News
Reports, Publications, Projects, Blog Posts & Podcasts from the Institute
Katharina Mosene on the Proposed Law on Protection against Digital Violence
Minister of Justice Stefanie Hubig wants to quickly introduce legislation against digital violence. However, that alone is not enough. On the program @mediasres, Sebastian Wellendorf speaks with Katharina Mosene about digital violence against women online, addressing it as a structural problem and discussing the proposed legislation and social responsibility.
Who Owns Europe’s Media?
Hamburg, March 17, 2026: The new Euromedia Ownership Monitor (EurOMo) maps 1,400 media companies and their controlling entities. A search engine allows journalists, regulatory authorities, and the public to track media ownership and control across borders. A public webinar in March will introduce the new features.
EU Proceedings Against X: Platform Submits Proposal for Remedial Measures
In December 2025, the European Commission imposed its first-ever fine for violations of the Digital Services Act (DSA): X must pay a fine of 120 million euros and rectify the issues in question. In his statement to the Science Media Center, Matthias C. Kettemann clarifies: “The DSA is an important and, by now, credible instrument of European platform regulation.”
On the 100th Birthday of Siegfried Lenz
March 17, 2026 would have been the 100th birthday of Siegfried Lenz (1926–2014), one of the most significant postwar German authors. Dr. Hans-Ulrich Wagner offers his congratulations and points out that Lenz was extremely productive and successful in the media industry as well, working as a writer, journalist, editor, and radio playwright.
Would a Social Meda Ban Make Sense?
Following Australia's decision to ban social media for children under 14, Germany has also begun discussing whether teenagers should be granted access to platforms such as TikTok and Instagram at a later age. In the podcast 'Tonspur Wissen', media researcher Stephan Dreyer discusses what the scientific community knows about the risks, benefits and potential regulations.
Government Public Relations in New Media
For years, the democratic legitimacy of government public relations has been a topic of discussion in academic literature and constitutional jurisprudence. Tobias Mast reviews a recently published dissertation on the subject, exploring the untapped potential of interdisciplinary legal scholarship in relation to commonly accepted empirical assumptions.
Platform Badges for Civic Communication
Digital platforms have become central infrastructures for political communication and social negotiation processes. In his article, Jan Rau examines platform badges, which are tools that platforms use to fulfill their obligation to mitigate risk by creating positive incentives for users to adhere to certain communicative norms.
Responsibility in the Platform Quadrangle
This working paper by Tobias Mast comments on the European Court of Justice's recent Russmedia ruling and sets out the premises for a relationship between EU legal acts in the digital single market that respects fundamental rights.
Matthias C. Kettemann New Chairman of the First Senate of the Austrian Press Council
Matthias C. Kettemann, a Professor of Innovation, Theory, and Philosophy of Law at the University of Innsbruck, and the Head of Program Area 2, "Communication Structures and Their Governance," at the HBI, was unanimously elected as the Chair of the First Senate of the Austrian Press Council.