Benjamin Fretwurst

Benjamin Fretwurst is a Researcher at the Department of Communication and Media Research (IKMZ) at the University of Zurich. His academic career includes substitute professorships at the Free University Berlin (2013/2011) and teaching assignments at institutions like the University of Fribourg and Berlin University of the Arts. He holds a doctorate (summa cum laude, 2008) on news theory and has led research projects at the House of Research.

Research focuses on international agenda-setting processes, media criticism, political communication, health campaign evaluations, and methodological innovations in survey design. His work bridges theoretical media studies with applied communication research, particularly in crisis communication (e.g., Fukushima coverage analysis) and media policy evaluations.

Key outputs include co-authored analyses on Swiss media acceptance (BAKOM reports), methodological contributions to content analysis (Lotus calculation), and cross-national studies on audience perspectives. His research has been published in academic books and journals like Publizistik.

Current roles involve overseeing media research projects at IKMZ and advising on media policy matters. Past projects include evaluating the 'Leichter leben' health campaign and analyzing public weight perception in Zurich.