Media trust in the digital world

• Applicant: Professorin Dr. Nayla Fawzi
• Subject Area: Communication Sciences
• Term: since 2018
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 416876773

A dramatic decrease of trust in journalistic media has been noted and discussed in public discourse recently. Empirical studies, however, cannot clearly prove a "trust crisis " in the media. However, systematic research on the causes, mechanisms and consequences of media trust is still in its infancy. The new conditions resulting from digitization have so far received little attention. In addition, the research field suffers from intradisciplinary fragmentation: even within communication studies, a wide variety of research directions on media trust and related constructs - in particular on credibility - exist largely side by side; an exchange and integration of perspectives is rare. Against this background, the aim of the network proposed here is to structure and systematize the research field of communication studies on media trust, taking particular account of the development of digitization, and to promote the transfer of knowledge within the subject. Furthermore, the different perspectives of the research directions are to be identified and brought together by the proposed network in order to counteract the fragmentation of current research. Finally, the network aims to increase the visibility of the research field in the public debate. A total of ten young scholars, one Junior professor and three full professors from seven different locations in Germany and Switzerland have confirmed their participation in the network. In addition, the applicant also assumes the role of network coordination. All network members have extensive preliminary work on the subject of media trust and are currently carrying out relevant projects. The members will work on the goals of the network in three working groups (WG): the groups take a theoretical-normative perspective (WG1), a methodological perspective (WG2) and an empirical perspective (WG3). A total of six meetings are planned, including a workshop with journalists, political and civil society actors.

• DFG Programme: Scientific Networks
• Co-Investigator: Professor Dr. Marc Ziegele