How do Eurosceptic parties and economic crisis affect news coverage of the European Union? Evidence from the 2014 European elections in Italy

This article aims at understanding to what extent the presence of Eurosceptic actors, along with the effects of the economic crisis, have affected the news coverage on Europe and the European Union during the 2014 EP election campaign in Italy. We rely on an original dataset based on content analysis of the 50 days prior to the 2014 EP elections in four mainstream newspapers (n = 2,499) and four mainstream TV newscasts (n = 519). Our findings show that, while Italian mainstream media covered EU issues through a more positive frame compared to domestic political issues, Eurosceptic parties and economic issues, especially in relation to the austerity policies supported by the EU, were the two explanatory factors that clearly affected the coverage of the EU.