Strengthening Ties with QUT: Dr. Stephen Harrington Visits the OCL

How can political communication and popular media be understood together? And what happens when political communication increasingly takes forms that blur the boundaries between information, entertainment, and disinformation? These are some of the questions explored by Dr. Stephen Harrington, Associate Professor in the School of Communication at Queensland University of Technology (QUT) and Chief Investigator at the Digital Media Research Centre. His research focuses on popular media as evolving forms of journalistic practice and examines how these developments shape the relationship between citizens and politics.

Harrington spent just under a week in Münster, with a focus on internal meetings, academic exchange, and discussing opportunities for collaboration between Australian and German researchers. Among other activities, he presented his current project, “Understanding and Combatting ‘Dark Political Communication’.” As part of this work, the researcher examines „the role of political actors and mainstream journalists in the spread of disinformation“ (see the corresponding article here). Harrington’s research thus connects directly with several of the OCL’s research areas, particularly those surrounding the concept of Dark Participation. The discussions also opened up exciting prospects for further research projects, including potential joint projects.

Of course, there was also time to explore Münster beyond the academic discussions. The programme included, among other activities, a visit to the local market and a “Königsgang” at the astronomical clock in St Paul’s Cathedral. The visit is part of the growing personal exchange between the OCL and QUT. Earlier this year, Professor Axel Bruns also visited the OCL (read the news article about his visit here). We are very pleased to further strengthen our personal ties with colleagues in Australia and look forward to the opportunities to deepen international collaboration in the future.