The Guardian

Seeing "Europe" or "European" mentioned in a positive light in British newspapers is like seeing a rainbow for the first time – you don't quite believe what you just saw. So when centre-left British newspaper The Guardian decided to embark on a new project, Europe Season, readers and commentators were surprised and sceptical, but nonetheless intrigued.

The new Europe Season was initiated in response to readers' request for more in-depth coverage of the continent, said Natalie Hanman, Editor of The Guardian's interactive comment section, Comment is Free. The project includes a four-week series called "New Europe", in which the newspaper and website look in depth at four European countries, namely Germany, France, Spain and Poland. On top of that, The Guardian also created a new "home" for Europe, a sub-site dedicated to the continent. Comment and analysis are the essence of this, with significant contributions from Der Spiegel, Le Monde, El País and Polish newspaper Gazeta Wyborcza. This kind of collaboration between leading European publications, based solely on cultural exchange, is rare and hence very exciting.

Hanman explained that the project aimed "to reflect and inspire more wide-ranging pan-European debates about the future of Europe as an idea and as a project, something that feels particularly urgent in this time of economic, political and social flux." She also hopes that the new Europe Season will make the British public recognise the importance of understanding their continental neighbours.

The Project and its Advantages

Germany is the only country that has been covered by the time of going to press, but the first edition of the series already looks promising.

Usually, when British media comment on Germany, the buzzwords are "Hitler", "Nazi" or "World Wars". But The Guardian has abandoned the usual superficial stance of its rivals, and conducted some serious cross-cultural comparison in terms of politics, culture, language and arts. German newspaper Süddeutsche Zeitung was plesantly surprised by the refreshing angle of The Guardian.

The series also touched on multiculturality in Germany, featuring Fatmire "Lira" Bajramaj, one of the most famous female football players in Germany, who is a Kosovo-born Muslim immigrant. An interview with Bajramai, instead of the (fake) blond Schweinsteiger, shows the authenticity of this shared diversity within Europe.

The site has chosen to make use of photographs and illustrations to provide Europeans with a new experience when looking at the German-UK relationship and European history. No more finger-pointing or sarcastic reminiscences about Hitler and Churchill, but a candid sharing of common history and understanding.

With personal anecdotes from writers from across Europe, jokes about stereotypes to reflect the mentality of the German people and some serious video conference exchanges between British and German journalists and experts on issues such as integration and housing prices, a new form of European discourse has emerged. Despite the language difference, Europeans speak football; they speak Eurovision and speak of sex, money and stereotypes. The site also consists of interactive data that gives a comparative understanding of the same issues being faced across Europe, such as immigration, trust towards government and public spending. The diagrams present findings from Britain, France, Germany, Spain and Poland and are simple yet engaging. So no more boring charts or fancy academic terms for ordinary readers to understand attitudes across Europe!

Maybe not transnational but engaging with Europe

The Guardian's new series is not there to preach about how good Europe is, but they are curious to explore what Europeans think of Europe. They engage readers to tell them what their perception of Europe is by hosting a video contest: readers are encouraged to film their favourite European city, explain why, tell a joke about it and record what they ate the night before. Whether you are an Italian filming about Helsinki or a German filming about the most rural part of Wales, as a European, you are connected with those living in the continent who share the same love.

Of course, in some ways the The Guardian's new project is not completely transnational or European. It could be argued that it merely compares Britain with another European country, and hardly provides a holistic picture of Europe.

But one has to understand that what The Guardian has signed up to is courageous and innovative. In a generally eurosceptic society like Britain, initiating a pan-European project in the media is daring. The new Europe Season will undoubtedly broaden the horizons of the British public and provide a platform for them to step out of their news comfort zone to learn about their neighbours and to discuss. In-depth analysis not only breaks down prejudices about other European countries, but will also reveal the diversity of the continent.

By having chosen The Guardian's new Europe Season as a Top European, we do not mean that the project is perfect and flawless. Of course, it could feature more countries; and of course, it could take a much more transnational approach. But it is the initiative, the eagerness and curiosity to understand what kind of continent Europe is that counts. It is also the courage to do something different, to explore taboos and to take a step forward in an inevitable trend towards understanding Europe that makes the difference.

As Süddeutsche Zeitung suggests from the result of this dialogue, "Britons are often surprised that Germans do not need alcohol to sleep together for the first time. Nice to get it summarised like that once." If they can talk about sex openly, they can talk about anything.

Cover illustration: Laura Hempel