PD Dr. phil. habil. Aynur Sarısakaloğlu

PD Dr. phil. habil. Aynur Sarısakaloğlu is Acting Chair of the Department of Media Studies at the Institute of Media and Communication Science at Technische Universität Ilmenau in Germany, where she completed her habilitation in Communication Science with a habilitation thesis entitled “Artificial Intelligence in Journalism” and was awarded the Venia Legendi. Prior to joining Technische Universität Ilmenau, Sarısakaloğlu held the position of Assistant Professor in the Cultural and Communication Studies program at the Turkish-German University in Istanbul. Since 2021, she has remained affiliated with the university as a guest lecturer within the Flying Faculty Program funded by the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD).

Sarısakaloğlu completed her bachelor’s, master’s, and PhD studies in Communication Science at the University of Salzburg. She worked there as a research associate and project assistant. Her international academic experience includes numerous teaching and research stays, among others at the University of San Francisco, the University of Gothenburg, Universitas Atma Jaya Yogyakarta, Universitas Padjadjaran, and Boğaziçi University.

Her current teaching and research interests focus on new technologies and mediated public communication, artificial intelligence in communication and media studies, communicator research, journalism studies, communication theory, digital disinformation, international and intercultural communication, media in societal conflicts, crisis and conflict communication, and the de-Westernization of communication studies. She is an active member of the “Becoming International” working group of the German Communication Association (DGPuK) and was a member of the German Research Foundation (DFG)-funded network “Cosmopolitan Communication Studies”.

Since 2008, she has assumed a wide range of leadership, coordination, and advisory responsibilities. Since 2019, she has been involved in establishing the master’s program “International Communication and Media Research”, which is funded by the DAAD with resources from the Federal Ministry of Research, Technology, and Space (BMFTR), initially at the Turkish-German University and, since 2021, with responsibility for coordinating the program at Technische Universität Ilmenau. Since 2022, she has been responsible for coordinating the establishment of a double-degree program within this master’s program. Since March 2026, she has also been contributing to the development of the PhD program “Media and Communication Studies” at the Turkish-German University.

Monographs and Edited Books

Sarısakaloğlu, A., Cazzamatta, R., & Melchior, C. (Eds.) (in preparation). Transformation of public communication in the era of AI: Between disruption, adaptation, and reinvention. Media and Communication [Thematic Issue]. Cogitatio.

Löffelholz, M., Sarısakaloğlu, A., & Sellnow, D. D. (Eds.) (in preparation). The AI Galaxy: Communication in the Algorithmic Age. Wiley-Blackwell.

Sarısakaloğlu, A., & Rothenberger, L. (Eds.) (in press). Transformation of Public Communication: Journalism, Global Crises, Tech Disruptions, and De-Westernization. Springer. https://link.springer.com/book/9783658516871

Löffelholz, M., Johansson, B., Sarısakaloğlu, A., & Estella, P. G. (Eds.). (in press). The Routledge Companion to Conflict and Crisis Reporting. Routledge. doi.org/10.4324/9781003557937

Sarısakaloğlu, A., & Löffelholz, M. (Eds.) (2026). The Handbook of Artificial Intelligence and Journalism. Wiley-Blackwell. https://doi.org/10.1002/9781394250424

Sarısakaloğlu, A. (2019). Europas Identität und die Türkei: Eine länderübergreifende Framing-Analyse der Mediendebatte über den EU-Beitritt der Türkei. Transcript Verlag. https://doi.org/10.14361/9783839446263-014

Journal Articles and Book Chapters

Löffelholz, M., Johansson, B., Sarısakaloğlu, A., & Estella, P. G. (in press). Interconnected disruptions, fragmented research, and scholarly dialogue. In M. Löffelholz, B. Johansson, A. Sarısakaloğlu & P. G. Estella (Eds.), The Routledge Companion to Conflict and Crisis Reporting. Routledge. doi.org/10.4324/9781003557937

