A conference held by the Association of European Journalists (AJE), held today, June 3 in Paris, discussed the path forward for journalism which focuses on Europe as geo-political reality. Aware that the concept of Europe, as reported in the mainstream press, often fails to capture the imagination of the public as well as many journalists themselves, representatives of initiatives currently striving to revive the issue met to debate its progress. The questions raised were broad: Is reporting on Europe a 'chore'? How can the media inspire, entertain and inform on European issues? Which are the principle perspectives and agents responsible for revealing what's actually going on in the EU? And will European institutions be prepared to finance new organs of information?

Participating in the debate were: Renaud de Chazournes, Chief Editor of the monthly magazine, L'Européen, Eric Maurice, Chief Editor of Presseurop.eu and Matthieu Collet, President of EurosduVillage.eu.

The projects, while differing in mediums, finances and content, are indications of the presence of a strong, if small, core of writers aiming to give European reporting an editorial facelift. PressEurop.eu is 'Europe's first multilingual news portal', delivering its site in ten European languages. It has a diverse content format, offering top stories, articles, frontpage stories, travel information, editorials, briefings, journalist's blog and a public space for readers' comments. L'Européen magazine seeks to inform about varied aspects of European social, political and economic life, and will soon be complemented by a website in French and English. EurosduVillage, has developed from the personal blog of a politicised student to a comprehensive information and analysis site of all things European. It is available in English, French, German and Italian.

The projects' leaders were concerned to emphasise the dynamism of their production teams and the independence of the respective initiatives fuelling the project, to move attention away from the dullness and complexity associated with the institutions of the EU. Rather, these projects plan to approach Europe more thematically and through country comparisons, to show how life is directly affected by the policies emanating from Brussels.

PressEurop.eu is an official organ of the European Commission and is financed by the EU. Yet, according to Maurice it has 'complete editorial freedom'. The portal, operated by the Courier International, collates and diffuses stories and opinions from the 27 nations. L'Européen relies on its own correspondents posted across Europe, and places emphasis on the people of Europe, a distinct departure from preceding literature consumed with EU institutions and bureaucracy. It is financed by individual contributions and advertising. According to Renaud de Chazournes, the magazine is free of any political or institutional agenda. Similarly, Eurosduvillage is financed independently, and is currently formulating plans for a more complex business model for long term sustenance. Interestingly, the website has maintained a 'student' ethos despite experiencing great developments and 'professionalisation' in the past two years. The content is primarily provided by students, often specialising in European politics, thus offering a degree of expertise through fresh and analytical eyes.

Thus initiative is there and the projects are developing, but who, really, apart from bureaucrats in Brussels and Strasbourg will really bother investing their time, and ultimately money in terms of future financing opportunities, in them? As with the content, the projects' founders believe that the readership terrain is more fertile than one would presume. Overall, the projects aim for a similar type of reader: one who travels regularly, perhaps has European business connections but is looking for information outside of the 'institutional prism'. Moreover, they express an enthusiasm to capture a 'second market', that of the 'Erasmus generation', a demographic which owes its education and lifestyle to the opportunities offered by the EU.

The editors revealed their own visions for the future of international journalism. Maurice is emphatic about the 'essentiality' of on the spot correspondents, as the benefits of having a direct witness to developments in an area provides a reporting personality and greater impartiality. Yet the aggregator format of PressEurop.eu is valuable in its direct communication of the national press of the 27 countries through a centralised forum, facilitating access to information and public sentiment from one side of Europe to the other. Furthermore, there appears to be a consensus that reporting, in accommodating wider changes taking place in the industry will become increasingly specialised to meet the needs of 'niche' markets. This trend, it seems, would work very much in the favour of these three projects, as they seek to enlarge a potentially exclusive market by offering focused but diverse material.

Sources: L'Association des Journalistes économiques et financiers
and press conference