• Research interests

    • Journalistic transparency efforts

    • Journalism and innovation

    • News selection

    • Quantitative methods

  • Short CV

    2010–2015: Studied Communication Science and Political Science at Free University Berlin and the University of Helsinki. From 2015 to 2016 research associate at the Communication Theory and Media Effects Unit at FU Berlin (Prof. Pfetsch), including on the third-party funded project commissioned by the German Federal Chancellery, “Scientific Evaluation of the Citizens’ Dialogue – Living Well in Germany.” From October 2016 to March 2026, research associate at the Department of Communication (IfK) at the University of Münster, initially as a PhD researcher in the Online Communication Lab (Prof. Quandt) and, following the completion of the doctorate in 2022, as a postdoctoral researcher at the Journalism Studies Team (Prof. Springer). 2024–2025: Program Coordinator for the Master’s degree programs. During the summer term of 2026, associate at the Department of Journalism and Communication Research at the Hanover University of Music, Drama and Media. Since October 2026, DFG Project Lead of the independently acquired third-party project “From Novelty to Norm: Habitualization and Internalization of Footnote Journalism as an Example of an innovative Journalistic Transparency Practice” (INN-FJ; DFG project number: 574191299), in cooperation with the University of Vienna.

  • Memberships

    • International Communication Association (ICA)
    • European Communication Research and Education Association (ECREA)
    • Deutsche Gesellschaft für Publizistik- und Kommunikationswissenschaft (DGPuK)

  • Teaching

    WS 25/26    Einführung in das wissenschaftliche Arbeiten im Fach Kommunikationswissenschaft
    (Vorlesung, B.A. Kommunikationswissenschaft)

    SS 25    (Nachrichten-)Selektionsprozesse experimentell erforschen
    (Forschungspraxis-Seminar, B.A. Kommunikationswissenschaft)

    WS 24/25    Einführung in das wissenschaftliche Arbeiten im Fach Kommunikationswissenschaft
    (Vorlesung, B.A. Kommunikationswissenschaft)

    SS 24    Selektion im Journalismus
    (Seminar, M.A. Kommunikationswissenschaft & M.A. Strategische Kommunikation)

    WS 23/24    Experimentaldesigns in der kommunikationswissenschaftlichen Forschung
    (Methodenseminar, M.A. Kommunikationswissenschaft & M.A. Strategische Kommunikation)

    WS 23/24    Einführung in das wissenschaftliche Arbeiten im Fach Kommunikationswissenschaft
    (Vorlesung, B.A. Kommunikationswissenschaft)

    SS 23    Datenauswertung und Datendarstellung
    (Übung, B.A. Kommunikationswissenschaft)

    WS 22/23    Journalistische Nachrichten in den Sozialen Medien
    (Forschungspraxis-Seminar, B.A. Kommunikationswissenschaft)

    WS 22/23    Einführung in das wissenschaftliche Arbeiten im Fach Kommunikationswissenschaft
    (Vorlesung, B.A. Kommunikationswissenschaft)

    SS 22    Datenauswertung und Datendarstellung
    (Übung, B.A. Kommunikationswissenschaft)

    WS 21/22    Einführung in das wissenschaftliche Arbeiten im Fach Kommunikationswissenschaft
    (Vorlesung, B.A. Kommunikationswissenschaft)

    SS 21    Journalistische Nachrichten in den Sozialen Medien
    (Online-Forschungspraxis-Seminar, B.A. Kommunikationswissenschaft)

    WS 20/21    Einführung in das wissenschaftliche Arbeiten im Fach Kommunikationswissenschaft
    (Online-Vorlesung, B.A. Kommunikationswissenschaft)

    SS 20    Aufgewachsen vor Flatscreen und Smartphone: Die Kultivierungstheorie
    (Online-Seminar, B.A. Kommunikationswissenschaft)

    WS 19/20    Einführung in das wissenschaftliche Arbeiten im Fach Kommunikationswissenschaft
    (Vorlesung, B.A. Kommunikationswissenschaft)

    SS 19    Aufgewachsen vor Flatscreen und Smartphone: Die Kultivierungstheorie
    (Seminar, B.A. Kommunikationswissenschaft)

