Main research topics

The research group is concerned with the empirical analysis and theoretical description of conditions, structures and functions of journalism. In particular, the focus is on online journalism, social-theoretical descriptions of journalism, and news selection.

Research on strategic communication focuses on the conditions and effects of interest-driven communication by organizations, especially public relations, security communication, and public diplomacy.

The research group investigates public and organizational communication processes in the context of crises. This includes, in particular, the analysis of national and international crisis reporting on wars, terrorism, corporate crises, pandemics and natural disasters, the analysis of internal and external communication of organizations before, during and after crises, as well as the relationships and perceptions between different socially relevant sub-publics, e.g. politics, the military and the media. The International Crisis Communication Research Group, founded by Prof. Löffelholz in 2002, is based in these areas.

Within the framework of empirical studies, the conditions, structures and functions of media statement production are investigated on an international comparative basis and with regard to the globalization of journalism, public relations and organizational communication. In particular, the focus is on public diplomacy, international public relations of companies, NGOs and IGOs, and international comparative analyses of media reporting.

The group addresses the effects of digital media change on the shaping of public communication. The focus lays on the influence of digitization, hybridization, datafication, algorithmization, and artificial intelligence technologies on societal and social adaptation processes, as well as on the associated challenges (such as those posed by mis- and disinformation in the digital space) for journalism research.