This article analyses the news coverage of the 2004 European parliamentary elections
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national newspapers and two television newscasts in the two weeks leading up to the
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actors featured in news stories about the elections were generally national
political actors and not EU actors. When evaluative, the news in the old EU-15 was
generally negative towards the EU, whereas in the new countries a mixed pattern was
found. The findings of the study are discussed in the light of the literature on the
EU’s legitimacy and communication deficit.
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