Impact Factor: 2.3

Journal

Communications

The European Journal of Communication Research

Edited by: Stefanie Averbeck-Lietz and Leen d'Haenens

Language: English

First published: January 1, 1976

Publication Frequency: 4 issues per year

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About this journal

Objective
Communications: The European Journal of Communication Research is an established forum for scholarship and academic debate in the field of communication science and research from a European perspective. Communication science is concerned with the investigation of the structure and function of communication processes and their impact on society, social groups and individuals. Communications highlights the concerns of this discipline through the publication of articles, research reports, review essays and book reviews on theoretical and methodological developments considered from a European perspective. The journal encompasses the entire field of communication science as its domain of interest. The contributions published in the journal cover a wide range of subfields in communication science.

Topics

Communication reseach
Structure and function of communication
Impact on society, social groups and individuals
Interpersonal communication
Intercultural communication
Mass communication
Communication theory
Philosophy of communication
Media history
Media development and digital communication

Article formats
Original articles, research reports, review essays, and book reviews

Please prepare your manuscript according to the Instructions for Authors.
Please see the Special Issue section for our current Call for Papers.

Your Benefits

Your benefits

European perspective on communication research
Specialized expertise on communication processes
Societal references of the research
Broad topics
Interdisciplinary approach to journal’s subject matter

History

Communications was founded in 1975 by Alphons Silbermann in cooperation with the German Society for Communication Research (DGKF). The journal has been published by De Gruyter Mouton since 2002.

Other publications in the field:

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Blamed for mass murder, hailed as messiah: A content analysis of e-mails to high-profile scientific experts during the COVID-19 pandemic

August 26, 2025

David De Coninck, Peter Van Elewyck, Karolien Poels, Leen d’Haenens

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This article investigates beliefs contributing to public mistrust in science during the COVID-19 pandemic in Belgium. Through a qualitative analysis of a sample of (highly) critical e-mails from 25 citizens to two prominent Belgian scientific experts (N = 924), it uncovers recurring themes tied to mistrust dynamics. Three theoretical perspectives–biopolitics, scientism, and New Age spirituality–are explored. Within the biopolitical framework, concerns emerge about increased government control, perceived undemocratic governance, and expert interference in decision making. In the realm of scientism, themes of scientific uncertainty, expert dissensus, and suspicions of hidden agendas surface. The analysis also uncovers traces of New Age spirituality, encompassing spirituality and connection, conflicts between natural immunity and vaccines, and the influence of conspiracy beliefs. In summary, this study offers vital insights into the intricate dynamics of trust during the pandemic, shedding light on the multifaceted reasons behind public mistrust in science in Belgium.
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Determining brand equity of nonprofit organizations: An inquiry of Czech citizens

August 26, 2025

Dita Hommerová, Salvatore Alaimo, Olga Martinčíková Sojková

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The global growth of nonprofit organizations has outpaced available funding and created a crowded space for media attention from the public. As a result, the value brand equity of nonprofit organizations has increased, yet few studies have examined this trend, particularly in developing countries or countries where civil societies are evolving but the professionalization of nonprofit sectors lags, as in former Soviet Bloc nations. This national study helps fill the latter research gap using a two-step approach with Czech citizens to examine brand awareness, trust, and commitment using the nonprofit brand equity index of Czech nonprofits. It mostly replicates a German study conducted by Boenigk and Becker (2016) using the same index. Results reveal that Czech citizens have an interest in being informed about how their donations are used, reflecting the often-referenced lack of transparency of Czech nonprofit organizations and donor mistrust. One third of the study’s participants could not name at least one nonprofit organization, confirming the timeliness of this study and the need for further investigation of the political, social, and economic factors behind brand equity. Such knowledge will be helpful in studying it further to inform recommended practices in strategic marketing.
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‘I love you 3000’: Elevation experiences in superhero media entertainment

August 23, 2025

Rowan Daneels, Chen Chung Yeung

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Eudaimonic experiences such as elevation, where people feel touched and uplifted in response to witnessing good deeds and human connectedness, can be elicited by media entertainment. This study focuses on superhero entertainment, a popular narrative genre that often includes prosocial topics such as helping others and performing good deeds. While connecting elevation and superhero entertainment provides more insight into, for instance, superhero narratives’ potential for persuasive communication regarding donation behavior to charities and non-profits, research on both topics together is scarce. Through 20 in-depth interviews, this paper explores respondents’ elevating experiences from watching superhero movies and series. Respondents indicated experiencing elevation through superhero narratives, especially among lighter-themed narratives without moral ambiguity. Superhero entertainment soundtracks, special effects, and storylines were mentioned as important elicitors of elevation. Finally, respondents connected specific narrative themes (sacrifice, saving people) and character traits (altruism, helpfulness) to their elevating experiences, also emphasizing the importance of character development, identification, and affinity. Limitations and implications are further discussed.
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Van Dijk, T. A. (2024). Social movement discourse: An introduction. Routledge. 404 pp. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003455486

