News
Reports, Publications, Projects, Blog Posts & Podcasts from the Institute
News Fatigue—What Happens in the Brain?
An increasing number of people are avoiding the news, at least occasionally. In an NDR Info interview about news fatigue, Julia Behre explains why this is happening and how newsrooms can address the issue. The segment was part of the program "Wissen" [Knowledge].
P.h.D. Position in Legal Studies (m/f/d) in the Field of Media and Communication Law
We invite applications for the position of a P.h.D. student in the Field of Media and Communication Law within the Research Group "Formation of Public Opinion". The dissertation topic will be developed collaboratively. Starting November 1, 2026 | Fixed-Term position through December 31, 2029 | | Location: Hamburg | Part-Time 75% | Salary: TV-L E13 (German public sector pay scale), with placement on the salary scale depending on relevant professional experience.
How Politically Empowered Do Young People Feel?
In a current project by Leonie Alatassi, students explore what political participation means to them, how it can be encouraged, and what barriers stand in the way. The first workshops show that many young people are eager to get involved. However, they need not only information, but also concrete support and opportunities to try things out and gain experience.
WhatsApp Under Review for Children and Teens
On the KiKA show Team Timster, Kira Thiel answers children's and teens' questions about WhatsApp. She explains why there is a minimum age requirement for WhatsApp and how to deal with stressful messages.
Medfluencers, Credibility, and Squandered Trust
How reliable is health information from medfluencers on TikTok, Instagram, or YouTube? Claudia Lampert discusses this topic on the Apotheken Umschau podcast, which translates to "A Dose of Knowledge." The discussion stems from an experiment conducted by YouTuber Marvin Wildhage, in which a medfluencer picked up on a made-up disease—despite it being an obvious hoax.
Babies and Toddlers in Monetised Social Media Profiles
Stephan Dreyer, Claudia Lampert, and Kira Thiel published an English summary of their study on babies and toddlers in family-influencing content. They present their findings on how babies and toddlers (ages 0–5) are depicted in German-language, commercially oriented social media profiles on Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube.
EU Extends Voluntary Chat Control
The European Parliament voted to allow online platforms to continue automatically scanning unencrypted private messages for child abuse under an expedited procedure. In his statement to the Science Media Center Germany, Stephan Dreyer explains why he considers the Parliament's expedited process to be legally controversial and why controlling chat messages constitutes a significant infringement of privacy rights.
Postdoctoral Researcher (m/f/d) Communication Science
We invite applications for the position of a Postdoctoral Researcher (m/f/d) in Communication Studies to start on October 1st or later. The position is located in the research group Media Use and Societal Effects (MUSE). This research group investigates how people use digital news and other information-related content, how these practices are changing, and what the consequences of these changes are.
Why More and More People Are Avoiding the News
Why are more and more people avoiding the news, despite being generally interested in world events? The NDR Info report from July 19, 2026, explores this question. Julia Behre provides a scholarly analysis of news avoidance. The report was part of the NDR television program DAS! Rote Sofa."
Event dates
Protection of Minors “Made in Europe”? Between Harmonization and National Responsibility
27. August 2026Stephan Dreyer will discuss the interplay between European standards and national structures in the protection of minors in the media at the gamescom congress 2026.
#LeibnizMediaLecture
RIDLOP: A Research Infrastructure for Data from Large Online Platforms
3. September 2026Dr. Simon Kruschinski of GESIS—the Leibniz Institute for the Social Sciences—will present RIDLOP, a research infrastructure that securely makes data from large online platforms available for social science research, starting at 12:00 p.m. The Hamburg Section of the Research Institute Social Cohesion (RISC) is hosting this Leibniz Media Lecture.
11th European Communication Conference
9. September 2026The 11th European Communication Research Association (ECREA) conference is taking place this year in Brno, Czech Republic, under the title “Shifting Grounds: Paths, Connections, and Futures.” The HBI will be represented by several contributions.
AI and Polarization in Digital Public Spheres
12. September 2026At the Museum Day event "All Fake?!," Jan Rau will speak about the impact of artificial intelligence on social polarization and digital debates.
Digitalisation Research Seminar 2026
21. September 2026This year's Digitalisation Research Seminar on 21-22 September in Berlin is dedicated to “Balancing Digital Safety between Risks, Rights, and Regulation”. The HBI, WI, BI and CAIS are organizing the event.
43rd Congress of the German Sociological Association
1. October 2026At the 43rd Congress of the German Sociological Association (GSA), Prof. Dr. Wiebke Loosen, Antonia Eichenauer, and Jonah Wermter will present two papers on the topic of communicative AI in journalism.
Press Freedom Under Pressure
13. October 2026What is putting pressure on press freedom? Journalists and researchers are discussing the conditions for independent journalism as part of Hamburg’s Press Freedom Week.
Journalism Under Duress from the Right
15. October 2026As populism rises, journalists are increasingly coming under fire from right-wing figures. How can one conduct research in right-wing circles? How can right-wing networks be uncovered? What do attacks on press freedom mean for journalism? Researchers from the HBI will discuss these issues with media professionals.