Although Estonian media was the most important information channel for the public in relation to the country’s EU accession process, analyses of the role of the media in this process are few and far between. The aim of the current study is to conduct a systematic media analysis of Estonia’s daily newspaper Postimees focusing on the period 1997–2003. However, instead of simply examining the campaigns for the Yes/No issue, the analysis focuses on the relationship between the EU and Estonia from the perspective of constructing national identity, which is a characteristic common to both Estonia’s accession process as well as the role of the media in contemporary society. The research combines media studies with political science, EU studies and nationalism studies to scrutinize this period as an example of a formative moment when the question in Postimees of ‘who we are’ was challenged by the openly normative ‘who we should be’. Furthermore, connections are drawn between the normative public discussion and the low degree of public support for Estonia’s EU membership during the integration process.
Publications of the Faculty of Social Sciences 1 (2016)
Media and Communication Studies
Although Estonian media was the most important information channel for the public in relation to the country’s EU accession process, analyses of the role of the media in this process are few and far between. The aim of the current study is to conduct a systematic media analysis of Estonia’s daily newspaper Postimees focusing on the period 1997–2003. However, instead of simply examining the campaigns for the Yes/No issue, the analysis focuses on the relationship between the EU and Estonia from the perspective of constructing national identity, which is a characteristic common to both Estonia’s accession process as well as the role of the media in contemporary society. The research combines media studies with political science, EU studies and nationalism studies to scrutinize this period as an example of a formative moment when the question in Postimees of ‘who we are’ was challenged by the openly normative ‘who we should be’. Furthermore, connections are drawn between the normative public discussion and the low degree of public support for Estonia’s EU membership during the integration process.
Publications of the Faculty of Social Sciences 1 (2016)
Media and Communication Studies