August 7, 2025

Yanli Xu, Jixian Pang

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The heterogeneous influence of media on climate knowledge and opinion in a context of science-based climate coverage

July 23, 2025

Marthe Walgrave, Jonas Lefevere, Peter Van Aelst

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Climate change is one of the main challenges of our time, yet public support for climate action is lacking. This study scrutinizes the role of the media in educating the public on climate change and examines how media use relates to citizens’ climate-related public opinion. We test two models of opinion formation: the deficit model, which posits that media dissemination of scientific information can enhance climate knowledge, leading to increased climate-friendly attitudes and behavior; and the motivated reasoning model, which suggests that citizens interpret information in a biased manner. Conducted in a context where climate coverage is mostly science-based, our cross-sectional survey provides evidence for both models. The relationship between media use and climate knowledge varies by media type and citizens’ ideology. Additionally, media use influences not only citizens’ cognitions but also their climate predispositions.
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Curtailing the spread of fake news: Antecedents of citizens’ intention to correct misinformation on social media

July 23, 2025

Beatriz Jordá, Manuel Goyanes, Lorena González-Manzano

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There are severe concerns over the widespread presence of fake news on social media and the vulnerability of citizens to its influence. Prior research on fake news has largely focused on the potential threat it poses to democracy, and has payed less attention to an opposing behavior that has emerged in parallel and mitigates its effects: citizens’ corrective actions. This study seeks to examine the sociopolitical antecedents that drive citizens to correct fake news on social media. Drawing on panel survey data from Spain (T 2 = 570), we explore the role that using social media for news, cross-cutting political discussion, and support for fake news censorship have on intention to correct misinformation on social media. Our findings clarify the positive associations between the use of social media for news, the frequency of cross-cutting discussion, and support for fake news censorship over the intention to correct misinformation. Briefly, our study shows how social media’s mix of news, misinformation and political disagreement can motivate users to undertake pro-social democratic behaviors like corrective actions.
Open Access
The influence of negativity in news coverage on governmental trust during the COVID-19 pandemic

July 23, 2025

Isabella Glogger, Adam Shehata, Per Oleskog Tryggvason

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While increases in trust in institutions at the beginning of a crisis are well studied, less is known about the factors that contribute to a decline in trust. In this study, we examine how media coverage and perceptions of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic influenced trust in the Swedish government’s crisis handling. Using two waves of panel survey data and a quantitative content analysis of news, we investigate whether exposure to negative news coverage shaped individuals’ beliefs about the pandemic’s development, subsequently affecting governmental trust. Results show that higher exposure to negative media content led to more negative perceptions of the pandemic’s progression, which in turn diminished trust in the government. Personal experience with the pandemic did not moderate this relationship, suggesting that media-driven perceptions were influential regardless of direct crisis impact on individuals.
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Toward a neomodern epistemology of digital journalism

July 10, 2025

Luca Serafini

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The relationship between objective accounts of reality and expressions of subjective points of view has been discussed in journalism studies in terms of two dominant epistemological paradigms: the modern and the postmodern. This article proposes a different epistemological model, defined as ‘neomodern,’ whose aim is to articulate a dialectical relationship between subjectivity and objectivity that is better able to account for the processes of information production and consumption on digital platforms. An overview is given of the principles of the neomodern model and its main exponents. To understand the implications of a neomodern epistemology when discussing the practices of contemporary journalism, the journalistic genre of fact-checking is analyzed as a case study.
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Gunkel, D. J. (2024). AI for communication. CRC Press. 130 pp. https://doi.org/10.1201/9781003442240

July 8, 2025

Brent Yan

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Kumar Biswal, S., & Kulkarni, A. J. (2024). Exploring the intersection of Artificial Intelligence and journalism: The emergence of a new journalistic paradigm. Routledge. 310 pp. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781032716879

