News
Reports, Publications, Projects, Blog Posts & Podcasts from the Institute
Protection, Empowerment, and Participation: Recommendations for Action from the Expert Commission
The independent expert commission "Protection of Children and Youth in the Digital World" submitted its recommendations to Federal Minister of Education and Family Affairs Karin Prien. The recommendations focus on better protecting children and adolescents in the digital space while allowing them to participate. Instead, platforms, educational institutions, parents, and government actors should take on more responsibility. Dr. Claudia Lampert's expertise was incorporated into the commission's work.
Congratulations, Kira Thiel!
Kira Thiel successfully defended her dissertation on "How Adolescents Cope with Stressful Online Experiences: A Process-Oriented Analysis of Stress and Coping." Congratulations! Prof. Dr. Uwe Hasebrink and Prof. Dr. Katharina Kleinen-von Königslöw supervised the dissertation, which was defended on June 19, 2026 with Prof. Dr. Judith Möller as chair.
What People with Disabilities Say About Solidarity
An analysis conducted by Jan-Hinrik Schmidt and Milena Braun on behalf of Aktion Mensch shows that people with disabilities place less trust in private media outlets and social media than the general population does. The study also examines other aspects of social cohesion in Germany from the perspective of people with disabilities.
Social Cohesion – Experiences and Expectations of People with Disabilities Regarding Participation
Jan-Hinrik Schmidt and Milena Braun conducted a study on behalf of Aktion Mensch examining how people with disabilities perceive social cohesion in Germany. The study allows for a comparison with the general population and reveals that, despite being more likely to participate in politics and volunteer work, people with disabilities experience less social cohesion.
Reuters Institute Digital News Report 2026: Findings for Germany
Since 2012, the Reuters Institute Digital News Survey has conducted annual, representative surveys in 48 countries to examine general trends and national differences in news consumption. As a cooperation partner, the Leibniz Institute for Media Research | Hans-Bredow-Institut is responsible for the German sub-study. The 2026 findings are now available for download.
News Consumption through Social Media Is Increasing
News consumption via social media is increasing: 36 percent of German internet users now access news through various social media platforms. AI chatbots continue to play only a minor role in news consumption as a source of news, with five percent of respondents reporting that they use them. These are findings from the Reuters Institute Digital News Report 2026, for which the Leibniz Institute for Media Research in Hamburg is responsible for the German sub-study.
How Conversations with People Who Think Differently Can Make a Difference
On the ARD talk show “What Unites Germany,” people from a wide variety of backgrounds engage in conversation with one another. As part of the project, the HBI is conducting research to determine how these discussions influence the participants’ attitudes. The initial findings are now available.
Can We Still Talk to Each Other?
In a two-day experiment, ARD invited 84 people to engage in an open discussion with one another on camera, transcending differences in age, background, and political views. The HBI is supporting the initiative with a multi-part survey. Jan-Hinrik Schmidt examined how participants rated the dialogue project and what they took away from it.
Regulatory Reasoning on Algorithmic Systems
Hamburg, June 3, 2026. An innovative project at the intersection of media law and computer science sheds light on how news spreads on digital platforms. Thus, it provides media regulators with a basis for developing regulatory approaches. A team of researchers from the HBI and the Department of Informatics at the University of Hamburg carried out the project, which was funded by the Volkswagen Foundation. You can find the project's findings in a video on YouTube.
Event dates
#LeibnizMediaLecture
Milieu-Specific Perspectives on the Polarization Hypothesis
30. June 2026For this Leibniz Media Lecture, we welcome Prof. Dr. Olaf Jandura from the University of Applied Sciences Düsseldorf. In his presentation, he will explore the development of ideological divides between political and communicative milieus and the role of media use in this process. The Hamburg section of the Research Institute Social Cohesion (RISC) is hosting this Leibniz Media Lecture.
Annual Conference of the International Association for Media and Communication Research (IAMCR)
1. July 2026At the annual conference of the International Association for Media and Communication Research (IAMCR) in Galway, Jan Rau, Jan-Ole Harfst, and Tobias Mast will give a presentation on "Platform Badges for Civic Communication: An Interdisciplinary Discussion of a Risk Mitigation Measure Pursuant to Art. 35 DSA."