(De)Constructing the fear about Europe in news media

Résumé En

This contribution aims at discussing how news media produce fear about the European Union (EU) and the discursive strategies employed to (de)legitimate it. The research rests upon a case study related to the production of 'news of fear' about EU, by Cypriot online media. In mobilising a diachronic approach the study aiming at scrutinizing the impact of financial crisis (2013) on the media discourse about EU in the Cypriot public sphere. The study proposes a twofold analysis of these media discourses by articulating their content with their process of production: a discourse analysis of the news stories (Discourse Historical Approach) and an analysis of the production process (Configurational Analysis) through interviews with those directly involved. Specifically, it gives emphasis to the different ways that media (de)construct fear about “Europe”, in relation to their: a) ideological background (political profile and linkage with political parties); b) organisational structure (division of labour and vertical/horizontal internal hierarchy); Thus, the proposition also aims to contribute to the methodological and theoretical discussion on the linkage between discourse and process analysis in the field of media research and discourse studies. It shows that an analytical perspective that takes into consideration simultaneously both media discourse and its process of production has important benefits for research. The use of such approach is heuristic and helps to avoid interpretative mistakes by analysts. It stress the importance of reconnecting sociological interrogations on interactions and power relations between actors within the field of production to media discourse analysis. This is particularly important in studying how organisational structures, symbolic power relations and cultural factors influence mediatised discourses of fear about Europe.