Steffi RetzlaffMcMaster University

Representing the European Union in Canadian print media

Steffi RetzlaffMcMaster University

Representing the European Union in Canadian print media

The European Union: friend or foe?

• The project: research questions, corpus and topics

• Methodology: Critical Discourse Analysis

• Textual analysis: some key tools in the critical reading of

media representations on the EU

- The climate change debate

- EU identity / 50th anniversary of the Treaty of Rome

- The EU – Lybia ‘deal’

• Conclusion

Agenda

Central assumptions:• Media recognition and construction of EU contributes towards

the determination of the EU’s international effectiveness Media have the power to influence public debates and policy making

Two overarching research question:• To what extent are European actors and issues actually covered

in Canadian newspapers? What roles are ascribed to the EU?– a) What values, characteristics, qualities, features are attributed to the

EU?– b) What arguments and argumentation schemes are utilized to justify and

legitimize their stance towards the EU?– c) From what point of view are these characteristics, evaluations,

attributions and arguments expressed?

The project: assumptions and research questions

Seven Canadian news outlets:

• Globe and Mail and National Post

• The Vancouver Sun and Calgary Herald, the Montreal Gazette, (Ottawa Citizen, Chronicle Herald and Telegram)

• The corpus covers articles on the EU from 1 January to 31 December 2007

The project: corpus

The corpus can be divided into two broad categories:• Domestic dimension

– EU and EU member states (political and economic issues)

– EU and countries which are currently aspiring EU membership

• International dimension– EU’s role in the world (political and economic issues,

democracy and human rights, climate change)– EU-Canada relations (political, economic and social

issues)

The project: topics

CDA

Textual analysisAnalysis of

social context

Linguistic analysis Intertextual analysis

Macro - / micro-levelanalysis

The methodology: Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA)

• two competing discourses: a Euro-skeptical and a Euro-friendly discourse

• reflects the ideological tendencies of the newspapers

• both discourses display specific expectations as to how the EU should or should not act according to its specific role

General tendencies in media coverage on EU

Language use is language choice

Meaning is generated from the choices made, or not made, by text producers

The question now is, what choices do Canadian media reporters and editors make?

Textual analysis: some key tools in the critical reading of media representations on the EU

The EU is named or referred to as, for example,• (unelected) bureaucrats; ‘red-tape monster’; club; bloc;

establishment; a cartel of governments; America‘s estranged transatlantic partner

“Elites in France and Germany want to revive the rejected Euro constitution – a document that would move even more power to unelected bureaucracies” (Post)

• the silent empire; the largest, most integrated community of liberal democracies in the world; a voluntary empire, a commonwealth of consent; a successful enterprise plagued with self-doubt (T.G. Ash Globe and Mail)

• a successful anti-war device

Lexical choices: Naming and reference

• “The gnomes of Brussels (or of the Palais de l'Elysee) sent France's presidential plane to pick up the Bulgarian nurses from Libya, with France's first lady, the photogenic Cecilia Sarkozy, flanked by Benita Ferrero-Waldner, the EU's attractive commissioner for foreign affairs.” (National Post)

Lexical choices: Predication

The climate change debate

• “What Europeans have done is put the bar way up there for us,” said John Bennett, executive director of the Climate Action Network. We want to see the Canadian government use the European Union as the model, rather than the Unites States.” (Calgary Herald)

• “Stephane Dion has dramatically revamped his approach to climate change …. Mr. Dion said his new approach was inspired by ambitious new plans from the European Union.” (Globe)

Source attribution / voice

The climate change debate• “the European Union declared that it had practically saved

the planet” (Post)

• “In an orgy of self-flagellation, Britain placed itself on a pedestal of carbon purity this week” (Globe)

• “In addition to Canada, The U.S., Japan, Australia, China and India have all announced emission reduction schemes … They contain real, hard emission targets and they propose 2050 as their deadline …. Each offers a marked contrast from European countries’ official policies, which have shiny exteriors, but hollow cores.” (Post)

Positive self-presentation and negative other-presentation

The climate change debate

• “With European Commission president José Manuel Barroso claiming that Europe will lead the way on climate change, the EU has promised to cut CO2 emissions by 20% below 1990-levels by 2020. Of course, with the EU already having promised an 8% cut by next year in the Kyoto protocol, this new target seems slightly less ambitious.

• “… as with many other lofty promises from the EU – the new global warming agreement will carry a high probability of failure. (Post)

Speech Acts: A promise is a promise is a promise

The climate change debate: From green champion to green ‘loser’?

