Prof. em. Dr. Uwe Hasebrink

Associated Researcher

After retiring on 1 October 2021, Prof. em. Dr. Uwe Hasebrink will continue to be associated with the Leibniz Institute for Media Research │ Hans-Bredow-Institut (HBI) as an associated researcher.

Since the HBI became a member of the Leibniz Association in 2019, Uwe Hasebrink has represented the institute as Scientific Director on the Executive Board. He had previously been a member of the Hans-Bredow-Institut’s Board of Directors since 1998.

After studying psychology and German philology in Hamburg, Uwe Hasebrink initially worked for three years as a research assistant at the Institute for Social Psychology at Universität Hamburg. He has worked at the HBI since 1986, initially as a scientific consultant, and from 1988 as executive manager. In 1998 he was elected to the Institute’s Board of Directors. In 1999, he held a professorship for communication science at the College of Music and Theatre in Hanover. In spring 2001, he was jointly appointed to a professorship for “Empirical Communication Studies” by the Universität Hamburg and the Hans-Bredow-Institut.

Memberships

From 2009, he was a member of the board of directors of the Research Center for Media and Communication (RCMC), with which university and non-university media and communication research in Hamburg was bundled. At the same time, he was a member of the spokesperson team of the Graduate School Media and Communication (GMaC), which was funded from 2009 to 2012 as part of the Hamburg Excellence Initiative. From 1998 to 2003, he was also spokesperson for the Media Reception and Effects research section of the German Communication Association (DGPuK), co-editor of the publication series “Reception Research” from 2003 to 2007, a member of the Management Committee of the International Radio Research Network (IREN) from 2004 to 2006 and a member of the Management Committee of the COST Action “Transforming Audiences – Transforming Societies” from 2010 to 2014. From 2004 to 2012, he was a member of the Executive Board of the European Communication Research and Education Association (ECREA) and its predecessor organization ECCR.

He has been on the International Board of the “Journal of Children and Media” since 2009 and a member of the International Advisory Board of the journals “Studies in Communication | Media” and “Communication Management Quarterly” since 2011.

Main Research Areas

His research focuses on the areas of media use and media content as well as media policy. In recent years, these have mainly been individual usage patterns and media repertoires, convergence of media from the user’s perspective, the consequences of online media for traditional media, media use by children and young people, youth media protection, forms of audience participation and safeguarding user interests vis-à-vis the media, as well as European media and European audiences.

Last update: 24.09.2026

Works by Prof. em. Dr. Uwe Hasebrink

Zwei Jugendliche, zu sehen von hinten oben, sitzen auf einer Mauer und blicken auf ein Handy
New DFG Research Project

Safeguarding Epistemic Trust in Adolescents: Conceptual Approaches and Policy Options

The interdisciplinary DFG project, “SETA: Protecting the Epistemic Trust of Adolescents: Conceptual Approaches and Policy Options,” conducted in collaboration with the Weizenbaum Institute, examines the state’s obligation to protect the epistemic trust of 13- to 17-year-olds without infringing on freedom of expression and information.

Cover des Arbeitspapiers Reuters-Bericht 2021
Report for Download

Reuters Institute Digital News Report 2021

The Reuters Institute Digital News Report, which provides an international comparison of news consumption, is being published for the tenth consecutive year.

Cover der Zeitschrift der Leibniz Gemeinschaft - Ausgabe 2/2026 zum Thema "Medizin"
Click Consultation

Consultation with Dr. Insta

The latest issue of the Leibniz Association’s magazine, which is part of the Science Year 2026, focuses on the topic of “Medicine.” Claudia Lampert, head of the Health Communication research group at the HBI, is interviewed about health influencers.

Blätter und bunte Zettel mit den Ergebnissen der Arbeiten von Gruppe 4, Gruppe 2 usw.
Article on the Media Research Blog

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.

Bild aus der Research Clinic: eine Gruppe Menschen sitzt im Kreis und diskutiert
Report from the Research Clinic

Hype vs. Doom – How Can AI Reporting Become More Nuanced?

Public debates about AI often oscillate between technological utopianism and dystopian visions of the future. How can journalists report on a topic that is both ubiquitous and difficult to grasp in a nuanced and balanced way? A Research Clinic at the HBI explored the challenges of reporting on AI and discussed possible ways to address them.

Cover
Open Access Publication

German Public Broadcasting Corporations in the Age of Streaming Platforms and AI

In her Friedrich Ebert Foundation publication project, Magdalena Stratmann describes how public service broadcasting in Germany addresses the challenge of fulfilling its legal mandate amid drastically changed conditions in the digital information ecosystem.

Cover der Studie
Recently Published!

Exploring GPT Representation of Journalistic Culture

The study by Prof. Dr. Wiebke Loosen et al. examines how large language models (LLMs) such as ChatGPT can reflect journalistic value systems. To this end, the GPT-4o model was asked to answer questions from the “Worlds of Journalism Study,” which explores perceptions of journalistic roles, theories of knowledge, and ethical principles.

Historische Aufnahme des hr-Funkhauses am Dornbusch aus den 50ern
Media History Project

The History of the Regional Public Broadcasting Corporation of the Federal State of Hesse in the Postwar Period

In January 2029, the Regional Public Broadcasting Corporation of the Federal State of Hesse (Hessischer Rundfunk) will celebrate its 80th anniversary. To mark the occasion, Dr. Hans-Ulrich Wagner is conducting scholarly research on its origins. His research focuses specifically on corporate history, personnel decisions, and programming policy in the postwar period.

Cover Arbeitspapier Nr. 84
Brief Report in English

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.

Cover der Zeitschrift KIR
Published on Beck-online

Freedom of Expression in the Age of AI

In their article in a journal on artificial intelligence and law, Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Schulz and Moritz Wiechert analyze the first German case law on automatically generated content. In doing so, they highlight the fundamental challenges facing traditional freedom of expression law in the age of AI.

Cover der Publikation "Avoiding the News But Still Feeling Connected? The Role of News Use and Avoidance Practices in Different Public Connection Repertoires"
Recently Published!

Avoiding the News But Still Feeling Connected?

How are different forms of news avoidance related to various types of individual public connection? The article by Julia Behre, Lisa Merten, and Uwe Hasebrink suggests that avoiding the news does not necessarily mean turning away from public life.

Eine Frau im Gespräch bei der ARD-Dialogaktion "Was Deutschland verbindet.
Post on the Media Research Blog

Staying in Conversation Despite Different Opinions? Two Examples

Whether at a family dinner or during a lunch break, differing opinions are a part of everyday life. But what happens when people continue to engage in conversation despite holding controversial views? This article introduces the dialogue formats “What Unites Germany” and “Context Collapse” and shows how such spaces for interaction can contribute to the formation of shared opinions and social cohesion.

1 2 3 … 31

Page 1 from 31

Newsletter

Information about current projects, events and publications of the institute.

Subscribe now