    WS 18/19    Selbstvermessung, das quantifizierte Ich, und die Kommunikation von Lifestyle im Wintersport
    (Forschungspraxis-Seminar mit Auslands-Exkursion, B.A. Kommunikationswissenschaft)

    WS 18/19    Öffentlichkeitsplattform News Feed: News und Debatten in Social Media
    (Seminar, B.A. Kommunikationswissenschaft)

    WS 18/19    Einführung in das wissenschaftliche Arbeiten im Fach Kommunikationswissenschaft
    (Vorlesung, B.A. Kommunikationswissenschaft)

    SS 18    Aufgewachsen vor Flatscreen und Smartphone: Die Kultivierungstheorie
    (Seminar, B.A. Kommunikationswissenschaft)

    WS 17/18    Öffentlichkeitsplattform Social Feed: Welche Inhalte, News und Diskussionen finden sich auf Facebook, Twitter und Co.?
    (Seminar, B.A. Kommunikationswissenschaft)

    SS 17    Aufgewachsen vor Flatscreen und Smartphone: Die Kultivierungstheorie online und offline
    (Seminar, B.A. Kommunikationswissenschaft)

    WS 16/17    Medienwirkungen im Kontext von Politikern und Produkten: Effekte der aktuellen Berichterstattung auf das Publikum
    (Seminar, B.A. Kommunikationswissenschaft)

    SS 16    Einführung in die empirische Kommunikationsforschung
    (Seminar, B.A. Publizistik- und Kommunikationswissenschaft)

  • Ongoing research project

    From Novelty to Norm: Habitualization and Internalization of Footnote Journalism as an Example of an innovative Journalistic Transparency Practice” (INN-FJ; DFG project number: 574191299)

    Funding period: 1 October 2026 – 30 September 2029

    Funding bodies: German Research Foundation (DFG) and Austrian Science
    Fund (FWF)

    Funding amount: €643,848 (of which €403,940 is allocated to the German
    project component)

    Cooperation partner: Dr. Bernadette Uth (University of Vienna)

     

    Professional journalism is essential in democratic societies as it provides citizens with relevant information. However, representative surveys indicate a decline in trust in journalism. Innovation plays a central role in maintaining trust. As a result, the profession is undergoing transformation, with established norms and practices being reassessed and renegotiated. Before
    they can become established, however, these norms and practices must first be introduced, discursively legitimized, habitualized, and internalized – both by journalistic actors and by audiences. Little is currently known about these
    processes. Building on the theoretical conceptualization of journalism as an
    institution, the project examines these processes using the practice of source
    transparency through footnote journalism as an example of a new norm that is gaining increasing importance. To this end, four empirical studies will be conducted: a qualitative interview study with journalists from Germany and Austria who use footnote journalism (lead: University of Vienna); a qualitative longitudinal interview study with audience members from both countries who are exposed to footnote journalism news over an extended period (lead: University of Vienna); a longitudinal experimental study with audience members with and without exposure to footnote journalism (lead: University of Münster); and an experimental eye-tracking study focusing on design and layout (lead: University of Münster). The findings will be used to develop practical guidelines and recommendations for journalists, helping them develop effective trust-building strategies in times of crisis.


    Links:

    The project in the DFG GEPRIS project database: https://gepris.dfg.de/project/574191299

    More information on the project: https://www.uni-muenster.de/Kowi/en/forschen/projekte/habitualisierung_und_internalisierung_des_fussnotenjournalismus.shtml 

  • Finished Projects

    Scientific Analysis of the Citizen Dialog on Quality of Life “Gut leben in Deutschland – was uns wichtig ist” [Living well in Germany- What matters to us?] – Contract research for the Chancellery of Germany (2015-2016)

    As part of the governmental strategy “Gut leben in Deutschland, was uns wichtig ist” more than 200 group discussions were conducted in the year of 2015. Moreover, citizens had the opportunity to send their ideas on quality of life to the government via an online form or a postcard. The scientific analysis of about 200 group discussion protocols, 2.500 online documents and 4.500 postcards was carried out by a team led by Prof. Barbara Pfetsch and Dr. Annie Waldherr in cooperation with the software engineering company CiD GmbH. The further team consisted of Peter Miltner, Sophia Ostner, Lars-Ole Müller and Daniela Stoltenberg. The analysis consisted of qualitative and quantitative content analysis with the help of the text mining software Topic Analyst by CiD GmbH. The results have been documented in a scientific report and formed the base of the Report on Life Quality by the German Government (2016).

