State of Europe: media, mistrust and the polarisation puzzle

Malcolm Byrne is an Irish politician for the centrist Fianna Fáil party (ALDE) and served in local government before entering parliament. He is his party’s spokesperson on further and higher education, research, innovation and science. He speaks and writes regularly on regulating technology as well as the importance of the arts, sport and community volunteerism. He served on the Senate Brexit Committee. Previously, Malcolm worked as the head of communications and public affairs at the Higher Education Authority, the statutory agency in Ireland that allocates public funding to higher education and advises the government on higher education and research policy. Having worked for various lobbying and representative organisations throughout his career, Byrne was also the first commercial manager at myhome.ie, Ireland’s most successful property website. Outside of his professional career, he has completed 37 marathons, including another Dublin marathon last week.

Pronouns: she/her
Alessandra is the Head of Programming and Operations at Debating Europe, the citizen engagement unit of Friends of Europe. She oversees Debating Europe’s project implementation and develops its programme of activities ranging from citizen engagement to the “Democracy” area of expertise. Alessandra is an experienced facilitator and has an international multidisciplinary background with a focus on EU affairs, holding a joint Master’s degree in European studies at the University of Bath and Sciences Po Paris. Prior to joining Debating Europe, Alessandra worked at the European Commission, as well as in European and American not-for-profit organisations in Brussels and Berlin, in the field of communications and project management for regional development and youth engagement. Alessandra speaks Italian, English and French fluently.

James Kanter is the founding editor of the EU Scream politics podcast and a former correspondent for Dow Jones–Wall Street Journal Europe, the International Herald Tribune, and The New York Times in Paris and Brussels. He began his journalism career at The Cambodia Daily in Phnom Penh and has been recognised with the Reporting Europe Prize for his coverage of energy and climate issues. Kanter is known for his in-depth reporting on European politics, climate and regulatory affairs, providing critical analysis to international audiences.

Eugene Slavnyi is the Editor-in-Chief and News Director of UNITED24 Media, Ukraine’s largest English-language media platform, reaching over 75 million viewers each month. A former war correspondent, he was part of the team that transformed Ukraine’s state broadcaster UT-1 into the public media company UA:PBC. Slavnyi now leads a newsroom focused on global audiences, covering Russian war crimes, conducting investigative reporting and countering disinformation. Under his direction, UNITED24 Media has become a leading English-language source on Ukraine, combining frontline journalism with digital expertise to engage international audiences effectively.

Pawel Zerka is a senior policy fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations, where he leads research on public opinion, polling and data analysis in foreign affairs. His work also focuses on global trade policy, Latin American politics and the roles of Poland and France in the European Union. Based in ECFR’s Paris office, Zerka previously worked as a foreign policy expert in Poland. He brings extensive analytical expertise to his research and publications, contributing to informed debates on European and global policy challenges.