Read on Twitter
After what we've seen over the past week, I think it's time to revisit this question posed by @wblau.
At this point, having UK media be the *main* way the world gets news about the EU is as logical as the world getting its US news from Mexican media. https://link.medium.com/GYJ3Y6Q8Adb
At this point, having UK media be the *main* way the world gets news about the EU is as logical as the world getting its US news from Mexican media. https://link.medium.com/GYJ3Y6Q8Adb
EC made a serious error a week ago by briefly threatening to trigger Article 16.
EC should be held to account. But UK media has gone completely overboard, serving a UK government narrative that seeks to use EU's blunder as political cover for UK to violate the Irish protocol.
EC should be held to account. But UK media has gone completely overboard, serving a UK government narrative that seeks to use EU's blunder as political cover for UK to violate the Irish protocol.
Meanwhile, that there is an "EU vaccine disaster" has become the unquestioned starting point in UK media and then parroted in US media.
The more complicated reality, that the roll-outs are a national competence and some (
) are succeeding while others (
) are failing, is lost.
The more complicated reality, that the roll-outs are a national competence and some (
) are succeeding while others () are failing, is lost.
While obsessing over the supposed "EU vaccine disaster", US/UK media doesn't mention wider context.
None mention
much worse than most EU countries. Or that 
haven't even started.
Or that US has had vaccine export restriction since Dec (especially galling from
media)
None mention
much worse than most EU countries. Or that haven't even started.Or that US has had vaccine export restriction since Dec (especially galling from
media)
The difference in US/UK & EU media coverage of the vaccine situation has been striking. If you only got your EU news from UK media, you'd think it was the biggest scandal of all time. Within EU there isn't such a focus.
Article 16 debacle barely got noticed in continental media.
Article 16 debacle barely got noticed in continental media.
What's clearly happening is UK coverage of the EU is now all filtered through a #Brexit prism.
Differences in vaccination pace becomes an opportunity to (incorrectly) claim a Brexit win. An A16 blunder becomes a tool to deflect blame for inevitable problems at Irish Sea border.
Differences in vaccination pace becomes an opportunity to (incorrectly) claim a Brexit win. An A16 blunder becomes a tool to deflect blame for inevitable problems at Irish Sea border.
The US, and the wider world, ends up viewing news about the EU (in the only European language they understand) through the UK's prism of preoccupations.
Continental European media need to think about how they can reach a global audience, to bypass the UK's Brexit-tinted glasses.
Continental European media need to think about how they can reach a global audience, to bypass the UK's Brexit-tinted glasses.
Imagine there was a conflict between the US and Mexico.
Now imagine that the world's lingua franca is Spanish, and people in Europe don't understand English.
The world would be getting all their news about the
conflict from Mexican media. That's the situation we're in.
Now imagine that the world's lingua franca is Spanish, and people in Europe don't understand English.
The world would be getting all their news about the
conflict from Mexican media. That's the situation we're in.
