Political Communication Research Group

News

Stay informed about the latest developments, research findings, publications, academic achievements, and events from the Political Communication Research Group at the University of Vienna. This News page highlights recent team accomplishments, peer-reviewed outputs, conference presentations, doctoral milestones, and key research updates on media, politics, and society from our Vienna-based research group.

New Publication: Effects of data-driven campaigning

16.03.2026 Publications

Sophie Lecheler together with her co-authors published their new study "Effects of data-driven campaigning: an integrative framework, literature…

Dies Academicus: Discussion with Sophie Lecheler on universities and their role in democracy

12.03.2026 Events

To kick off the next semester question, we are focusing on the interplay between universities and democracy. How is knowledge of democracy generated –…

New Team Member: Noemi Struckmeier

09.03.2026 Team

Noemi Struckmeier joined the POLCOM Team as a Student Assistant. Welcome!

New Publication: Digital battleground

02.03.2026 Publications

Hossein Kermani together with his co-authors published their new article "Digital battleground: Exploring the role of social media platforms in…

New Research Platform: Trustworthy Science Communication

29.01.2026 Team

The University of Vienna introduced the new research platform "Trustworthy Science Communication", led by Sophie Lecheler, as a collaboration between…

Alumni Event: Science Slam "The Future of Truth"

26.01.2026 Events

Under the title "The Future of Truth: How Fact-Checking Must Change in the Age of AI, Deepfakes, and Social Media", researchers from the institute,…

New Publication: Elgar Encyclopedia of Political Communication

17.12.2025 Publications

Hardcover of the Elgar Encyclopedia of Political Communication

Several team members contributed chapters to the new "Elgar Encyclopedia of Political Communication". Find the full list of POLCOM contributions here.

New Publication: The Limits of Computational Propaganda

17.12.2025 Publications

Hossein Kermani and Sophie Lecheler published their new Article "The Limits of Computational Propaganda: Investigating Underexplored Platforms and…

PhD Defense: Andrea Wiesner

17.11.2025 Team

Andrea Wiesner successfully defended her thesis titled "Drawing Lines in Gray Areas: Toward Feasible, Accepted, and Effective Content Moderation" with…