June 27, 2025

Xi Chen, Huifang Zhang

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Open Access
Lai, S. S., & Flensburg, S. (2023). Gateways: Comparing digital communication systems in Nordic welfare states. Nordicom (open access). 205 pp. https://doi.org/10.48335/9789188855848

May 28, 2025

Carl-Gustav Lindén

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Open Access
Conspiracy theories and misinformation in digital media: An international expert assessment of challenges, trends, and interventions

May 21, 2025

Daniela Mahl, Sabrina H. Kessler, Mike S. Schäfer, Anna Jobin, Jing Zeng, Fanny Georgi

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The rise of conspiracy theories and misinformation in digital media has sparked intense debates among scholars, journalists, and policymakers about the challenges posed by these phenomena and potential responses. However, these discussions tend to remain narrowly focused on specific issues, stakeholders, or individual-level strategies, with limited attention paid to anticipatory impact assessment. To address these shortcomings, we conducted an integrative, three-wave Delphi study involving an expert panel of 47 scholars and practitioners from 13 countries to identify current challenges, anticipate problematic trends, and develop actionable interventions. The challenges, trends, and interventions discussed span ten thematic areas, including governance of and by platforms, platform design, journalism and news media ecosystems, research and science communication ecosystems, societal dynamics, socio-political institutions, and individual behavior. The paper concludes with methodological reflections, discussing the possibilities and limitations of Delphi methods in addressing complex, interdisciplinary issues.
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Strategic polarization? Filter bubbles, bridges and the role of politicians on Twitter during 2019 European Election in Slovenia

May 21, 2025

Luka Jesenšek, Dejan Verčič

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We examine a network of over 40,000 tweets posted before the 2019 European election in Slovenia. The discussion observed is highly polarized: analysis of communication patterns reveals a partisan structure with limited connectivity between centre-left and right-leaning clusters. Users tend to communicate with like-minded peers and share content originating from their own communities. Bridges – accounts enabling the diffusion of content between ideologically different communities – are almost non-existent. Right-wing politicians are among the most prominent users in the network and can dominate the discourse within their communities. This shows that politicians effectively use Twitter as a strategic communications tool to engage with their supporters, spread their partisan messages and make use of the polarized social media environment. The data mirrors findings from other democracies, providing further evidence that polarization of political discourse is a prominent feature of the contemporary communication environment, present across various national, geographical and political contexts.
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Evens, T., & Smith, P. (2024). Sports media rights in the age of streaming and platformisation. Routledge. 196 pp. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003401988

May 16, 2025

Yannis Tzioumakis

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Esquinas, A. S., Suárez, J. R. P., Verdugo, R. R. C., & Galán, J. D. (2025). Researching social media with children: #DigitalEthnography #Storytelling. Routledge. 106 pp. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003399315

May 16, 2025

Zhiwen Zeng, Tingting Hu

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Political content as opinion leaders: The ideological catalysis of discourse on social networks

May 15, 2025

Rubén Sánchez Medero

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Social networks have become one of the primary sources of political information, partly due to the high circulation of information that is produced and shared. The distribution of this content is influenced by various factors. In this study, which includes a preliminary study and two experiments (n = 241; n = 391; n = 629), we examine the ability of issue ownership to act as an ideological catalyst of discourse on a social network like X. The results show that issue ownership can activate participants’ cognitive biases and influence the distribution of content. However, this mainly occurs when participants are unaware of the author of the political content. This finding suggests a hierarchy of informational factors that drive content propagation on social networks.
Open Access
Zaborowski, R. (2023). Music generations in the Digital Age: Social practices of listening and idols in Japan. Amsterdam University Press. 226 pp. https://doi.org/10.2307/jj.11634944

April 30, 2025

Kristina Kolbe

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Ecological and journalistic issues between optimism, mistrust and (lack of) expertise

April 25, 2025

Giacomo Buoncompagni

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This study investigates the profiles, practices, and perspectives of leading environmental journalists in Italy. Taking into account a still rather restricted national media ecosystem, and considering this topic from a scientific-cultural point of view, this study discusses a diversity of backgrounds and degrees of scientific expertise, a collegial relationship between journalists covering this topic, and a relatively high degree of autonomy within the respective newsrooms. The study finds that journalists believe that the amount of reporting on climate and the environment has increased in recent years, although the level of coverage (and general expertise on the subject) is still rather low and questionable. Specifically, this paper explores how journalists negotiate their personal commitments to environmental change in the context of their professional practice, as well as the issue of “shaping” climate and environmental journalism, and possible critiques of existing journalistic practices and dominant news reporting in the context of climate and biodiversity emergencies.
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The price of (un)regulation: Tracing the flow of political advertising budgets and voter targeting across online platforms in Romanian elections