    Links

     

  •  

    Publications

    • , , , & (). News from every angle: On the potential of implementing Virtual Reality technology in journalistic contexts. Mass Communication and Society, 29 (4), 567–589. doi: 10.1080/15205436.2025.2609281.
    • , & (). Hot topic or shockingly irrelevant: Which factors influence media coverage of natural disasters? Preprint. News Research Journal, onlineFirst. doi: 10.1177/30497841261467314.
    • (). Clearly transparent, but also effective? A systematic literature review on the (potential) effects of employing journalistic transparency on reception related outcomes. Preprint. Journalism Studies, onlineFirst. doi: 10.1080/1461670X.2026.2734303.
    • , , , , & (). Transitioning to transparency: Footnote journalism as a novel journalistic practice. Journalism Practice, 20 (9), 2851–2871. doi: 10.1080/17512786.2025.2464927.
    • (). Journalistic gatekeeping. in Nai, A., Grömping, M., & Wirz, D. (ed.), Elgar encyclopedia of political communication. (pp. 330–334). Edward Elgar Publishing. doi: 10.4337/9781035301447.vol2.00081.
    • , & (). Is the whole greater than the sum of its parts? Aggregation of sports events as a driver of coverage of (the) European Championships on German TV news shows. Communication & Sport, 12 (6), 1034–1053. doi: 10.1177/21674795231194030.
    • (). Data collection from journalistic news apps without prerequired coding experience using MacroDroid smartphone automation software to simulate user interactions. Mobile Media and Communication, 12 (1), 212–217. doi: 10.1177/20501579231202321.
    • , , , & (). Die Nutzung und Wirkung von Virtual-Reality-Games: Ein Forschungsüberblick. in Biermann, R., Fromme, J., & Kiefer, F. (ed.), Computerspielforschung: Interdisziplinäre Einblicke in das digitale Spiel und seine kulturelle Bedeutung (pp. 65–89). Verlag Barbara Budrich. doi: 10.3224/84742669.
    • (). Journalistische Gatekeeper in den Sozialen Medien: Eine empirische Analyse der Nachrichtenverbreitung durch Journalist*innen anhand von Ereignis- und Meldungsmerkmalen. Springer Fachmedien Wiesbaden. doi: 10.1007/978-3-658-40257-0.
    • , , , & (). Examining the Interplay of Smartphone Use Disorder, Mental Health, and Physical Symptoms. Frontiers in Publich Health, 10, 834835. doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2022.834835.
    • , , , , & (). Virtual Reality Technology and Game Enjoyment: The Contributions of Natural Mapping and Need Satisfaction. Computers in Human Behavior, 132, 107242. doi: 10.1016/j.chb.2022.107242.
    • , & (). Investigating the problematic use of sexually explicit Internet content: A survey study among German Internet users. Sexual Health & Compulsivity, 28 (3-4), 127–151. doi: 10.1080/26929953.2022.2032514.
    • , , , & (). Entertainment theories and media addiction. in Vorderer, P., & Klimmt, C. (ed.), The Oxford Handbook of entertainment theory (pp. 799–818). Oxford University Press. doi: 10.1093/oxfordhb/9780190072216.013.41.
    • , , , , & (). The Slippery Path to Total Presence: How Omnidirectional Virtual Reality Treadmills Influence the Gaming Experience. Media and Communication, 9 (1), 5–16. doi: 10.17645/mac.v9i1.3170.
    • , , , & (). Gaming Addiction – Underdefined, Overestimated? in Groen, M., Kiel, N., Tillmann, A., & Weßel, A. (ed.), Digitale Kultur und Kommunikation: Vol. 7. Games and Ethics: Theoretical and Empirical Approaches to Ethical Questions in Digital Game Cultures (pp. 47–59). VS Verlag für Sozialwissenschaften. doi: 10.1007/978-3-658-28175-5_4.
    • , , , , , & (). Induktive Kategorienbildung in der Inhaltsanalyse: Kombination automatischer und manueller Verfahren. FQS: Forum Qualitative Sozialforschung, 20 (1). doi: 10.17169/fqs-20.1.3058.
    • (). Golden news?: Analysis of summarizing coverage of the Olympic Winter Games 2018 on German TV. Medien Journal, 43 (1), 101–121. doi: 10.24989/medienjournal.v43i1.1795.
    • (). So Far, Yet So Close: Examining Translocal Twitter Audiences of Regional Newspapers in Germany. Journalism Studies, 20 (10), 1400–1420. doi: 10.1080/1461670X.2018.1520609.
    • , , , , , , & (). Wissenschaftliche Auswertung von Bürger- und Online-Dialogen zum Thema Lebensqualität in Deutschland: Abschlussbericht. Freie Universität Berlin.
  •  

