Abstract

We know that news about politics enjoy a wide coverage by the media. But what about policies? Can a citizen who wants to be informed about the measures that are under discussion, adopted or implemented, or about their outcomes realise which issues are at stake and which solutions are under scrutiny? Do the media contribute to the quality of public deliberation? To address such questions we followed two research strategies: a cross-national research on Italian, French and Spanish newspapers and a more in-depth cross-policy research on Italian newspapers. We conclude that in Italy the communication of public policy is stifled by politics, because Italian press tends to look at policy as a minor branch of politics. The higher the political conflict over public choices, the lower the willingness of both political actors and the press to justify positions through arguments.