Annika Sehl
Biographic Data
| ID | 4208293 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Annika Sehl |
| GIVEN NAMES | Annika |
| FAMILY NAME | Sehl |
| SIGNATURE | SEHL A |
| AFFILIATIONS | Catholic University of Eichstätt-Ingolstadt |
| ORCID | 0000-0002-8949-569X |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 32 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 104 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 32 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2008 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 6 |
Politicians as opportune witnesses? The coverage of public service media in German (print) media resulting from the RBB scandal
Being aware of algorithmic personalization? Insights from three European Countries
News recommender systems offer significant benefits for news media organizations by enabling the algorithmic selection and personalization of content based on individual user preferences. However, audience awareness of algorithmic news personalization has attracted little attention in previous research. The study addresses this gap by examining audience awareness of algorithmic news personalization through a cross-country comparison of Germany, F…
Journalistic Roles in Light of Populism: How German Public Service Media Representatives Discuss Their Coverage of Populists and How They Perceive Their Role
Public service media (PSM) face a democratic dilemma when covering right-wing populism: They are expected to be impartial and ensure pluralism in their reporting. This requires them to give visibility to a range of views, including those of far-right parties, while safeguarding democratic principles such as non-discrimination and human dignity. In this context, it is essential to understand how PSM representatives reflect on their reporting of ri…
Media Systems and Violent Conflicts: A Theoretical Framework and Patterns of Transformation
This study provides a theoretical framework for the dynamic interactions between media systems and violent conflict. Taking the media system framework developed by Hallin and Mancini in Comparing Media Systems: Three Models of Media and Politics as a point of departure, the study highlights the role of violent conflict in transforming media systems beyond the Western world. To achieve this goal, the study first refines the media system framework …
Politiker*innen als opportune Zeug*innen? Die Berichterstattung über öffentlich-rechtliche Medien in deutschen (Print-)Medien nach dem RBB-Skandal
Die Debatte um öffentlich-rechtliche Medien (ÖRM) in Deutschland ist nicht nur von strukturellen und politischen Herausforderungen geprägt, sondern wird auch entlang ideologischer Linien geführt. Empirische Befunde deuten darauf hin, dass Einstellungen zu ÖRM in der Bevölkerung entlang politischer Links-Rechts-Einstellungen variieren. Inwiefern sich solche Unterschiede auch in der Medienberichterstattung über ÖRM widerspiegeln, ist bislang jedoch…
Politicians as opportune witnesses? The coverage of public service media in German (print) media resulting from the RBB scandal
Alternative Media in Lebanon: The Role of Digital Platforms in a Polarized Hybrid Media System
This article aims to contribute to the literature about the roles and limitations of alternative media activism in different hybrid media systems by scrutinizing the organizational and discursive counter-hegemonic agency of digital alternative platforms in the Lebanese media system that is prone to high political parallelism, elite control, and polarization. To achieve this objective, semi-structured interviews with Lebanese journalists and a qua…
Intrastate conflict and transformation of the media system: The case of Afghanistan
This study aims to extend the media system framework to analyse the transformation process of media systems within fragile states that suffer from intrastate conflict. This theoretical goal is achieved through the scrutinization of the transformation of the Afghan media system throughout the Taliban takeover. Through conducting 21 semi-structured interviews with Afghan journalists, the authors examined the Afghan media system before, during and a…
Journalistic quality in the eye of the beholder: An eye-tracking study on user comments and their effect on journalistic quality perception
User comments have emerged as a prominent feature accompanying news articles, which has changed how audiences interact with journalistic content. While offering options for reader engagement and community building, previous research has shown that these comments also significantly shape readers’ perception of an article’s journalistic quality. The study extends this research strand with survey data on audience perception and eye-tracking technolo…
The Populist Threat to Public Service Media (PSM): Experiences, Responses and Impact of Populist Attacks on PSM Representatives
Public service media (PSM) across Europe must contend with delegitimising media criticism that is often characterised by the use of populist rhetoric. This delegitimising media criticism, referred to here as populist attacks, can originate from both political actors and segments of the public. However, little is known about how PSM respond to populist attacks. Using 26 semi-structured interviews with German PSM representatives, this study examine…