    Scientific Talks

    • von den Driesch, Lea; Springer, Nina; Wehden, Lars-Ole; Uth, Bernadette : „Glaubwürdig durch Verwechslung? Fehlklassifikation und Glaubwürdigkeit von Newsfluencer:innen aus Publikumsperspektive“. DGPuK Fachgruppentagung Journalistik/Journalismusforschung, Köln, .
    • Küpper, L. M.; Wehden, L.-O.; Reer, F. : “Weight loss drugs and off-label use in the digital discourse: A survey study on social media engagement, perceptions, and health attitudes”. 11th European Communication Conference (ECREA), Brno, .
    • Wehden, L.-O. : “Clearly transparent, but also effective? A systematic literature review on the (potential) effects of employing journalistic transparency on reception related outcomes”. 76th Annual Conference of the International Communication Association (ICA), Cape Town, .
    • Springer, Nina; Wehden, Lars-Ole; Uth, Bernadette; von den Driesch, Lea; Engelke, Katherine Marie : “Does a transparency offensive really solve the problems of journalism?” 76th Annual Conference of the International Communication Association (ICA), Cape Town, .
    • Wehden, L.-O., Küpper, L., Reer, F. : “When time is ticking, are readers clicking? Exploring the effects of displaying temporal cues in online news article previews”. 76th Annual Conference of the International Communication Association (ICA), Cape Town, .
    • Beecken, Johanna; Wehden, Lars-Ole : „Burning interest or shocking indifference: What factors influence German media coverage of natural disasters?“ Jahrestagung der Fachgruppe Journalistik/Journalismusforschung in der DGPuK, Münster, .
    • Wehden, Lars-Ole; Uth, Bernadette; von den Driesch, Lea; Engelke, Katherine M.; Springer, Nina : “Exploring new means of source transparency: Footnote journalism's effects on credibility and news engagement”. 75th Annual Conference of the International Communication Association (ICA), Denver, .
    • Wehden, Lars-Ole, Uth, Bernadette, von den Driesch, Lea, Engelke, Katherine M., Springer, Nina : “Transitioning to transparency: Footnote journalism as a novel journalistic practice”. 10th European Communication Conference (ECREA), Ljubljana, .
    • Reer, Felix, Küpper, Lena, Wehden, Lars-Ole, & Quandt, Thorsten : “A Laboratory Experiment Examining Audience Responses to a ‘Meaningful’ Virtual Reality Documentary”. 74th Annual Conference of the International Communication Association (ICA), Gold Coast, .
    • Küpper, Lena Maria, Wehden, Lars-Ole, Reer, Felix, & Quandt, Thorsten : “Looking at the news from every angle: On the potential of implementing Virtual Reality technology in journalistic contexts”. 74th Annual Conference of the International Communication Association (ICA), Gold Coast, .
    • Küpper, Lena Maria; Reer, Felix; Wehden, Lars-Ole; Quandt, Thorsten : “Uncovering the potentials of virtual reality technology in journalism: A laboratory experiment on an immersive 360° documentary”. 73rd Annual International Communication Association Conference (ICA), Toronto, .
    • Wehden, Lars-Ole; Küpper, Lena Maria : “Stronger together!? Aggregation of sports events as a driver of coverage on (the) European Championships in German TV news shows”. 73rd Annual International Communication Association Conference (ICA), Toronto, .
    • Wehden, Lars-Ole : “Diverse news fed into the newsfeed?: Identifying article characteristics that influence the selection of news presented on journalistic fanpages in social media”. 72nd Annual Conference of the International Communication Association (ICA), Paris, Frankreich, .
