta 12 magazines
Eurozine is participating in the Documenta 12 magazines project, which links over 90 print and on-line periodicals worldwide. Read Eurozine's contributions to the documenta leitmotifs "Modernity" and "Bare Life" here.[ more ]
Freedom of speech and the Danish cartoon controversy
Free speech is a fundamental human right and a central tenet of democracy. Or is it? Reactions to the Danish cartoon controversy show that liberals are re-evaluating what the right to free speech entails. [ more ]
Politics of translation
Translation today is as much about the translation of cultural, political, and historical contexts and concepts as it is about language. [ more ]
Conferences
European histories
The 22nd European Meeting of Cultural Journals
Vilnius, 8-11 May 2009
Under the heading "European Histories", the 22nd European Meeting of Cultural Journals explored the role of history and memory in forming new identities in a Europe in change. [ more ]
crosswords X mots croisés
21st European Meeting of Cultural Journals
Paris, 26-29 September 2008
The 21st European Meeting of Cultural Journals 2008 in Paris explored the theme of multilingualism in Europe in terms of language policies, migration, translation and the European public sphere. Read the conference texts here. [ more ]
Changing places (What's normal anyway?)
The 20th European Meeting of Cultural Journals
Sibiu, 21-24 October 2007
Under the heading "Changing places (What's normal anyway?)", the Eurozine network conference 2007 in Sibiu, Romania, addressed the challenges facing societies, literature, and the media as the need for change meets the urge for normality. Read the conference texts here. [ more ]
Friend and foe. Shared space, divided society
The 19th European Meeting of Cultural Journals
London, 27-30 October 2006
Speakers at the 19th European Meeting of Cultural Journals opened up the discussion on cultural diversity in two directions: first, as it is experienced in the physical urban space, and second, as it is reflected in the mirror of the media. [ more ]
Neighbourhoods
The 18th European Meeting of Cultural Journals
Istanbul, 4-7 November 2005
Contributions on the notion of neighbourhood and the Turkey-Europe question from a range of intellectual and geographic perspectives. [ more ]
Time to Talk click for more 
Social media 