Digital histories of news in Europe: An introduction
Public service media as pivotal in combating misinformation and disinformation: Prerequisites and approaches
The communicative environment of public service media (PSM) has changed considerably due to the digital transformation. This includes the dissemination of misinformation and disinformation on social media platforms, which has the potential to undermine democracy. Against this background, the paper argues that the role of PSM should be expanded beyond the core tasks of high-quality, diverse and impartial reporting. PSM should increasingly also act…
Funding of Public Service Media in Germany
This article provides an overview of the current state of public service media (PSM) funding in Germany, which is primarily supported by a household levy, supplemented by advertising, sponsorship and so‐called ‘other income’. Germany is an interesting case owing to the complexities and challenges associated with funding PSM in a country with a federal structure. As such, insights into PSM funding in Germany and the debates surrounding it can bene…
Public service media and public funding: A three-country study of willingness to pay versus perceived dispensability
Recent public debates in several European countries have shown that public service medias’ (PSM) public funding has become a topic of controversial discussion. Based on an online survey in France, Germany, and the UK, this study analyses how the willingness to pay (WTP) versus perceived dispensability of PSM relates to various factors identified in the current literature. Across the three countries, most respondents doubt that PSM are dispensable…
Political Knowledge to Go: An Analysis of Selected Political Influencers and Their Formats in the Context of the 2021 German Federal Election
This study provides insights into the role of political social media influencers (PSMI) as relatively new actors in political communication. It examines their content and motives in the context of elections. Considering the German federal election in 2021, it uses content analysis of 20 PSMI offers with 301 pieces of content and a supplemental online survey to explore how PSMI communicated on various platforms/formats (Instagram posts/videos, pod…
The Normativity of Communication Research: A Content Analysis of Normative Claims in Peer-Reviewed Journal Articles (1970–2014)
In times of rapid media change, society is increasingly asking for expertise from communication research. Well-founded assessments of current developments require knowledge of the normative foundations of the discipline, but empirical analyses of the normativity of communication research are scarce. We developed an innovative, multistep approach to make the discipline’s normative perspectives visible. We identified, systemized, and quantified nor…
How Do Public Service Media Innovate? An Analysis of Product Development by European PSM
In this study, we use institutional theory to explore to what extent public service media (PSM) rely on institutional links and on tight coupling with the environment to develop new products for digital news. This framework is especially relevant for understanding how PSM innovate, as they differ from commercial media, and the mimicry of industry trends can lead to tensions with their public service mission. Thirty-six interviews were conducted w…
How Do Funding Models and Organizational Legacy Shape News Organizations’ Social Media Strategies? A Comparison of Public Service and Private Sector News Media in Six Countries
This article presents an analysis of how different major news media with different funding models (public service versus private sector media) and different organizational legacies (broadcast versus print) in six different European countries approach the social media platforms that they increasingly rely on for some of their online reach. Based on interviews with senior editors and executives in a strategic sample of 20 news organizations and ana…
Wie normativ ist die Kommunikationswissenschaft: Ein inhaltsanalytischer Vergleich deutscher und US-amerikanischer Fachzeitschriftenaufsätze
Kommunikationswissenschaftliche Forschung ist durch die strukturellen Rahmenbedingungen geprägt, unter denen sie entsteht – etwa durch das Wissenschaftssystem, die gesellschaftlichen Erwartungen an Wissenschaft und das Mediensystem des jeweiligen Landes. Die quantitative Inhaltsanalyse untersucht im Vergleich zwischen Deutschland und den USA, inwiefern sich solche Rahmenbedingungen auf die normativen Vorstellungen auswirken, die Autorinnen aus di…
The populist campaigns against European public service media: Hot air or existential threat
Right-wing populists are gaining ground in Western democracies. Surveys show that they often distrust established media and public service media (PSM) in particular, claiming that they are biased against them. This paper examines how they have challenged PSM and proposes some potential responses to these challenges. The paper is based on an analysis of a number of recent and long-standing surveys of public attitudes towards the media, combined wi…