April 2, 2025

Andreea Stancea, Madalina Botan

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In the ongoing 2024 elections, European democracies are facing multiple challenges, including declining voter turnout, extremist factions gaining electoral ground, and various risks posed by technology platforms. This article explores the characteristics of online political advertising in Romania, focusing on the advertising budgets allocated by mainstream and extremist parties and their specific targeting strategies based on voter segmentation. The study examines multiple electoral cycles in Romania, employing a longitudinal approach to analyze the online political advertising of the mainstream and extremist Romanian parties with a significant electoral impact. Utilizing data from the Meta Ad Library Reports, the study aims to explore the scale of online political advertising expenditure, and discuss voter segmentation and its potential impact on voter mobilization. Through this lens, the paper highlights the significant role of political advertising leveraged by online platforms in modern politics and the consequent challenges to the integrity of the electoral processes. It discusses gaps in existing national and EU regulations, and argues for regulatory measures to enhance transparency and accountability in political advertising.
Open Access
The news avoidance paradox? Exploring the relationship between news repertoires and intentional news avoidance

March 15, 2025

Rens Vliegenthart, Kiki de Bruin, Yael de Haan, Sanne Kruikemeier

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In this paper, we explore the complex relationship between news use and intentional news avoidance. Based on a survey conducted ( N = 2,798) in the Netherlands and a latent profile analysis, we first identified nine different types of news users. We find that news avoidance differs across those types. While people that belong to the profiles that use news less frequently or through less established channels report that they engage more in news avoiding behavior, also news omnivores frequently avoid the news. Mainly individuals that belong to profiles where traditional media use features most prominently report never avoiding the news. These findings confirm the idea that intentional news avoidance is not a simple concept that divides people into those that consume and those that do not consume news, but is rather a more complex and dynamic phenomenon.
Open Access
We can’t trust them! The effects of populist blame attributions to political and media elites on perceived factual relativism

March 14, 2025

Michael Hameleers

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In times of increasing distrust toward factual and established information, populism often takes on an explicit epistemic dimension. Prior research has indicated that disinformation labels employed in populist communication can fuel distrust in established media. Yet, we know little about whether the populist attribution of blame to different elites – politicians and the media – affect perceptions of factual relativism. To advance the field, we use an experiment ( N = 428) in which participants were exposed to populist messages blaming political or media elites for deceiving or not representing the people. Our main findings indicate that there are no direct effects of such accusations on perceived factual relativism. Yet, participants with higher levels of media distrust were affected most by populist messages in which mainstream media sources were blamed. As a main implication, this reveals that disinformation accusations in populist communication mainly have a reinforcing effect among distrusting citizens.
Open Access
A content analytic study of the presence of brands and materialistic values in popular influencers’ Youtube videos in the Netherlands

March 4, 2025

Suzanna J. Opree, Serena Daalmans, Eva A. van Reijmersdal, Esther Rozendaal

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The present study is the first to provide insights into the presence of brands and materialistic values in videos of popular YouTube influencers. We developed a codebook and analyzed a sample of 240 videos from 20 popular YouTube influencers from the Netherlands. We coded general characteristics of the videos (e.g., video length and number of views), the number of brands and branded products, the use of disclosures and brand prominence, as well as the number and types of materialistic values that were present. The findings show that YouTube watchers are confronted with a large number of brands and materialistic values, which may have serious consequences for their view of the world. In addition, the frequent absence of disclosures indicates a need for spreading awareness about regulations regarding influencer marketing practices.
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Believing and disseminating fake news: The limited effects of warning labels and personal recommendations on political partisans

March 4, 2025

Marco Dohle, Ole Kelm, Natalie Ryba

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Since fake news poses serious problems for individuals, groups, and societies, it is crucial to understand the factors that either increase or diminish its credibility and dissemination. Thus, a 2×2 between-subjects experiment ( n = 455) was conducted to investigate the influence of warning labels and personal recommendations on political partisans’ perceptions of fake news credibility and their willingness to disseminate fake news. The results show that partisans were more likely to believe and disseminate fake news that aligned with their views. While warning labels modestly reduced the perceived credibility of fake news, personal recommendations tended to increase the willingness to disseminate fake news if the content of the fake news was in line with partisans’ opinion.
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Migration on digital news platforms: Using large-scale digital text analysis and time-series to estimate the effects of socioeconomic data on migration content