Löffelholz, M., Johansson, B., Sarısakaloğlu, A., & Estella, P. G. (in press). Transformations, tensions, and trajectories. In M. Löffelholz, B. Johansson, A. Sarısakaloğlu & P. G. Estella (Eds.), The Routledge Companion to Conflict and Crisis Reporting. Routledge. doi.org/10.4324/9781003557937

Rothenberger, L., & Sarısakaloğlu, A. (in press). Shifting perspectives in media and beyond: Journalism, global crises, tech disruptions, and de-Westernization. In A. Sarısakaloğlu & L. Rothenberger (Eds.), Transformation of Public Communication: Journalism, Global Crises, Tech Disruptions, and De-Westernization. Springer. https://link.springer.com/book/9783658516871

Sarısakaloğlu, A., & Rothenberger, L. (in press). From newsrooms to global arenas: The academic journey of Martin Löffelholz. In A. Sarısakaloğlu & L. Rothenberger (Eds.), Transformation of Public Communication: Journalism, Global Crises, Tech Disruptions, and De-Westernization. Springer. https://link.springer.com/book/9783658516871

Sarısakaloğlu, A. (in press). Algorithmization of public communication: Rethinking evolving journalism practices and research. In A. Sarısakaloğlu & L. Rothenberger (Eds.), Transformation of Public Communication: Journalism, Global Crises, Tech Disruptions, and De-Westernization. Springer. https://link.springer.com/book/9783658516871

Sarısakaloğlu, A., & Johansson, B. (in press). Journalism as arena and actor. In M. Löffelholz, B. Johansson, A. Sarısakaloğlu & P. G. Estella (Eds.), The Routledge Companion to Conflict and Crisis Reporting. Routledge. doi.org/10.4324/9781003557937

Sarısakaloğlu, A. (in press). The algorithmic turn in war communication. In M. Löffelholz & M. Seeger (Eds.), The Handbook of War Communication. Wiley-Blackwell.

Sarısakaloğlu, A. (in press). Disruptive technological innovations. In M. Löffelholz, B. Johansson, A. Sarısakaloğlu & P. G. Estella (Eds.), The Routledge Companion to Conflict and Crisis Reporting. Routledge. doi.org/10.4324/9781003557937

Löffelholz, M., & Sarısakaloğlu, A. (in press). History of paradigms in journalism research. In M. Löffelholz & L. Rothenberger (Eds.), Handbook of Journalism Theories. Springer VS.

Rasem, B., & Sarısakaloğlu, A. (in press). Journalism as a system of organized action. In M. Löffelholz & L. Rothenberger (Eds.), Handbook of Journalism Theories. Springer VS.

Sarısakaloğlu, A. (in press). Artificial intelligence and journalism. In M. Löffelholz & L. Rothenberger (Eds.), Handbook of Journalism Theories. Springer VS.

Sarısakaloğlu, A., & Tribusean, I. (in press). Virtual reality and journalism. In M. Löffelholz & L. Rothenberger (Eds.), Handbook of Journalism Theories. Springer VS. 

Cazzamatta, R., & Sarısakaloğlu, A. (2026). Mapping global emerging scholarly research and practices of AI-supported fact-checking tools in journalism. In A. Munoriyarwa & M.-F. de-Lima-Santos (Eds.), Artificial Intelligence and the Future of News: Agency, Power, and Authority (pp. 246–268). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003795575

Sarısakaloğlu, A., & Löffelholz, M. (2026). The evolution of journalism in the era of artificial intelligence. In A. Sarısakaloğlu & M. Löffelholz (Eds.), The Handbook of Artificial Intelligence and Journalism (pp. 3–26). Wiley-Blackwell. https://doi.org/10.1002/9781394250424.ch1

Sarısakaloğlu, A. (2026). Conceptualization of artificial intelligence. In A. Sarısakaloğlu & M. Löffelholz (Eds.), The Handbook of Artificial Intelligence and Journalism (pp. 29–43). Wiley-Blackwell. https://doi.org/10.1002/9781394250424.ch2

