The Public Sphere[s] of Europe

The aim of the essay is to discuss notions of a European public sphere, partly against the findings in previous empirical studies, partly against the results from an analyses of how the bombings in Madrid 2004 were framed & discussed in four different newspapers, based in different countries. The discussion shows that there is no single answer to the question if a European public sphere exists or not. There are some empirical findings which indicate that, at least the conditions for, a public sphere in Europe exist, while other findings points in the opposite direction. One conclusion that can be drawn from this, it is argued, is that the answer will depend on the theoretical point of departure for the study, as well as how the public sphere is measured. Another conclusion in the essay is that we need more empirical studies, where a comparative approach is used. Tables, References. Adapted from the source document.