Response to Nikki Usher “The NYT in Trump’s America: A Failure for Liberals, A Champion for Liberalism”
In her essay “The NYT in Trump’s America: A failure for Liberals, a Champion for Liberalism” in Political Communication, Nikki Usher argues that The New York Times (NYT) “should not and cannot be e
Crowding out: Is there evidence that public service media harm markets? A cross-national comparative analysis of commercial television and online news providers
The impact of public service media (PSM) on media competition has become a topic of debate in many European countries. Some argue that PSM could starve commercial media, or discourage them from entering markets in the first place because they shrink commercial audiences, lowering both advertising income for free commercial television and willingness to pay for commercial products. Despite its prevalence as a policy argument, there has been limite…
Public Service Media in a Digital Media Environment: Performance from an Audience Perspective
For decades, public service broadcasting has played an important role in the provision of news and information in many European countries. Today, however, public service media (PSM) are confronted with numerous challenges, including the need to legitimise their role in an increasingly digital media environment. Against this background, this study examines the audience perspective on the topic with an international comparative approach. It analyse…
Comparing legacy media responses to the changing business of news: Cross-national similarities and differences across media types
In this article, we analyse how legacy media organizations in six countries are adapting to the changing business of news. We focus on how similarities and differences in their responses to digital developments are shaped by the interplay between organizational legacy and national context. The study draws on media sociology and comparative media systems research and is based on 54 interviews with senior editors and managers at 25 newspapers and c…
Newsroom Integration as an Organizational Challenge: Approaches of European public service media from a comparative perspective
In this paper, we examine to what extent public service media (PSM) in six European countries have integrated or are integrating their newsrooms in order to adapt to an increasingly digital media environment. Based on 67 interviews over two years with senior editors and managers, this study constitutes the largest comparative analysis of newsroom change among PSM organizations conducted to date. Despite much talk of “convergence”, our empirical a…
Public Service Media in a Digital Media Environment: Performance from an Audience Perspective
For decades, public service broadcasting has played an important role in the provision of news and information in many European countries. Today, however, public service media (PSM) are confronted with numerous challenges, including the need to legitimise their role in an increasingly digital media environment. Against this background, this study examines the audience perspective on the topic with an international comparative approach. It analyse…
How Do Funding Models and Organizational Legacy Shape News Organizations’ Social Media Strategies? A Comparison of Public Service and Private Sector News Media in Six Countries
This article presents an analysis of how different major news media with different funding models (public service versus private sector media) and different organizational legacies (broadcast versus print) in six different European countries approach the social media platforms that they increasingly rely on for some of their online reach. Based on interviews with senior editors and executives in a strategic sample of 20 news organizations and ana…
The populist campaigns against European public service media: Hot air or existential threat
Right-wing populists are gaining ground in Western democracies. Surveys show that they often distrust established media and public service media (PSM) in particular, claiming that they are biased against them. This paper examines how they have challenged PSM and proposes some potential responses to these challenges. The paper is based on an analysis of a number of recent and long-standing surveys of public attitudes towards the media, combined wi…
Newsroom Integration as an Organizational Challenge: Approaches of European public service media from a comparative perspective
In this paper, we examine to what extent public service media (PSM) in six European countries have integrated or are integrating their newsrooms in order to adapt to an increasingly digital media environment. Based on 67 interviews over two years with senior editors and managers, this study constitutes the largest comparative analysis of newsroom change among PSM organizations conducted to date. Despite much talk of “convergence”, our empirical a…
Crowding out: Is there evidence that public service media harm markets? A cross-national comparative analysis of commercial television and online news providers
