The birth of a European public sphere through European media reporting of risk communication

In this article I argue that journalistic coverage on environmental I risk issues can contribute to the emergence of a European public sphere. The transnational character of environmental issues and the need to find political solutions for them on national and transnational levels pose challenges to the journalistic coverage. I examine this by considering three empirical studies, all of which use content analysis as their main methodology. These studies compare the coverage of issues such as biotechnology, air pollution and BSE in European media outlets. My conclusion is that coverage on environmental risk issues in national media, though not synchronous and consensual but rather asynchronous and controversial and stressing the own national point of view, does contribute to the emergence of a European public sphere.