February 22, 2025

Sandra Simonsen, Christian Baden

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The way digital news platforms represent migration issues can significantly impact intergroup relations and policymaking. A recurring question in the debate on the role of news platforms is whether they merely transmit information on migration, or actively hype specific issues. Drawing on a comprehensive set of socioeconomic statistics on migrants in Denmark, and employing a longitudinal automated content analysis of migration news content, we utilize time-series analysis to understand how four distinct categories of threat (security, economic, cultural, and generalized) relate to socioeconomic data on terror attacks, migrant crime levels, economic performance, and demographic trends. The results reveal a direct effect of terror attacks, economic performance, and demographic trends on migration news. We discuss the implications of socioeconomic and demographic developments as factors in digital media content to understand the role of media and substantiate contemporary debates.
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Riffe, D., Lacy, S., Watson, B. R., & Lovejoy, J. (2023). Analyzing media messages: Using quantitative content analysis in research (5^th ed.). Routledge. ix + 232 pp. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003288428

January 21, 2025

Zhenyuan Chen, Defeng Li

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Iskanderova, T. (2024). Unveiling semiotic codes of fake news and misinformation: Contemporary theories and practices for media professionals. Palgrave Macmillan. 87 pp. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-53751-6

January 21, 2025

Liming Huang

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Bonini, T., & Treré, E. (2024). Algorithms of resistance: The everyday fight against platform power. The MIT Press. 256 pp. https://doi.org/10.7551/mitpress/14329.001.0001

January 21, 2025

Rasmus Kleis Nielsen

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Determinants of journalists’ acceptance of using virtual reality (VR) in news production in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA)

December 13, 2024

Mokhtar Elareshi, Abdulkrim Ziani, Hesham Mesbah, Saleh Alwahaishi

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This study identifies and predicts the factors that determine journalists’ acceptance of VR in journalism and news production, and their intention to adopt this technology in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA). A total of 787 online survey responses were analyzed. On a theoretical level, Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) constructs were used to identify the independent variables and develop the research hypotheses. The study found that perceived efficiency of VR is related to the perceived ease of use and perceived usefulness of VR in journalism. Respondents’ behavioral intentions to accept and adopt VR in journalism are contingent upon how these journalists perceive VR as an innovative way to reach audiences and engage them. The paper contributes to our understanding of respondents’ behavioral intentions to accept and adopt VR in journalism. Those intensions are contingent upon how these journalists perceive VR as an innovative way to reach audiences and engage them, including how various media outlets around the world are using VR.
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Mediated parent networks as communicative figurations: practical sense and communicative practices among parents in four European countries

December 6, 2024

Christine W. Trültzsch-Wijnen, Niklas A. Chimirri, Ranjana Das, Ana Jorge

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This paper investigates the diversity of mediated parent networks from the perspective of communicative figurations, by focussing on what kinds of networks can be identified (RQ1) and what expectations parents hold towards these networks (RQ2). It draws upon a qualitative, exploratory study conducted in Austria, Denmark, Portugal and the UK, with interviews conducted with parents across 16 families in 2021. Different kinds of parent networks are described in terms of size, perceived publicness, frames of relevance, actors involved, communicative practices, and media ensembles. Our analysis of parents’ expectations shows that disappointment seems to be closely connected to practical sense, social barriers and exclusion.
Open Access
Authentic conflicts in post-Yugoslavia: A model of a post-war generation’s communication system

November 20, 2024

Eva Tamara Asboth

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The Yugoslav wars of secession in the 1990s left traces of the past among the societies living in the successor states. Those traces can be found within the collective memory of these societies, and are transmitted through various communication channels to the next generation. Today, this post-war and post-Yugoslav generation, born during or shortly after the violent conflicts, are young adults dealing with the recent past. Based on findings from life-story interviews that are examined and interpreted using the approach of sequence analysis, I elaborated a model of the transregional post-Yugoslavs’ communication system regarding the wars. I identified three communication practices on war-related topics by actively reflecting on the “Other,” which I present in this paper. During their adolescent years, post-Yugoslavs created their own narratives, and thus their own, authentic communication strategies in response to the “invisible war,” which still continues today, according to the post-Yugoslav generation.
Open Access
Is Fairyland for Everyone? Mapping online discourse on gender debates in Hungary

