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Helsinki Edition About Us |
Focus: Europe A few more years and we'll have no more Marks, Lires or Guilders. EMU will start a period of far reaching integration in Europe. That's not only a monetary and political issue, but it will become a part of our lives. A way of thinking. Do European journalists find themselves European-minded yet, and do they think they should be? Sweden, Henrik Brors, political editor on Dagens Nyheter. "Swedish journalists covering European issues are the worst in Europe. Many reporters still think as if the Berlin wall still exists. They live in the past and look at European issues as foreign matters, not as ones which concern us in the same way domestic issues do. Also the European matters are only high-lighted when the decisions has been taken. Media have a democratic responsibility to report on these things at an early stage, so the citizens can make their own minds up, and maybe influence the politicians who represent them in Europe. This is a big problem.'' Belgium, Axel Buyse, Foreign affairs editor on De Standaard. ''Basically we're very Europe-minded, because of our convictions and political beliefs. We feel the European Union can only become more important than it is now, socially as well as politically. Our newspaper has a strong tradition on reporting on Europe. We've had a European correspondent for the past 25 years. And for some time now we've had two of them. Our readers have come to expect European news from us.'' United Kingdom, Simon Kelner, editor on The Independent. ''I think in every facet of our lives we are becoming more European. People who would stop the advance to becoming European are fighting a losing battle, really. But in terms of journalism, I don't think that is becoming more European, because every country has such a different newspaper market. At the same time Europe is going to be very big- the most important topic that concerns us, I think.'' The Netherlands, Art van Iperen, foreign editor on De Volkskrant. ''Naturally we're European-minded, because that's our future. We have a large network of correspondents, two especially on European issues. A few years ago, we only had one correspondent in Brussels, so we even expanded on reporting on Europe. Every paper, which takes itself seriously should focus on Europe.'' Finland, Hannu Salmi, national reporter on the main national newspaper called Helsingin Sanomat. ''The most important thing for me as a journalist is to write stories for the Finns, about the Finns- not to report about Finland in a European context. Of course we are members of the European Union now, but that doesn't mean anything has changed for me. I still tell my readers what it looks like in Finland. The correspondents can tell more about the rest of Europe. Of course, one could try to get to know more about Europe and write about it, but the EU is not the best place for journalists who want some information.'' Slowaky, Juraj Alner, analyst for Narodna Obroda and president of the Slovak section of the Association of European Journalists. ''I am interested in items on European integration and I believe it is the only sensible alternative for Europe. I see more in integration than just the security aspect and the economic profits. The media has an important responsibility in influencing public opinion. They can't be indifferent to if and how they do it. I think that in most of the EU member countries and associated countries, journalists underestimated the meaning of the huge European movement or they just didn't care about it.'' Manon Kotvis |
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