    • Reer, Felix; Wehden, Lars-Ole; Janzik, Robin; Tang, Wai Yen; Quandt, Thorsten : “Virtual reality technology and game enjoyment. A self-determination theory perspective”. 70th Annual Conference of the International Communication Association (ICA), Gold Coast, Australia (virtual due to COVID-19), .
    • Wehden, Lars-Ole; Reer, Felix; Janzik, Robin; Quandt, Thorsten : “Addicted to cybersex? A representative study on the disordered use of sexual online content”. 70th Annual Conference of the International Communication Association (ICA), Gold Coast, Australia (virtual due to COVID-19), .
    • Janzik, Robin; Wehden, Lars-Ole; Reer, Felix; Tang, Wai Yen; Quandt, Thorsten : “To give or not to give: Examining the prosocial effect of a 360° video documentary on the refugee crisis”. 70th Annual Conference of the International Communication Association (ICA), Gold Coast, Australia (virtual due to COVID-19), .
    • Wehden, Lars-Ole; Reer, Felix; Janzik, Robin; Quandt, Thorsten : „Sex on the Internet – a representative survey study on the prevalence and correlates of the addiction-like use of sexual online content“. Jahrestagung der DGPuK, München, .
    • Reer, Felix; Wehden, Lars-Ole; Tang, Wai Yen; Janzik, Robin; Quandt, Thorsten : “The slippery path to total presence: How using an omnidirectional VR treadmill influences the gaming experience”. Digital Games Research Section Symposium (ECREA 2019), Rotterdam, Niederlande, .
    • Hlacer, Erik; Wehden, Lars-Ole : „Rather Poldi's wife than Gauland's swim shorts?: An experimental analysis of tabloidization of sports and political coverage as an influence factor of reciepients' evaluations“. 2. Jahrestagung der Fachgruppe „Mediensport und Sportkommunikation“ in der DGPuK, Leipzig, .
    • Wehden, Lars-Ole; Schröer, Nathalie : “Golden news?: Analysis of summarizing coverage of the Olympic Winter Games 2018 on German TV”. 69th Annual Conference of the International Communication Association (ICA), Washington/DC, USA, .
    • Reer, Felix; Wehden, Lars-Ole; Janzik, Robin : “A representative study on prevalence rates and correlates of problematic smartphone use in Germany”. 69th Annual Conference of the International Communication Association (ICA), Washington/DC, USA, .
    • Reer, Felix; Wehden, Lars-Ole; Janzik, Robin; Quandt, Thorsten : „Süchtig nach dem Smartphone? Eine Repräsentativbefragung zu Verbreitung und Korrelaten problematischer Smartphone-Nutzung in Deutschland“. Jahrestagung der DGPuK-Fachgruppe Rezeptions- und Wirkungsforschung 2019, Mainz, .
    • Wehden, Lars-Ole; Schröer, Nathalie : „Golden News? - Examining the short coverage about the Olympic Winter Games in Pyeongchang 2018“. 1. Jahrestagung der DGPuK-Fachgruppe Mediensport und Sportkommunikation, Salzburg, Österreich, .
    • Stoltenberg, Daniela; Wehden, Lars-Ole : “So Far, Yet So Close: Examining Translocal Twitter Audiences of Regional Newspapers in Germany”. 68th Annual Conference of the International Communication Association (ICA), Prague, Czech Republic, .
    • Stoltenberg, Daniela; Wehden, Lars-Ole : „Regional journalism without borders? Spatial placement of regional newspapers’ follower on Twitter“. Jahrestagung der DGPuk-Fachgruppe Digitale Kommunikation, Hochschule Macromedia, Stuttgart, Deutschland, .