November 20, 2024

Hanna Dorottya Szabó

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Over the past decade, Hungary has become a noteworthy example of democratic backsliding, marked by a pronounced shift towards conservative values and traditional gender roles within government policies. This trend, centred around Christian principles, has manifested in political campaigns actively opposing LGBTQ+ rights and the challenging of normative family structure. The resultant media campaigns and policy implementations have ignited extensive public discourse on gender and sexuality, prominently visible on social media platforms. This study conducts a qualitative analysis of the online discussion surrounding the LGBTQ+ children’s book, Fairyland Is for Everyone, to explore the contemporary gender discourse in Hungary. By examining social media comments under Hungarian online news articles, the research identifies three prevailing discursive lenses—heteronormative familism, neocolonialism, and diversity and inclusion—illustrating both the concurrent rise of anti-gender movements and the fortification of LGBTQ+ allyship in Hungary, while also considering broader transnational trends in LGBTQ+ rights and visibility.
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Apocalypse now? – The Last Generation in digital capital’s affective ecology

November 5, 2024

Max Kramer

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This essay situates the protest actions of the German environmentalist group Die letzte Generation (LG) within an environmental critique of digital capitalism. It specifically examines the temporality of LG’s activism at the intersection of the affective ecology of digital capital and certain aspects of an apocalyptic imagination. I propose a Spinozist approach to the media environment in which LG operates that may open a path toward an immanent critique of LG’s publicity-oriented practices.
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Framing of the war in Ukraine: How the international press reacted to the outbreak of the conflict

October 19, 2024

Rafał Stawski, Przemysław Szews

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This article examines how the fights in Ukraine were framed in U. S., French, Polish, and Russian media in the first month of the conflict. Using a modified version of Semetko and Valkenburg’s (2000) method, we found patterns in media portrayals of the events. An analysis of 400 articles showed that media in these countries used roughly the same frames. The most important differences concerned the war and human interest frames, clearly avoided by Russian media. The most profound differences stemmed from how the frames were utilized. Despite using the same frames, media in different countries were able to produce different images of events.
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Power dynamics and the VillageTalk app: Rural mediatisation and the sense of belonging to the village community as communicative figuration

October 18, 2024

Nicole Zerrer

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Rural mediatisation defines the simultaneous transformation of rural community life and its media environment, particularly in the digital age. Typical rural problems such as declining meeting places are being addressed by developing village-specific communication apps. Due to the so-called “urban bias,” not much is known about rural mediatisation, and theoretical concepts are also lacking. This study addresses this research gap by analysing three German village communities, where a village communication app has been introduced. For this analysis, the applicability of the approach of communicative figurations (Hepp and Hasebrink, 2017) is assessed and further developed by adding the dimension of “power dynamics” to the characteristics. Moreover, the findings indicate that a rediscovered sense of belonging to the village community, resulting from a combination of internal and external factors, is a transformation associated with this process of rural mediatisation.
Open Access
Mitigating product placement effects induced by repeated exposure: Testing the effects of existing textual disclosures in children’s movies on disclosure awareness

October 8, 2024

Ines Spielvogel, Alice Binder, Jörg Matthes

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In certain cases, children can react strongly in favor of product placements inserted in movies. Scholars therefore argue that existing disclosures might be one strategy in protecting children from any negative effects. However, disclosure research indicates that viewers should both notice disclosures and, in cases of textual cues, read them. We conducted an experiment with 139 children (M age = 8.46; SD = 1.12; girls = 53.2 %) and tested the influence of textual disclosure format on disclosure awareness as well as brand-related effects. When comparing with no disclosure, results showed that exposure to an existing textual disclosure positively affects disclosure awareness while exposure to an expanded version of it (i.e., by using more textual elements) did not. Further analyses revealed that prior movie exposure positively affected brand evaluation. However, disclosure awareness reversed this effect. We conclude that children appear to be socialized with the existing textual disclosure and that disclosure awareness might be of importance in shielding children against persuasive influence.
Open Access
Trustworthiness: Public reactions to COVID-19 crisis communication

September 28, 2024

Eli Skogerbø, Øyvind Ihlen, Jens Elmelund Kjeldsen, Anja Vranic

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In an unprecedented situation of uncertainty, the COVID-19 pandemic tested the public crisis communication capacity. Using focus group data, this study analyzes public reactions to COVID-19 policies in Scandinavia. In line with the “rally around the flag” hypothesis, trust in public health authorities remained high in all three Scandinavian countries throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. We asked how people assessed the trustworthiness of authorities, and how they discussed reasons for complying with regulations and recommendations. Our findings suggest that the trustworthiness of experts and leaders was continually negotiated, manufactured, and renegotiated, producing critical and conditional trust. Willingness to and reasons for complying with measures to curb the disease were expressed and justified by participants from Sweden, Norway, and Denmark, notwithstanding the national policies consisting of harsh regulations and mild pressure.
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Media and policy legitimacy: A study of news coverage of the Flemish Human Rights Institute

