News
Reports, Publications, Projects, Blog Posts & Podcasts from the Institute
Award for Jan Rau
Jan Rau won first prize in the 2026 Young Scholar Award at this year's annual conference of the German Communication Association (DGPuK). He received the award for his German-language article on "Algorithmic Visibility of Election Campaign Communication on TikTok: Personalization, Conflicts, and Politainment in the 2025 Federal Election Campaign".
Digitalisation Research Seminar (DigiSem) 2026
The theme of this year's Digitalisation Research Seminar (DigiSem) is "Balancing Digital Safety between Risks, Rights, and Regulation." The seminar will take place in Berlin on September 21–22. Early-career researchers are invited to present their work at the event. Abstracts can be submitted as of April 1.
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.
Event dates
Media History Lunch Talks
8. April 2026The international research network Entangled Media Histories (EMHIS), of which the HBI is a partner, has organized an online seminar series for spring covering topics related to media history. On April 8, there will be two presentations on audiovisual mediation and cultural heritage.
The Impact of Media Coverage on the Climate Crisis
22. April 2026As part of the Digital Media Theme Days, Dr. Lisa Merten will give a lecture on “Heroes, Troublemakers, and Engaged Citizens: The Impact of Reporting on the Climate Crisis.” The Theme Days are organized by the Institute for Arts and Media Management at the University of Music and Theatre Hamburg in cooperation with the Hamburg State and University Library.
Siegfried Lenz’s radio programs on East Prussia and Masuria
27. April 2026Not only did Siegfried Lenz create literary monuments to his homeland, he also devoted himself to the themes of loss of home and displacement in numerous radio plays, series, and features. Hans-Ulrich Wagner examines Lenz's early broadcasts on displaced persons and East Prussia within the context of his biographical and literary development.
HH Media Symposium
Where Search and AI Converge – and the Media Might Fall Silent
25. June 2026What impact will the convergence of traditional internet search and generative artificial intelligence have on the information ecosystem? This question will be discussed at the 16th Hamburg Media Symposium, which is organized by the HBI, the Media Authority of Hamburg/Schleswig-Holstein (MA HSH), and the Hamburg Chamber of Commerce.