Sarısakaloğlu, A. (2026). Charting the research field of algorithm-driven journalism. In A. Sarısakaloğlu & M. Löffelholz (Eds.), The Handbook of Artificial Intelligence and Journalism (pp. 59–75). Wiley-Blackwell. https://doi.org/10.1002/9781394250424.ch4

Löffelholz, M., & Sarısakaloğlu, A. (2026). Journalism in 2030: Research perspectives on artificial intelligence and newswork. In A. Sarısakaloğlu & M. Löffelholz (Eds.), The Handbook of Artificial Intelligence and Journalism (pp. 415–423). Wiley-Blackwell. https://doi.org/10.1002/9781394250424.ch28

Estella, P. G., & Sarısakaloğlu, A. (2026). Conceptualizing algorithm-driven journalism within cosmopolitan communication studies. In A. Sarısakaloğlu & M. Löffelholz (Eds.), The Handbook of Artificial Intelligence and Journalism(pp. 77–87). Wiley-Blackwell. https://doi.org/10.1002/9781394250424.ch5

Sarısakaloğlu, A. (2025). Artificial intelligence as a game-changer or passing tech fad in journalism? A qualitative study on journalists’ perceptions and technology adoption in a Global South country. Journalism, 0(0), 1–21. https://doi.org/10.1177/14648849251390943

Sarısakaloğlu, A. (2025). Navigating the research landscape of algorithm-driven journalism: A systematic literature review of authorship, research trends, and future research pathways. Journalism Studies, 26(5), 541–567. https://doi.org/10.1080/1461670X.2024.2446326

Cazzamatta, R., & Sarısakaloğlu, A. (2025). AI-generated misinformation: A case study on emerging trends in fact-checking practices across Brazil, Germany, and the United Kingdom. Emerging Media, 3(2), 214–251. https://doi.org/10.1177/27523543251344971

Cazzamatta, R., & Sarısakaloğlu, A. (2025). Mapping global emerging scholarly research and practices of AI-supported fact-checking tools in journalism. Journalism Practice, 19(10), 2422–2444. doi.org/10.1080/17512786.2025.2463470

Sarısakaloğlu, A. (2025). Cosmopolitanization of journalism research in the era of artificial intelligence: Bridging the global divide in algorithm-driven journalism. In C. Richter, M. Radue, C. Horz-Ishak, A. Litvinenko, H. Badr & A. Fiedler (Eds.), Cosmopolitan communication studies: Toward deep internationalization (pp. 205–225). Transcript Verlag. doi.org/10.14361/9783839476772

Sarısakaloğlu, A., & Estella, P. G. (2025). War reporting in an evolving media landscape: Perspectives and prospects. In A. Schwarz, M. Seeger, & S. Kim (Eds.), The Handbook of International Risk and Crisis Communication Research (pp. 119–134). Wiley-Blackwell. https://doi.org/10.1002/9781394180844.ch10

Schleicher, K., & Sarısakaloğlu, A. (2025). Cosmopolitanization of war coverage research: Empowering non-Western narratives. In C. Richter, M. Radue, C. Horz-Ishak, A. Litvinenko, H. Badr & A. Fiedler (Eds.), Cosmopolitan communication studies: Toward deep internationalization (pp. 187–204). Transcript Verlag. doi.org/10.14361/9783839476772

Löffelholz, M., & Sarısakaloğlu, A. (2024). Paradigmengeschichte der Journalismusforschung. In M. Löffelholz & L. Rothenberger (Eds.), Handbuch Journalismustheorien (pp. 21–54). Springer VS. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-658-32151-2_2

Rasem, B., & Sarısakaloğlu, A. (2024). Journalismus als System organisierten Handelns. In M. Löffelholz & L. Rothenberger (Eds.), Handbuch Journalismustheorien (pp. 245–255). Springer VS. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-658-32151-2_16

Sarısakaloğlu, A. (2024). Künstliche Intelligenz und Journalismus. In M. Löffelholz & L. Rothenberger (Eds.), Handbuch Journalismustheorien (pp. 437–449). Springer VS. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-658-32151-2_30

