Ralf Hohlfeld

Professor Ralf Hohlfeld holds the Chair of Communication Studies at the University of Passau since 2008. He serves as spokesperson for the Collegial Management of the Passau Centre for Digitalisation in Society (CeDiS) and previously led the "Journalism and Strategic Communication" degree program from 2017 to 2021. His academic background includes doctoral research on television program quality and habilitation work on audience research's influence on journalism.

Professor Hohlfeld's research focuses on empirical journalism research, media change, and disinformation in the digital society. His work examines how the multitude of internet and social network sources makes it difficult for people to assess information quality and distinguish facts from fake news. In the post-factual age, he investigates the conditions and consequences of disinformation, observing both originators and users while considering editorial changes and new topic management systems in journalism. His research spans cross-media journalism, audience analysis, and digital public spheres.

Hohlfeld's recent publications (2015-2021) reveal a strong focus on fake news, disinformation, and the post-truth era, with particular attention to social media platforms like Facebook and Telegram. His research employs empirical methods to understand media effects and journalistic practices in the digital age, with key themes including information verification, media literacy, and the impact of digital transformation on journalism. He has analyzed 1,800 Facebook and Telegram posts during the coronavirus pandemic to examine conspiracy influencers' worldviews.

Professor Hohlfeld has led significant research initiatives including the EU's Tempus IV "Crossmedia and Quality" consortium, which brought together researchers from Ukraine, Moldova, Romania, Austria, and Germany. His current work includes the "Enlightenment Makes School" project addressing fake news education, and recent media coverage includes interviews in Verdi.de (June 2025) about public broadcasting criticism and Sonntagsblatt (April 2025) on why people believe fake news.