Journalism Research Section Conference at the IfK

(01.10.2025) From 24 to 26 September 2025, the annual conference of the DGPuK Journalism Research Section took place on the topic of ‘Journalism and Borders’. The conference was hosted by the Department of Communication (IfK) at the University of Münster. 

With over 80 participants and 52 submissions, the event showcased the thematic, theoretical and empirical diversity within the specialist group and beyond by examining the boundaries of journalism from a wide range of communication science perspectives and practical experience.

In more than forty (keynote) presentations and posters, participants discussed epistemic authorities and the limits of the journalism profession. In addition to professional and organisational boundaries, phenomena beyond these boundaries, such as the self-image of alternative media actors, were also addressed. Other topics included barriers to access, diversity of perspectives in journalism and its effects, and the limits of what is reasonable when it comes to journalistic work. The focus was also on key challenges at the heart of professional work, namely the tension between proximity and distance between journalism, its sources and the audience, but also access to the field, which is often experienced as ‘closed doors’. These ‘closed doors’ were impressively opened by a keynote speech with insights from two freelance journalists from Münster, Johanne Burkhardt and Marc-Stefan Andres from RUMS. In addition, the day before the actual conference, the Mittelbaunetzwerk Journalismusforschung (mijofo) was welcomed to an editorial visit by the local media outlet RUMS and then by Perspective Daily. The medium Perspective Daily is committed to constructive journalism. The mijofo programme also included a workshop by Dr Mirco Liefke (FU Berlin), who addressed the ‘problem of appropriate observation for problem-appropriate observation’. This was followed by the dissertation workshop, which mijofo organises every year. This year, six doctoral students presented their projects and received valuable feedback – both from their peers and from experienced expert respondents.

Contact person public relations:
Dr. Stephan Völlmicke
Telefon: +49 251 83-23006
Telefax: +49 251 83-21310 (Geschäftszimmer IfK)