Journalism, Information Technologies and Media Use (JIM)

We use news and information to learn about the world and make decisions. But in contemporary society, there is an abundance of information and people sometimes disagree on what is important or even ‘true.’ The researchers of the JIM research cluster study how news and information are produced, shared, and used in diverse ways. They are interested in uncovering how news and information affect our culture, politics, and society.  

Concretely, they study, first, the organizational perspective and work practices of journalists and other content producers. For example, how journalists select news, their values, and professional standards. The second research area focuses on the content and examines how stories about news or information are created and presented. For instance, which perspectives are visible, or which news topics receive most attention. The third focus is on the public. This research uncovers how people use and interact with news and media products, such as how people choose what to read or watch, their trust in the media, whether they feel represented, or how they form political opinions. The last theme covers contextual factors to the production, dissemination and use of news and information, such as technology (AI), politics, or the geographical context.