This study assesses the performance of the British press in relation to the EU in the period immediately preceding the General Election of 1997, and during the British presidency of the Union from January to June 1998. It provides an account which explores the media's "hidden agenda" when reporting in relation to the EU. The text explores the issues from two disciplinary perspectives, media/discourse analysis and political science. It looks at the extent to which the British national press provides the quantity and quality of information on the European Union that is necessary for the effective working of a liberal democracy and seeks to identify the motives which lie behind particular press strategies on the reporting of Europe, including social, cultural, political and economic factors.