The Battleground

The Battleground - Europe and Beyond

The Battleground is a Brussels-based nonprofit, independent media organisation that provides big-picture analysis and reflection on the stories of our time.

Our tagline, 'Focusing on democracy, diversity, and culture in Europe and beyond,' attests to the international nature of our publications. The Battleground’s content highlights geopolitical context and perspective, bridging continents and cultures. It mixes political analysis with social commentary on current affairs.

Established by independent press professionals to break new ground, The Battleground is an innovative media platform that promotes quality, ethical journalism with a personal touch. The ambition is to set a new standard for what journalism ought to do in Europe, if not worldwide.

Our Mission

• Fight false narratives
• Defend democracy
• Combat racism
• Expose extremism
• Promote diversity
• Champion ethical journalism

We conceived of The Battleground on Armistice Day 2018, one hundred years after the end of the First World War. We named it The Battleground to reflect the battle for human rights, the rule of law, and fundamental freedoms.

This ambition did not emerge in a vacuum. Since the 2008 financial crisis, Europe has been repeatedly destabilised by conflicts on its eastern periphery, terrorism, refugees, and the far right. Most of the media we’d worked for failed to cover this. The Battleground was our answer.

Our decision has proved correct given the events of the six years since our founding. The Battleground is the only progressive English-language media in the European Union that tackles such topics, and we have a growing global audience to show for it. In 2024, our readership reached 400,000, with almost half located in North America.

Given the far-right political drift in Europe and beyond, staying the course and remaining a voice of reason and tolerance has inspired us like no other project we’ve worked on. Our growth has inspired us to take chances and exceed our expectations.

Our Work

The Battleground has published over 2000 long-form articles and 10,000 original photos, launched new branded formats such as our ebook series Battleground Books, and political field recording albums under the Battleground Sounds imprint.

Our editors publish regular reviews of films, music, books, and political features and conduct candid conversations about ideas and events on our podcasts. They’re a very inspired bunch at the height of their journalistic careers.

Our Reach

The majority of our audience is between 18 and 44. We are heavily read by our peers, journalists, and other EU media, who increasingly follow our lead. We’re regarded as a publisher’s publisher in the Brussels media bubble.

The Battleground is a window onto Europe, the background instead of the foreground, the democratic instead of the populist. Reflecting shared values and diversity - in Europe and beyond.

We break the rules and make new ones. It’s a great place to be.