A European Council survey answered by 21 per cent of the 862-strong Brussels press corps ranked the Financial Times as the most influential media outlet in the heart of the EU, followed by POLITICO and EurActiv.
The poll conducted in September and October 2021 also showed that more than half of the accredited news organizations are from the United Kingdom, Belgium, Spain, Germany, Italy and France: large national newspapers such as Le Monde, the Frankfurter Allegemeine Zeitung and The Guardian are also deemed agenda-setters.
Interest in EU affairs has risen due to the Covid pandemic, according to the survey, although this is not expected to last. Journalists want the EU institutions to continue to offer hybrid briefings and press conferences, but only to accredited media.
Officials of the European Commission are the top sources for journalists within the institutions, with off-the-record press briefings among the most important press activities. Social media are a crucial working tool as 59% of the journalists stated that Twitter is important for their work.
The full report can be found here.