Last week the first ever live debate between the candidates for president of the European Commission took place in the Dutch city of Maastrich. It was a ground breaking debate, it allowed us to see the candidates like we have never had seen then before, far from being far from the rest of the citizens, they were answering our questions. Much commentary can be made about the debate and this comment is not about what was discussed in that debate.
This is about the lack of cover this debate had throughout Europe, considering the importance of this elections for the future of Europe and this current trend on the rise of euroscepticism, populism and right wing extremism, it is shameful the way in which the main broadcasters ignored this debate. It was hard to find references to this debate in the UK or France or Germany, considering the constant complains about lack of information about the EU, this was a lost opportunity. While in the social media, particularly twitter, there was a fantastic amount of activity, with something like 45000 tweets, showing the interest of citizens in the European questions, it was baffling the silence of the main broadcasters. It is the obligation of the media to inform the citizens about issues that influence their lives, the European media is failing their duty of care towards the citizens.
Joao Da Costa
@costajoaoda
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