The impact of public service media (PSM) on media competition has become a topic of debate in many European countries. Some argue that PSM could starve commercial media, or discourage them from entering markets in the first place because they shrink commercial audiences, lowering both advertising income for free commercial television and willingness to pay for commercial products. Despite its prevalence as a policy argument, there has been limite…
Partizipativer Journalismus in Tageszeitungen
Stellt partizipativer Journalismus eine Chance für publizistische Vielfalt dar? Die empirische Studie beantwortet diese demokratietheoretisch relevante Frage für den lokalen Printjournalismus. Neben traditionellen Formen der Leserpartizipation stehen dabei neue, online-basierte Formen im Fokus
Comparing legacy media responses to the changing business of news: Cross-national similarities and differences across media types
In this article, we analyse how legacy media organizations in six countries are adapting to the changing business of news. We focus on how similarities and differences in their responses to digital developments are shaped by the interplay between organizational legacy and national context. The study draws on media sociology and comparative media systems research and is based on 54 interviews with senior editors and managers at 25 newspapers and c…
Political Knowledge to Go: An Analysis of Selected Political Influencers and Their Formats in the Context of the 2021 German Federal Election
This study provides insights into the role of political social media influencers (PSMI) as relatively new actors in political communication. It examines their content and motives in the context of elections. Considering the German federal election in 2021, it uses content analysis of 20 PSMI offers with 301 pieces of content and a supplemental online survey to explore how PSMI communicated on various platforms/formats (Instagram posts/videos, pod…
How Do Public Service Media Innovate? An Analysis of Product Development by European PSM
In this study, we use institutional theory to explore to what extent public service media (PSM) rely on institutional links and on tight coupling with the environment to develop new products for digital news. This framework is especially relevant for understanding how PSM innovate, as they differ from commercial media, and the mimicry of industry trends can lead to tensions with their public service mission. Thirty-six interviews were conducted w…
Public service media as pivotal in combating misinformation and disinformation: Prerequisites and approaches
The communicative environment of public service media (PSM) has changed considerably due to the digital transformation. This includes the dissemination of misinformation and disinformation on social media platforms, which has the potential to undermine democracy. Against this background, the paper argues that the role of PSM should be expanded beyond the core tasks of high-quality, diverse and impartial reporting. PSM should increasingly also act…
Funding of Public Service Media in Germany
This article provides an overview of the current state of public service media (PSM) funding in Germany, which is primarily supported by a household levy, supplemented by advertising, sponsorship and so‐called ‘other income’. Germany is an interesting case owing to the complexities and challenges associated with funding PSM in a country with a federal structure. As such, insights into PSM funding in Germany and the debates surrounding it can bene…
Wie normativ ist die Kommunikationswissenschaft: Ein inhaltsanalytischer Vergleich deutscher und US-amerikanischer Fachzeitschriftenaufsätze
Kommunikationswissenschaftliche Forschung ist durch die strukturellen Rahmenbedingungen geprägt, unter denen sie entsteht – etwa durch das Wissenschaftssystem, die gesellschaftlichen Erwartungen an Wissenschaft und das Mediensystem des jeweiligen Landes. Die quantitative Inhaltsanalyse untersucht im Vergleich zwischen Deutschland und den USA, inwiefern sich solche Rahmenbedingungen auf die normativen Vorstellungen auswirken, die Autorinnen aus di…
Qualitätsmanagement im Videojournalismus
Qualität und Qualitätsmanagement im Videojournalismus werden in der journalistischen Praxis aktuell diskutiert und in den nächsten Jahren vermutlich noch deutlich an Brisanz gewinnen. Kritiker befürchten, dass der Videojournalismus als Kostensparmodell den Arbeitsdruck erhöhen und die Qualität verringern wird. Befürworter sehen in ihm dagegen die Arbeitsweise der Zukunft, welche zu einer neuen Bildsprache führen wird und dazu beiträgt, die aufwän…
Qualitätsmanagement im Videojournalismus: Eine qualitative Studie der ARD-Anstalten
Qualitätsmanagement Im Videojournalismus: Eine Qualitative Studie der ARD-Anstalten
May they come in? A comparison of German and Flemish efforts to welcome public participation in the news media
Much attention has been paid to audience participation in online journalism in recent years. This article contributes to that ongoing discussion by focusing on the previously largely overlooked macro level. It compares participatory journalism on German and Flemish national newspapers’ Web sites with a threefold aim: a) discussing the (lack of) introduction of certain participatory features in both markets; b) offering the first longitudinal pers…
