Brussels is the European Union's de facto capital and also plays host to hundreds of news outlets and journalists. With 28 member states to report on, however, and 24 languages to cater for, it appears that these outlets are struggling to appeal to the millions who belong to the EU.  I think one of the dangers of political reporting in a place like Brussels is that journalists become part of the establishment furniture.  Matthew Kaminski, Editor, Politico Europe  A growing dissatisfaction with the EU itself and reports by the mainstream media that are not hitting home with audiences, are both reasons contributing to the challenge. Furthermore, reporting is often executed through a domestic lens, preventing the public from understanding the issues from an inclusive, pan-European point of view.  But there's a new kid in town that seems to be doing the trick. Politico - the Washington DC-based political news site - has landed in Brussels and is trying to shake things up.Â  Well funded by GermanÂ media giant Axel Springer - the publishing company behind European newspapers Bild and Die Welt and the American news site Business Insider - and staffed mostly by "outsiders", criticism of the site points the finger at Politico being too "aggressive".  Although Politico may not be what EU audiences need, it does seem to have attracted a lot of attention other outlets have failed to sustain.Â  Talking us through the story are: Matthew Kaminski, editor at Politico Europe; Frederic Simon, editor at Euractiv and Brussels correspondent at France 24; Susanne Fengler, professor of international journalism at the University of Dortmund and director at the Erich Brost Institute for International Journalism; and John Lloyd, contributing editor at the Financial Times and Senior Research Fellow at Reuters Institute.
A look at the challenges of reporting for EU audiences and the one news site that seems to be getting it right.