Rasmus Kleis Nielsen

Rasmus Kleis Nielsen is Professor in the Department of Communication at the University of Copenhagen and Senior Research Associate of the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism at the University of Oxford, holding the latter position since October 2024. His academic leadership spans institutional affiliations with Denmark’s national university and Oxford’s premier journalism research center.

Nielsen’s research examines news and media’s evolving societal role, with seminal contributions on journalism, digital media business models, political communication, and misinformation. His award-winning books—including Ground Wars (Doris Graber Award winner), The Power of Platforms, and Avoiding the News—establish him as a leading voice in media studies. As co-author of the annual Reuters Institute Digital News Report since 2015, he shapes global understanding of news consumption across 40+ countries.

Analysis of his recent publications reveals intensifying focus on misinformation dynamics, AI’s impact on elections, and cross-national trust in news. His work increasingly addresses generative AI’s role in journalism, news avoidance patterns, and platform power—evident in 2024-2025 studies covering 46+ countries. Methodologically, he combines large-scale survey data with comparative frameworks to dissect how digital platforms reshape news repertoires and public discourse.

His scientific recognition includes:

• Doris Graber Award for Ground Wars (American Political Science Association’s top political communication book)

Nielsen actively bridges academia and policy, advising governments and media companies worldwide. He served on the European Commission’s High Level Expert Group on Fake News, chaired the Forum on Information & Democracy’s journalism sustainability working group, and leads a Danish government committee reviewing media subsidies. His commentary appears in the Financial Times, Washington Post, and El Pais, reflecting his policy influence.

As core leadership in the Reuters Institute’s Digital News Report initiative, Nielsen coordinates multinational research teams across six continents. This project—funded through university partnerships and institutional grants—serves as the definitive global barometer for digital news trends, directly informing industry strategies and regulatory debates about platform accountability.