Partizipativer Journalismus in Tageszeitungen
Stellt partizipativer Journalismus eine Chance für publizistische Vielfalt dar? Die empirische Studie beantwortet diese demokratietheoretisch relevante Frage für den lokalen Printjournalismus. Neben traditionellen Formen der Leserpartizipation stehen dabei neue, online-basierte Formen im Fokus
Werte und Normen als Sollensvorstellungen in der Kommunikationswissenschaft: Ein Operationalisierungsvorschlag
Analysis of the Relation Between and Impact of Public Service Media and Private Media
Comparing legacy media responses to the changing business of news: Cross-national similarities and differences across media types
In this article, we analyse how legacy media organizations in six countries are adapting to the changing business of news. We focus on how similarities and differences in their responses to digital developments are shaped by the interplay between organizational legacy and national context. The study draws on media sociology and comparative media systems research and is based on 54 interviews with senior editors and managers at 25 newspapers and c…
Newsroom Integration as an Organizational Challenge: Approaches of European public service media from a comparative perspective
In this paper, we examine to what extent public service media (PSM) in six European countries have integrated or are integrating their newsrooms in order to adapt to an increasingly digital media environment. Based on 67 interviews over two years with senior editors and managers, this study constitutes the largest comparative analysis of newsroom change among PSM organizations conducted to date. Despite much talk of “convergence”, our empirical a…
The populist campaigns against European public service media: Hot air or existential threat
Right-wing populists are gaining ground in Western democracies. Surveys show that they often distrust established media and public service media (PSM) in particular, claiming that they are biased against them. This paper examines how they have challenged PSM and proposes some potential responses to these challenges. The paper is based on an analysis of a number of recent and long-standing surveys of public attitudes towards the media, combined wi…
Response to Nikki Usher “The NYT in Trump’s America: A Failure for Liberals, A Champion for Liberalism”
In her essay “The NYT in Trump’s America: A failure for Liberals, a Champion for Liberalism” in Political Communication, Nikki Usher argues that The New York Times (NYT) “should not and cannot be e
Crowding out: Is there evidence that public service media harm markets? A cross-national comparative analysis of commercial television and online news providers
The impact of public service media (PSM) on media competition has become a topic of debate in many European countries. Some argue that PSM could starve commercial media, or discourage them from entering markets in the first place because they shrink commercial audiences, lowering both advertising income for free commercial television and willingness to pay for commercial products. Despite its prevalence as a policy argument, there has been limite…
Public Service Media in a Digital Media Environment: Performance from an Audience Perspective
For decades, public service broadcasting has played an important role in the provision of news and information in many European countries. Today, however, public service media (PSM) are confronted with numerous challenges, including the need to legitimise their role in an increasingly digital media environment. Against this background, this study examines the audience perspective on the topic with an international comparative approach. It analyse…
The Normativity of Communication Research: A Content Analysis of Normative Claims in Peer-Reviewed Journal Articles (1970–2014)
In times of rapid media change, society is increasingly asking for expertise from communication research. Well-founded assessments of current developments require knowledge of the normative foundations of the discipline, but empirical analyses of the normativity of communication research are scarce. We developed an innovative, multistep approach to make the discipline’s normative perspectives visible. We identified, systemized, and quantified nor…
How Do Public Service Media Innovate? An Analysis of Product Development by European PSM
In this study, we use institutional theory to explore to what extent public service media (PSM) rely on institutional links and on tight coupling with the environment to develop new products for digital news. This framework is especially relevant for understanding how PSM innovate, as they differ from commercial media, and the mimicry of industry trends can lead to tensions with their public service mission. Thirty-six interviews were conducted w…
How Do Funding Models and Organizational Legacy Shape News Organizations’ Social Media Strategies? A Comparison of Public Service and Private Sector News Media in Six Countries