Sarısakaloğlu, A. (2024). Als Avatar an der Front – Kriegsjournalismus in Zeiten künstlicher Intelligenz und virtueller Realität. In M. Löffelholz, K. Schleicher & C. F. Trippe (Eds.), Krieg der Narrative – Russland, die Ukraine und der Westen (pp. 193–206). De Gruyter. https://doi.org/10.1515/9783111331508-014

Sarısakaloğlu, A., & Tribusean, I. (2024). Virtuelle Realität und Journalismus. In M. Löffelholz & L. Rothenberger (Eds.), Handbuch Journalismustheorien (pp. 427–436). Springer VS. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-658-32151-2_58

Sarısakaloğlu, A. (2024). Rezension zu „Philosophie der Digitalität: Eine Kritik der politischen Technologie“, von E. Tabari. Communicatio Socialis, 57(2), 282–284. https://doi.org/10.5771/0010-3497-2024-2-282

Sarısakaloğlu, A. (2024). Rezension zu „Schlüsselwerke der Journalismusforschung“, von W. Loosen & A. Scholl. Publizistik, 69(1), 107–109. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11616-023-00827-2

Alver, F., & Sarısakaloğlu, A. (2023). Communication science in Turkey: How communication research and education developed over the years. Publizistik, 68(1), 89–108. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11616-022-00766-4

Richter, C., Grüne, A., Hafez, K., Fiedler, A., Behmer, M., Horz-Ishak, C., Badr, H., Litvinenko, A., Hahn, O., Radue, M., Sarısakaloğlu, A., Löffelholz, M., Fengler, S., Illg, B., Hamidi, K., Hanitzsch, T., & Thomaß, B. (2023). Die „tiefe Internationalisierung“ der deutschen Kommunikationswissenschaft? Eine Evaluation der Personal- und Forschungsstrukturen sowie der Lehrprogramme deutscher Hochschulen. Global Media Journal – German Edition,13(1), 1–51. https://doi.org/10.22032/dbt.57904

Sarısakaloğlu, A. (2023). Virtuelle Realität im Journalismus: Potenziale und Herausforderungen der partizipativ-immersiven Dimension der Berichterstattung. Communicatio Socialis, 56(4), 460–470. https://doi.org/10.5771/0010349720234460

Sarısakaloğlu, A. (2022). Algorithmisierung des Journalismus. Chancen und Herausforderungen künstlicher Intelligenzsysteme in sozio-technischen Newsrooms. Communicatio Socialis, 55(3), 308–319. https://doi.org/10.5771/0010-3497-2022-3-308

Sarısakaloğlu, A. (2021). Framing discourses in Turkish news coverage regarding artificial intelligence technologies’ prospects and challenges. Turkish Review of Communication Studies, 37, 20–38. doi.org/10.17829/turcom.803338

Sarısakaloğlu, A. (2021). The use of personalization algorithms on social networks: Hazards of living in a “filter bubble” during the COVID-19 pandemic. In Z. Acar Şentürk & Y. Kılınçarslan (Eds.), Communication studies during the pandemic period (pp. 29–46). Peter Lang Verlag. https://doi.org/10.3726/b18412

Sarısakaloğlu, A. (2020). Algorithms as the new gatekeepers of knowledge: Possibilities and challenges regarding the use of artificial intelligence in education. In W. W. K. Ma, K.-W. Tong & W. B. A. Tso (Eds.), Learning environment and design: Current and future impacts. Educational Communications and Technology Yearbook (pp. 293–305). Springer. doi.org10.1007/978-981-15-8167-0_18

Sarısakaloğlu, A. (2020). Theoretical understanding of the construction processes of the cultural ‘Other’ in news media. Communication Theory and Research Journal (İletişim Kuram ve Araştırma Dergisi), 51, 131–146. https://izlik.org/JA28KM77UM

