Dear colleagues;

IJoC has published a special issue on the ‘European Public Sphere’. I hope you enjoy it and find it interesting. Best regards, Dr. Alberto Ardévol-Abreu Department of Communication University of Vienna Althanstr. 14 (UZA II), 1090 Wien Zi. 3.05 T: +43-1-4277-48310 eFax: +43-1-4277-848310 eMail: alberto.ardevol-abreu@univie.ac.at

International Journal of Communication Publishes Special Section on the “European Public Sphere”

There have been several notable communication revolutions over the past 500 years. The movable type printing press sparked a social and cultural revolution, and ushered in the Enlightenment in Europe. The political press of 17th century England opened debates about religion, science, and politics to a new realm of society, the public. Later innovations, like the rotary press in the 19th century, established mass media as the key marker of a democratic society. Each of these technological innovations altered the relationship between the citizen and the state. The so-called public sphere evolved slowly in Europe. The appeal to a news reading, debating public became the only means of legitimizing political power. Social media and networked communication technologies represent the latest paradigm shift in the way citizens access, share, and react to information.

To what extent do new media influence the public sphere in Europe today? Do these communication technologies offer alternative means of constituting a public capable of traversing the varied social, political, and cultural differences among the EU member states?

This IJoC Special Section, guest-edited by Homero Gil de Zúñiga focuses on the current state of the European public sphere. It addresses how individuals are using new media to inform themselves, stimulate political conversations, and participate in politics. This collection of articles represent some of the latest thinking on digital and social media, information communication technologies and political engagement. Empirical studies in this volume illustrate the complexity and depth of political engagement in Europe. In particular, this Special Section calls on researchers to refrain from an overly pessimistic reading of the effect of the Internet on politics. Instead, public sphere studies might benefit from a more realistic interpretation of what constitutes the public sphere in Europe.

Contributors for this Special Section on the European Public Sphere are:

· Ahmed Al-Rawi, Erasmus University Rotterdam, The Netherlands · Salvador Alvídrez, Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León, Mexico · Jose A. Araiza, University of Texas at Austin, USA · Lucy Atkinson, University of Texas at Austin, USA · Brian Baresh, , University of Texas at Austin, USA · Audun Beyer, University of Oslo, Norway · Victoria C. Chen, University of Texas at Austin, USA · Claes De Vreese, University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands · Pieterjan Desmet, University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands · Homero Gil de Zúñiga, University of Vienna, Austria · Jacob Groshek, Boston University, USA · Stephanie Guise, Universität Erfurt, Germany · Francois Heinderyckx, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Belgium · Tom Johnson, University of Texas at Austin, USA · Danielle K. Kilgo, University of Texas at Austin, USA · Jörg Matthes, University of Vienna, Austria · Shannon McGregor, University of Texas at Austin, USA · Rachel Mourao, University of Texas at Austin, USA · Carlos Muñiz, Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León, Mexico · Magdalena Saldaña, University of Texas at Austin, USA · Nilsa Téllez, Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León, Mexico · Joost van Spanje, University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands · Joseph Yoo, University of Texas at Austin, USA

We invite you to read these papers that published October 15, 2015 athttp://ijoc.org.

Larry Gross Editor

Arlene Luck Managing Editor