August 27, 2024

Lise-Lore Steeman, Leen d’Haenens, Ellen Fobé

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European countries are required to establish equality bodies to combat discrimination. For the success of such bodies, informing citizens about their existence and functioning is essential. Therefore, this study conducts a thematic content analysis of news coverage (N = 129 Flemish news articles) pertaining to the recently established Flemish Human Rights Institute (FHRI) in Belgium. The analysis focuses on the subjects addressed in the news articles, the individuals or groups involved, and the interpretation of the three components of the responsiveness triangle (policy system, social perspectives, and policy environment), which collectively determine the perception of a legitimate policy. The study’s findings reveal that the articles extensively feature varying viewpoints from politicians and civil society organizations regarding the FHRI’s policy system, including its competences, institutional formation, and operation, as well as its role in protecting citizens’ rights. However, the news articles refrain from offering a conclusive assessment of the institution’s legitimacy.
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From the Syrian to Ukrainian refugee crisis: Tracing the changes in the Italian Twitter discussions through network analysis

August 13, 2024

Sercan Kiyak, David De Coninck, Stefan Mertens, Leen d’Haenens

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This study examines the Italian Twitter landscape during the 2015 Syrian and 2022 Ukrainian refugee crises, with a focus on the evolution of anti-refugee discourse. Through the analysis of 400,000 tweets, we sought to identify attitudinal communities, track changes in user positions, and evaluate the trending potential of the communities. Our findings indicate a shift in opinion leaders within the anti-refugee community from 2015, alongside a persistent ability to influence public discourse. Additionally, while the pro-Ukrainian refugee community has grown, incorporating previously neutral users, it remains loosely connected. Finally, the shifts in attitudes of Italian populist leaders regarding Syrian and Ukrainian refugees are interpreted in light of the changes in user attitudes as observed in the communication networks. This research highlights the importance of computational communication methods for investigating fringe groups absent from mainstream discourse, and underscores the necessity of content moderation and proactive digital activism to counter anti-refugee sentiment online.
Open Access
From “minimalists” to “professional all-rounders”: Typologizing Swiss universities’ communication practices and structures

August 1, 2024

Silke Fürst, Daniel Vogler, Mike S. Schäfer, Isabel Sörensen

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In the past two decades, the public communication of universities has become more important and received increased scholarly attention. While many studies have focused on individual university communicators (micro level) or all such practitioners in one country (macro level), our study analyzes organizational differences. It is the first-ever study to typologize universities’ communication practices and structures at the organizational level across an entire country. Based on a survey of communication practitioners in the central communication offices at all universities in Switzerland and using hierarchical cluster analysis, we classify 37 universities into four types of communicating universities: minimalists, well-resourced competitors, specialized strategists, and professional all-rounders. Those types are further characterized on the basis of official statistics. The analysis shows that the four types of universities differ considerably in their communication patterns and organizational characteristics and that the amount of resources available for communication is only loosely coupled with professional and strategic communication practices.
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The experience of social (in)visibility in narratives about ostracism

July 24, 2024

Agnieszka Konieczna

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This work involves a comprehensive review of qualitative research focused on analysing the experience of social ostracism. The voices of the ostracized are essential for uncovering that subtle, small, invisible, and silent practices of social exclusion, such as not paying attention, treating someone like air, lack of interest, or being left out, are sufficiently real and painful enough for those who have to deal with them. The term “social (in)visibility” allows us to openly name feelings that are an internal response to external ostracism, but which remain unexpressed in everyday interactions. The article focuses on understanding the role of social attention and social recognition in social encounters. As the social challenges described document a set of practices that prevent engagement in social interactions and reinforce cultural otherness, the construct of “social (in)visibility” may thus provide a framework for explaining how the lack of acknowledgment of someone’s presence in an appropriate manner in a given situation initiates the process of excluding those with so-called ‘spoiled identities’ and may help reveal mechanisms of escalating negativity. The work concludes with reflections on future research areas and the practical implications of social (in)visibility within the context of social relationships, co-presence, and social encounters.
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Bonding over bashing: Discussing LGBTI topics in far-right alternative news media comments sections