This article presents an analysis of how different major news media with different funding models (public service versus private sector media) and different organizational legacies (broadcast versus print) in six different European countries approach the social media platforms that they increasingly rely on for some of their online reach. Based on interviews with senior editors and executives in a strategic sample of 20 news organizations and ana…
Wie normativ ist die Kommunikationswissenschaft: Ein inhaltsanalytischer Vergleich deutscher und US-amerikanischer Fachzeitschriftenaufsätze
Kommunikationswissenschaftliche Forschung ist durch die strukturellen Rahmenbedingungen geprägt, unter denen sie entsteht – etwa durch das Wissenschaftssystem, die gesellschaftlichen Erwartungen an Wissenschaft und das Mediensystem des jeweiligen Landes. Die quantitative Inhaltsanalyse untersucht im Vergleich zwischen Deutschland und den USA, inwiefern sich solche Rahmenbedingungen auf die normativen Vorstellungen auswirken, die Autorinnen aus di…
Public service media and public funding: A three-country study of willingness to pay versus perceived dispensability
Recent public debates in several European countries have shown that public service medias’ (PSM) public funding has become a topic of controversial discussion. Based on an online survey in France, Germany, and the UK, this study analyses how the willingness to pay (WTP) versus perceived dispensability of PSM relates to various factors identified in the current literature. Across the three countries, most respondents doubt that PSM are dispensable…
Political Knowledge to Go: An Analysis of Selected Political Influencers and Their Formats in the Context of the 2021 German Federal Election
This study provides insights into the role of political social media influencers (PSMI) as relatively new actors in political communication. It examines their content and motives in the context of elections. Considering the German federal election in 2021, it uses content analysis of 20 PSMI offers with 301 pieces of content and a supplemental online survey to explore how PSMI communicated on various platforms/formats (Instagram posts/videos, pod…
Digital histories of news in Europe: An introduction
Public service media as pivotal in combating misinformation and disinformation: Prerequisites and approaches
The communicative environment of public service media (PSM) has changed considerably due to the digital transformation. This includes the dissemination of misinformation and disinformation on social media platforms, which has the potential to undermine democracy. Against this background, the paper argues that the role of PSM should be expanded beyond the core tasks of high-quality, diverse and impartial reporting. PSM should increasingly also act…
Funding of Public Service Media in Germany
This article provides an overview of the current state of public service media (PSM) funding in Germany, which is primarily supported by a household levy, supplemented by advertising, sponsorship and so‐called ‘other income’. Germany is an interesting case owing to the complexities and challenges associated with funding PSM in a country with a federal structure. As such, insights into PSM funding in Germany and the debates surrounding it can bene…
Alternative Media in Lebanon: The Role of Digital Platforms in a Polarized Hybrid Media System
This article aims to contribute to the literature about the roles and limitations of alternative media activism in different hybrid media systems by scrutinizing the organizational and discursive counter-hegemonic agency of digital alternative platforms in the Lebanese media system that is prone to high political parallelism, elite control, and polarization. To achieve this objective, semi-structured interviews with Lebanese journalists and a qua…
Intrastate conflict and transformation of the media system: The case of Afghanistan
This study aims to extend the media system framework to analyse the transformation process of media systems within fragile states that suffer from intrastate conflict. This theoretical goal is achieved through the scrutinization of the transformation of the Afghan media system throughout the Taliban takeover. Through conducting 21 semi-structured interviews with Afghan journalists, the authors examined the Afghan media system before, during and a…
Journalistic quality in the eye of the beholder: An eye-tracking study on user comments and their effect on journalistic quality perception
User comments have emerged as a prominent feature accompanying news articles, which has changed how audiences interact with journalistic content. While offering options for reader engagement and community building, previous research has shown that these comments also significantly shape readers’ perception of an article’s journalistic quality. The study extends this research strand with survey data on audience perception and eye-tracking technolo…
Media Studies and Communication (20 works) · Political science (20 works) · Public relations (13 works) · Sociology (13 works) · Business (12 works) · Public service (11 works) · Social Media and Politics (11 works) · Public Relations and Crisis Communication (9 works) · Computer Science (8 works) · Law (8 works)