• “The failure of Germany and its European Union partners to push through their key goals stands for a diplomatic defeat that epitomizes Europe’s shrinking influence in international climate negotiations. … Now, President Bush has decided to don Europe’s traditional role as a green champion. Now, it’s the United States that is demanding more action on climate change …. Bush has now seized the initiative on climate politics and is setting the agenda for international negotiations.” (National Post)

Sentence construction: Transitivity

Action processes with Bush as the active agent:

• “Bush has taken on Europe’s role”• “President Bush has decided to don Europe’s traditional

role as a green champion.”• “Bush has now seized the initiative on climate politics

and is setting the agenda.”• “it’s the United States that is demanding more action on

climate change” • “Bush has now taken on the role as suave intermediary

between Europe and Asia”• “Bush has recast the United States as a “green” bridge-

builder”

Sentence construction: Transitivity cont.

The climate change debate: Same discursive event – different view

• “That vague commitment dashed European hopes of an agreement to reduce emissions to 50 per cent below 1990 levels by 2050. But the mere fact they agreed to pursue further cuts kept hopes for a longer-term deal alive. As well, U.S. President George W. agreed to bring his plan to convene talks with the top 15 emitters.” (Globe)

Sentence construction: Transitivity cont.

The EU’s 50th anniversary – Identity issues

• As Europe’s leaders celebrate the European Union’s 50th birthday with some of the finest ingredients the continent can offer here yesterday, ordinary Europeans were sampling simpler fare.

(Montreal Gazette/Agence France-Presse)

Categorization and Polarization

Categorization and Polarization cont.

Ordinary citizens EU leaders

“a multinational street restaurant” “the central Berlin residence, Bellevue Palace”

“citizens stood outdoors at tables to eat their food”

European leaders kicked off festivities with a gala concert at the Berliner Philharmonie.”

Ouzo, sangria “one of Germany’s finest red wines, a heavy hitting pinot noir which can cost hundreds of euros a bottle”

Crisp Belgian waffles, kebabs, smoked sausage, paella “which … was a bargain at 4.50 euros (about 7$)”

“a sumptuous four course feast”

“A starter of pickled trout … creamed spinach soup … a main course of ox filet braised in Burgundy wine … a ”semi-frozen” apple dessert.”

Argumentation: The topos of threat and fear

• “Suspicion is also high over such struggling democracies as Bulgaria and Romania and the prospect that thousands of economic migrants will overrun western capitals.” (Los Angeles Times/Gazette)

• “There is also public concern over the membership ambitions of Turkey, Albania and Ukraine, which many in the West see as a threat to wages and welfare systems. Ten former socialist countries joined over the last three years. Those fears have added to disillusionment with the EU among citizens […]. (Associated Press/Gazette)

Argumentation: The topos of threat and fear cont.

Canada-EU free-trade agreement

• „Would the EU extend these mobility rights to Canada/Quebec) ... We wouldn‘t get absolute European mobility rights; nor would we want them. A transatlantic swap of unrestricted rights could open Canada to casual entry by economic refugees and sophisticated criminal organizations.“ (Globe)

Irrelevant argumentation and playing on the audiences emotions

EU – Libya case (George Jonas National Post)1. “On Wednesday, the bullet-riddled body of 42-year-old Bae

Hyung-kyu was discovered in the Qarabagh district of Afghanistan, […].

2. There was a trace of bewilderment in the Taliban spokesman's tone as he responded to South Korea's outrage. […].

3. Spokesman Ahmadi sounded genuinely perplexed. What, he seemed to ask, was wrong with the proposed transaction? Isn't this the way human affairs are conducted in warfare or, for that matter, commerce?

4. France's President, Nicolas Sarkozy, seemed to endorse the Taliban's view.

Irrelevant argumentation and playing on the audiences emotions cont.

EU – Libya case (George Jonas National Post)

12. "The liberation of the medics is an example of the power of the EU," commented a Bulgarian journalist, Velislava Dureva. Well, no. Rescuing the medics and guillotining Gaddafi would have demonstrated the EU's power, but paying off a bandit regime has only demonstrated Europe's moral confusion. I'd even say it has contributed, indirectly, to Mr. Bae, a deputy pastor of his Presbyterian Church, being gunned down by his Taliban captors the next day. It happened to be his birthday, according to church officials.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------** A Korean aid worker was killed by the Taliban in Afghanistan, because the EU paid a ransom to Libya**

• Various international partners, e.g. NGOs and the opposition (Liberals) conceive of EU as international actor and even world leader (e.g. human rights, animal protection rights and climate change)

• It seems that pro-American news outlets perceive this development as a threat to the Unites States’ ‘unipolar moment’ in international politics.

• The Euro-sceptical discourse does not project the EU as a leader; it challenges the self-image of the EU as a leader

• the EU “is an international actor if it constructs itself as one vis-à-vis the rest of the world and if other international actors conceive of it as such.” (Larson 2004: 69)

Summary and conclusion