European media are hooked to US politics like we are hooked to US social media
Blog post, 25/02/2026, by Sven Franck (en français , in Deutsch) -
TL;DR – Yesterday, the US president held its State of the Union address at 3am our time. Perfect, because I prefer to sleep than listening to another episode from the Twilight Zone. What's not so perfect is the space Donald Trumps has in European media this morning. If we want to lift Europe on par with the US, shouldn't our media start giving more visibility to what's happening at home. It's not like we don't have drama...
Drama? What drama?
My frontpage today should read: Ukraine standing strong for a 4th year while EU Council continues to look weak... Hungary blocks 90B€ aid package for Ukraine after Belgium, France and Italy blocked use of 300B€ of Russian assets... Commission set to reject European Citizen Initiative MyVoice MyChoice undermining principle of giving citizens a voice in European legislation. Outrageous? I have more.
My page 2: While Marine LePen awaits verdict on her appeal to being ineligible for the 2027 presidential elections, almost 60 candidates have so far hinted to run for French president... in Poland, newly elected president Karol Nawrocki blocked the governments reform to make appointment of judges free from political influence... in Germany, the extreme-right AfD is found to systematically hire family members of elected representatives... and Hungary is deep in the Multiverse with government-aligned pollsters predicting a victory for Victor Orbán in April elections while unaligned pollsters predict a win for opposition leader Peter Magyar.
Europe has drama. But it rarely makes your news. Looking at the Eurobarometer, I wonder if European citizens aren't ready for more European news. I for my part would very much like to know what happens around me, how it influences my life and how I can influence it. I have a lot of respect for the innovaters: Euractiv, l’Europe and national newspapers going European, like L’Express or Denník taking over the EUobserver. For these and everyone else, I have a proposal:
Make May 9th a European news day!
How about on May 9th, all news outlet give the spotlight to Europe? For one day only, put the US next to India and China on page 27 and Trump in the comic section. For everyone feeling European - we are many - give us the news that matter to us. More Sanchez, less Vance. More Kubilius, less Hegseth. I want to know what is happening on my continent.
You can even make this profitable: Remember the Euro coins welcome packages? If there was 27+ news outlets making a coordinated European edition for May 9th, they will quickly turn into collectibles and sell out in no time. Add a poll, if readers want more of this and we might even increase subscribers tired of US slop and longing for some good old European news.
What do you think of the idea? Send me a message if you want to help reach. Time to #jumpstartEU