Assessing lessons learned

insights from the 2019 European Parliament elections coverage in Bulgarian online media

Абстракт

In 2024, Bulgarians participated forthe fifth time in electing theirrepresentatives to the European Parliament. Unlike the general trend observed across the EU, which indicates higher voter turnout, Bulgaria has maintained a relatively stable turnout rate across its last three European elections.

The role of media content in shaping the public agenda is substantial, as it highlights current and significant topics. While media alone cannot guarantee the impact of the issues they cover, it plays a crucial role in establishing an agenda and framing public interest. Thus, media significantly influences audience perceptions and attitudes towards particular issues or events. This role of the media as gatekeepers of information becomes even more critical during election campaigns. However, it remains questionable whether online media in Bulgaria provides sufficient information to enable citizens to make informed choices about their European Parliament representatives.

This paper presents findings from a 2019 study analysing the online media coverage of the 2019 European Parliament election campaign in Bulgaria and compares these findings with a similar study conducted in 2024. The primary hypothesis posits that only a few lessons have been learned from previous European Parliament election campaigns, which impedes citizens’ ability to be adequately informed about EU agenda topics and to elect representatives who will effectively advocate for their rights and interests.