Sarısakaloğlu, A. (2020). Cultural differences and algorithmic journalism: A cross-national study on the perception of algorithm-generated news by recipients. TRT International Academy Journal (TRT Akademi Dergisi), 6(10), 612–628. https://izlik.org/JA82KP79CX

Presentations at Conferences (peer-reviewed)

Cazzamatta, R., & Sarısakaloğlu, A. (angenommen). Sustaining the public sphere in platformized disinformation environments: Verification, platform moderation, media literacy, and informal governance. Joint annual conference of the Political Studies Association’s Media and Politics Group (MPG) and Technology, Internet, and Policy (TIP) Group: „Dis(mis)information and the Public Sphere in the Age of AI“, 12.–13.01.2027, City St George’s, University of London.

Sarısakaloğlu, A. (2026). Unveiling the “ethical self” in human–AI communication: Perceived AI agency and anthropomorphic attributions among media professionals. European Communication Research and Education Association Pre-Conference: „AI, Authenticity and Ethics of the Self: Philosophical Perspectives on Communication in the Age of Generative Technologies“, 04.09.2026, Online.

Sarısakaloğlu, A. (2026). ChatGPT’s potential benefits and risks in news coverage: A framing analysis in Austria, Germany, and Switzerland. 76^th Annual International Communication Association Conference: „Communication and Inequalities in Context“, 04.–08.06.2026, Kapstadt.

Sarısakaloğlu, A. (2026). Unveiling journalistic adaptation to artificial intelligence: Journalists’ responses to the benefits and challenges of algorithmization. European Communication Research and Education Association, „Journalism Studies Section 2026 Conference“, 09.–10.04.2026, Universität Groningen.

Sarısakaloğlu, A. (2026). Generative KI im Mediendiskurs: Eine länderübergreifende Framing-Analyse der Potenziale und Herausforderungen am Beispiel von ChatGPT im DACH-Raum. 71. Jahrestagung der Deutschen Gesellschaft für Publizistik- und Kommunikationswissenschaft: „#Wissenschaft, #Kommunikation, #Demokratie“, 18.–20.03.2026, Technische Universität Dortmund.

Sarısakaloğlu, A. (2025). Deciphering news media’s portrayal of ChatGPT: A comparative framing analysis across four countries. 75^th Annual International Communication Association Conference: „Disrupting and Consolidating Communication Research“, 12.–16.06.2025, Denver.

Sarısakaloğlu, A. (2025). Kosmopolitisierung der Forschung im Bereich KI-gestützter Journalismus: Überwindung globaler Forschungslücken und algorithmischer Ungleichheiten. Fakultätstag der Technischen Universität Ilmenau, 14.05.2025, Ilmenau.

Sarısakaloğlu, A. (2025). Von Algorithmen-induzierten Ungleichheiten zur Kosmopolitisierung der Forschung zum KI-gestützten Journalismus: Zentrale Befunde und Implikationen aus einer systematischen Literaturanalyse. 70. Jahrestagung der Deutschen Gesellschaft für Publizistik- und Kommunikationswissenschaft: „Öffentlichkeit(en) und ihre Werte“, 19.–21.03.2025, Freie Universität Berlin.

Sarısakaloğlu, A. (2024). Mapping the research landscape of algorithm-driven journalism: An interdisciplinary systematic literature review of research trends and future pathways. 10^th European Communication Research Association Conference: „Communication & Social (Dis)Order“, 23.–27.09.2024, University of Ljubljana.

Sarısakaloğlu, A. (2024). Charting the global development of algorithm-driven journalism: A systematic literature review of research trends and the North–South research divide. International Communication Association (ICA) Pre-Conference: „A Computational Turn in Journalism: Opportunities and Challenges in a Cross-Disciplinary Field“, 18.06.2024, National University of Singapore.

Sarısakaloğlu, A., & Cazzamatta, R. (2024). Unveiling challenges and potential paths of AI-supported fact-checking in journalism across selected countries: Navigating monitoring and verification practices. 51^st International Association for Media and Communication Research (IAMCR) Conference: „Weaving people together: Communicative projects of decolonising, engaging, and listening“, 30.06.–04.07.2024, University of Canterbury, Ōtautahi Christchurch.

