Champs médiatiques et frontières dans la « Grande Région » SaarLorLux et en Europe | Mediale Felder und Grenzen in der Großregion SaarLorLux und in Europa

The editors, Vincent Goulet and Christoph Vatter explain in the introduction “National, Cross-Border and European Challenges for the Production and Distribution of Media Content in Border Areas” that European integration at a civil society level is progressing, but only slowly. Using the example of the Greater Region they show how “numerous borders and demarcations exist in a very lively and effective manner” (p. 3). Towards the end, the editors offer a brief overview of the articles in the anthology. These articles were presented and discussed during the colloquia and workshops held as part of the Infotransfront project.

The title of the first part is “Border Areas, Journalistic Fields and Language Barriers.” On the basis of the case studies Brussels and Luxembourg, Christian Lamour uses his article “Journalistic Field and Territoriality: Introduction to the Relations between Media and Territory in ‘Borderless Europe’” (article in French) to examine the relationships between mass media and the organization of space. In his article “B/Ordering in the Greater Region. Mobility – Borders – Identities” (article in German, with French translation) Christian Wille discusses the (im)possibility of a cross-border identity (an idea that is often striven for in regional policy cooperation). In “What the term ‘journalistic field’ can say about a cross-border media public in the Greater Region” (article in French) Bénédicte Toullec and Vincent Goulet show that a relational analysis makes it possible to identify the factors preventing the cross-border flow of information. Marlis Prinzing and Roger Blum ask in “Transnational Regions with Language Barriers: How Does Journalism Overcome Borders?” (article in German) how cross-border journalism works in the regions Aachen-Maastricht-Liège and Freiburg-Strasbourg-Mulhouse-Basel.

The focus of the second part is “Cross-Border Media Information Flows: Case Studies from the Greater Region.” Patrick Wiermer sums up the results of the studies “The News Geography of the Saar-Lor-Lox Region – Center and Periphery of the Greater Region” (article in German). “Reporting on the Interregional Trade Union Council SaarLorLux-Trier/Westpfalz: Media Effects in the Greater Region” (article in German) forms the core of Julia Frisch’s contribution. In “Measures to Stabilize a Cross-Border Cultural Information Exchange: The Example ‘Luxembourg and the Greater Region, European Culture Capital 2007’” (article in French) Delphine Buzy-Christmann questions the structure and the efficiency of cultural work in the Greater Region.

The title of the third part is “Intercultural Transfer of Concepts and Methods and German-French Media Comparison.” In “The Concept of the Journalistic Field in Germany. Transfer and Potential Applications” (article in German and French) Michael Meyen asks why Bourdieu’s concept of field has hardly been used in journalism research in German-speaking countries. In “Actors or Witnesses? The Treatment of Political Affairs in the German and French press” (article in French) Valérie Robert analyzes the coverage of the Wulff affair in Germany and the Woerth-Bettencourt affair in France. Martin Baloge’s article “Comparison as a Tool and the Interest in Transnational Exchange in the French-German Context” (article in French) aims to “contribute to an understanding of the mechanisms that cause individuals to exchange practices, ideas, material or symbolic goods, etc. – or, on the contrary, to discourage them from this” (p. 292).

Table of Contents

• Introduction
  • National, Cross-Border and European Challenges for the Production and Distribution of Media Content in Border Areas, Vincent Goulet and Christoph Vatter
  • Acknowledgements
• I. Border Areas, Journalistic Fields and Language Barriers
  • Champ journalistique et territorialité : Bruxelles/Luxembourg et « l’Europe Sans Frontières » Christian Lamour
  • B /Ordering in the Greater Region. Mobility - Borders - Identities Christian Wille
  • « B/Ordering » : Voisinage et arrangement socioterritorial en Grande Région. Mobilités – frontières – identités Christian Wille
  • Ce que le concept de « champ journalistique » peut dire de l’espace médiatique transfrontalier de la Grande Région Bénédicte Toullec et Vincent Goulet
  • Transnational Regions with Language Barriers: How Does Journalism Overcome Borders? Marlis Prinzing et Roger Blum
• II. Information Flows: Case Studies from the Greater Region
  • The News Geography of the Saar-Lor-Lox Area – Center and Periphery of the Greater Region Patrick Wiermer
  • Reporting on the Interregional Trade Union Council SaarLorLux-Trier/Westpfalz: Media Effects in the Greater Region Julia Frisch
  • Dispositif de pérennisation de l’information culturelle transfrontalière : le cas de « Luxembourg et Grande Région Capitale européenne de la culture 2007 » Delphine Buzy-Christmann
• III. Intercultural Transfer of Concepts and Methods and German-French Media Comparison
  • The Concept of the Journalistic Field in Germany. Transfer and Potential Applications Michael Meyen
  • Le concept du champ journalistique en Allemagne. Transfert et potentiel d'utilisation Michael Meyen
  • Acteurs ou témoins ? Le récit des affaires politiques dans la presse française et allemande Valérie Robert
  • The comparisons and intérêts à la circulation are made by the cadre franco-allemand. Martin Baloge
• Summaries
• Authors