Thomas Birkner

Thomas Birkner is a University Professor in Communication Science at Paris Lodron University Salzburg, holding the title Univ.-Prof. Dr. with an active research profile (ORCID: 0000-0002-0818-3062) and 106 publications spanning 2005-2025.

His research centers on journalism history, digital media transformation, and computational analysis of social inequality in media archives. Key interests include the evolution of news storytelling over the past century, challenges of fake news and political pressures on journalists, and historical-computational approaches to understanding media systems. Recent work examines German journalism history through projects like JADEJO and contemporary digital media dynamics.

Analysis of his 2024-2025 publications reveals a methodological bridge between historical media analysis and digital-era challenges. His work integrates computational methods with traditional media history to investigate century-long shifts in news production, while addressing urgent issues like disinformation and journalist safety in conflict zones.

No scientific awards were documented in the source material.

Birkner's research is supported by competitive grants including:

• JADEJO: The Century of Journalism (2022-2023): As project manager, he led comprehensive research on German journalism history from 1914 to the digital age.
• DigInfluAd Austria (2025-2026): As project staff member, he investigates digital influencers' evolving role as hybrid advertisers.

These projects reflect his dual focus on historical media contexts and emerging digital advertising paradigms.