Sarısakaloğlu, A. (2023). Synopse zur algorithmenbasierten Transformation des Journalismus: Eine systematisch-interdisziplinäre Literaturanalyse zum aktuellen Forschungsstand. 68. Jahrestagung der Deutschen Gesellschaft für Publizistik- und Kommunikationswissenschaft: „Automatisierung von Kommunikation und automatisierte Medien: Herausforderungen für die Kommunikations- und Medienwissenschaft“, 18.–20.05.2023, Universität Bremen.

Estella, P. G., & Sarısakaloğlu, A. (2023). Journalistic role performance in the time of AI: Competencies, conditions, and critical perspectives beyond the mainstream West. International Communication Association (ICA) Pre-Conference „Between ideals and practices: Journalistic role performance in transformative times“, 24.05.2023, Toronto Metropolitan University.

Sarısakaloğlu, A. (2022). The transformation of the journalistic profession: (Re-)defining the skills of future journalists for algorithmic newsrooms. 9^th European Communication Research Association Conference: „Social Media and Global Voices“, 19.–22.10.2022, Aarhus University.

Sarısakaloğlu, A. (2020). When algorithmic journalism meets its audience: Turkish news readers’ attitudes towards automated content. 17^th International Symposium Communication in the Millennium, 05.–06.11.2020, Anadolu University, Ankara.

With over twelve years of academic teaching experience, Aynur Sarısakaloğlu has developed and taught courses in German, English, and Turkish. Her teaching portfolio comprises lectures, seminars, colloquia, applied courses, and tutorials in communication, media, and cultural studies at bachelor’s and master’s level.

Courses she has taught over the past five years (2020–2025) include, among others:

• Communicator Research (BA)
• Artificial Intelligence in Communication Research (MA)
• Artificial Intelligence in Journalism (BA)
• Artificial Intelligence in Public Communication (BA)
• Media Management and Communication Theories (MA)
• Journalism and Strategic Communication (MA)
• Intercultural Communication (MA)
• BA and MA Colloquia (BA, MA)
• Methods of Communication Research (MA)
• Qualitative and Quantitative Methods in Communication Science (BA)
• Digital Media Laboratory (BA)
• New Media Technologies (BA)
• Media Reception and Media Effects Research (BA)

In her current research, Aynur Sarısakaloğlu examines how new technologies transform digital media and public communication. Her work centres on the transformation of communication processes, professional practices, and societal orders of knowledge under the conditions of artificial intelligence (AI) and automation. From a human-centred perspective, she analyses the potential benefits, risks, and conditions of AI systems in societal and public communication. Her research combines theoretical, epistemological, and empirical approaches to provide a scientifically grounded assessment of current technological innovations and to investigate their significance for processes of social orientation, knowledge formation, and societal transformation.

Her focus on AI and journalism forms the starting point of a broader research agenda on AI-supported communication, sociotechnical human-machine relations, and the societal implications of algorithmic systems. Central to this agenda are the perception, evaluation, and appropriation of AI technologies by media actors, as well as the interplay between technological potentials, organizational frameworks, and professional user practices. This perspective enables a differentiated analysis of actor constellations, role conceptions, competence requirements, and attributions of responsibility in AI-supported communication processes.

Sarısakaloğlu further examines the integration of AI into public communication and its implications for knowledge production, opinion formation, and societal resilience. This includes research perspectives on science communication about generative AI, disinformation, synthetic media, deepfakes, fact-checking, verification practices, and the role of AI in crises, conflicts, and wars.

Intercultural and inclusive perspectives extend this agenda to questions of cultural differences in the reception of AI-generated journalistic content, global inequalities in access to AI, the AI divide, and inclusive AI.

These research strands are connected by an overarching ethical perspective on the societal responsibility of AI-supported communication.