Europe

[Page 615]Europe, the second smallest of the world’s continents, comprises 44 countries, including the United Kingdom, Spain, Russia, France, and Germany as well as Hungary, Belarus, Serbia, and Switzerland. Russia is the most populous region and has nearly 15% of Europe’s total population. Europe today has some of the most innovative media organizations like the Dennik N in Slovakia; Deutsche Welle, the German public state-owned international broadcaster; the Swedish Dagens Nyheter; Mediapart in France, and the BBC in the United Kingdom.

With multiple countries, numerous languages, and different ways of life, Europe may seem like a complex maze of culture and politics. Media in Russia, for example, are mostly state-run or owned by companies with close links to the Kremlin. Unlike other European countries, Belgium may ...