Top-down and bottom-up dynamics of the European public in the local media

Local daily newspapers are rarely in the focus of research on the European public. However, because of their important functions at the local level, they are not to be neglected and can contribute to the politicization of the EU by acting as a hinge between the actors from politics, the mass media and civil society, their strategies and activities as well as the reporting in the medium itself. In order to take a closer look at this, the dissertation analyzes how politicians (Members of the European Parliament, MEP), as top-down actors, and civil actors, as bottom-up actors, affect local journalists and their EU reporting in local newspapers. The research questions are: How do local newspapers design the top- down and bottom-up dynamics of the formation of a European public? How do MEPs (top-down) affect the local newspapers and how is this represented by journalists? How do the population and civil society actors (bottom-up) affect the local newspapers and how is this taken up and illustrated by local journalists? With the help of a qualitative content analysis in local daily newspapers as well as expert interviews and a comparison across three countries (Germany, Austria and France) it can be determined, how these dynamics create, map and Europeanize the local public spheres.