Research Program 1 “Transformation of Public Communication – Journalistic and Intermediary Functions in the Process of Opinion Formation” examines communication processes as the basis and prerequisite for social self-understanding. A constitutive element of the research program is the interplay between communication science research on use and journalism as well as governance research based on legal theory.
In the years 2020 to 2022, the program has expanded its research questions with a view to the increased relevance of forms of automated communication. With the participation in the Research Institute for Social Cohesion (FGZ), research work on the connection between media and public communication for socially shared knowledge and social cohesion has become an integral part of the work.
Studies on media use (of young people) and on the connection to the public are constantly important. Another focus is on the transformation of the relationship between journalism and the audience and pioneer journalism.
The regulatory perspective focuses primarily on the analysis of governance options with regard to disinformation. The scientific monitoring of the media conference as part of the German EU Council Presidency focused on ensuring diverse and trustworthy information in times of the Covid-19 pandemic.