"What do I know about the euro crisis?", "What does the media tell me?", "Do I get the same view of the crisis if I read a German newspaper, listen to Rai Uno in Italy or just live in Greece?". At the Polis International Journalism Conference, a panel of four journalists tried to tackle these issues.

Early in 2010, the euro crisis began to make the headlines of all the major media outlets. A German weekly magazine had Aphrodite holding up her middle finger on the front cover. The title said, "Betrüger in der Euro-Familie" (Fraud in the euro family) and this is how reporting about the crisis started to take shape in Germany. The eurosceptical tone was continued "in a campaign of the biggest tabloid and newspaper, Bild Zeitung, which with over 10 milion readers has a huge impact on German politics," said Peter Heilbrunner, a former Brussels reporter and now a Business editor in Stuttgart.

Heilbrunner also spoke of a general state of confusion because Germans didn't really understand why there should be at least a bit of solidarity with the southern countries. "They said: our economy is working well; we pay our taxes so what is the problem in the rest of Europe? It was hard for Angela Merkel, for the whole government to explain it."

An anti-bail-out mood developed in the country and an aversion towards the southern countries was generated primarily by the media "because it transported these clichés: they spend a lot of money they don't have, they are not competitive, and they are more or less lazy,"he added.

Antonio Preziozi, currently the director of Rai Radio News and Rai Radio Uno in Italy, talked about an ideal type of media that they try to promote, "credible and reliable," with "in-depth coverage about the euro crisis." He also mentioned the importance of explaining the technicalities when it comes to reporting about the crisis, as their main goal is to inform the audience but not to influence it.

Youth employment in Europe. Access to labour in a time of crisis. A call for change. What does this have to do with me?   

I'm reporting from the OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) Conference Centre in Paris where the first day of the A Call For Change Conference is taking place. As the expert panels entered into dialogue with the delegates in the morning, they opened up a great diversity of perspectives, studies, and ideas on youth access to labour. Being confronted with the past, present and future status of youth employment in Europe, I was fascinated by all the young people around that were engaged in the debate.

As the day went on, my curiosity about the audience grew. So it was time for a little E&M investigation

Now, as I write this text, I am back in Berlin. My rucksack is unpacked, the dirty jeans are being cleaned and fresh smelling clothes are drying on a rack on the floor. Only the train ticket on my kitchen desk shows that I was in Budapest for three days.

What stays with you from this festival cannot be seen from the outside. Fruzina Szép, the program organiser of the Sziget festival, told me on the first day, that they try to build a magical world at Sziget. What stays with me from the festival is the memory of this magical world.

They are an internationally acclaimed act whose latest album 'High Violet' won the Q magazine album of the year award. They have lyrics that get stuck in your head for days and melodies that resonate with you immediately, so when it comes to The National, a lot of people get quite enthusiastic! E&M reporter Kristin Kruthaup got the chance to meet the band’s bassist Scott Devendorft three hours before they played the main stage at Sziget Festival.

E&M: Where were you yesterday and where are you going next?

Scott Devendorf: Yesterday we were in Prague and tomorrow we will be in Prague again. We are here just for today and we have a show there on Wednesday. So we have a day and a half off after the show. So hopefully we have time to see the city, take a drive to the country and it’s kind of an unusual schedule. Usually, if you are on tour, it is like show, show, show, you know. Around the weekend, so sometimes you have a Tuesday or Wednesday off.

E&M: Which festivals did you prefer as a visitor?