June 14, 2024

Emma Verhoeven

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This study investigates virtual community-building practices and discriminatory views in PAL NWS, a Dutch-speaking Belgian far-right alternative news medium, by examining discussions in the comments sections. Thematic analysis was applied to a total of 1,127 comments by 343 users in response to 50 articles about LGBTI topics. The findings show that far-right alternative news sites can function as virtual communities that facilitate polarization. The comments exhibited a high level of hostility towards LGBTI individuals, particularly toward transgender people and public displays of LGBTI inclusion. Furthermore, Muslims were homogeneously perceived as homophobes, and LGBTI topics were understood as (woke) ideological suppression by a dogmatic minority. The results of this study have implications for understanding the dynamics of comments sections on alternative media and the potential for far-right news platforms to facilitate the spread of intolerance.
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The power of Facebook friends: An investigation of young adolescents’ processing of social advertising on social networking sites

March 25, 2022

Sanne Holvoet, Liselot Hudders, Laura Herrewijn

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This study investigates the underlying mechanisms of how young adolescents process social advertising (i. e., advertising on social networking sites which shows how many and which of the user’s friends have ‘liked’ the brand’s page). Particularly, two experiments examined the role of brand trust in adolescents’ attitude formation and how brand trust is predicted by theories of social proof and persuasion knowledge. In addition, the moderating role of brand familiarity and brand value is investigated. The first experiment (N = 142) showed that higher brand trust was induced for social advertising for unfamiliar but not for familiar brands through the principle of social proof. This means that friends’ likes may reduce uncertainty and increase trust in unfamiliar brands through social advertising, something which enhances brand attitudes. Persuasion knowledge could not explain the effects of social advertising. The second experiment (N = 72) showed that social advertisements are more effective for brands that are symbolic (versus non-symbolic). Managerial and policy implications regarding social advertising targeting adolescents are discussed.

Special Issue: Online Hate: A European Communication Perspective Guest Editors: Heidi Vandebosch and Tobias Rothmund

Special Issue: Digital platforms, regulation and governance. Policy challenges from algorithmic business practices Guest Editors: Tales Tomaz and Josef Trappel

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Issue 1

Issue 4

Special Issue: Mediated recognition: Identity, respect, and social justice in a changing media environment Guest Editors: Olivier Driessens and Torgeir Uberg Nærland

Special Issue: Through mature and yet fresh eyes: Researching emerging issues in the field of children and media Guest Editors: Veronika Kalmus and Brian O’Neill

Special Issue: Scientific uncertainty in public discourse

Special Issue: Media and cultural change outside of Europe

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Issue 4

Volume 37, Issue 4 (2012) Communications

Issue 3

Volume 37, Issue 3 (2012) Communications, Public voice and mediated participation

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Communications publishes special and thematic issues focussed on important and emerging topics in the field of study. The journal has established a rigorous process to ensure that any special issue manuscripts follow the same high-quality standards and peer review processes as regular manuscripts. For further information on the journal’s peer review policy please see the "Instructions for Authors".

Recent Special Issues

Volume 49 | Issue 3 Special Issue: Online Hate: A European Communication Perspective Guest Editors: Heidi Vandebosch and Tobias Rothmund

Journal Impact Factor	2.3	2024, Journal Citation Reports (Clarivate, 2025)
5-year Journal Impact Factor	2.1	2024, Journal Citation Reports (Clarivate, 2025)
Journal Citation Indicator	0.87	2024, Journal Citation Reports (Clarivate, 2025)
CiteScore	3.4	2024, Scopus (Elsevier B.V., 2025)
SCImago Journal Rank	0.672	2024, SJR (Scimago Lab, 2025; Data Source: Scopus)
Source Normalized Impact per Paper	0.932	2024, CWTS Journal Indicators (CWTS B.V., 2025; Data Source: Scopus)

More information about journal rankings

Submission
Communications invites submissions from a broad thematic field of communication research. Manuscripts should represent original work, should not be published elsewhere or in another language, and should not be submitted to other journals simultaneously. Manuscripts for consideration in Communications should be submitted via the online submission system.

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Submission process

Submit your paper via the online sumbmission system following the Instructions for Authors (The Instructions for Authors file can be found on this website on the 'Overview' tab, under the heading 'Supplementary files'.)
Double blind peer reviewing process
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In case of any problems the editorial staff will make its best to answer all your queries

Please note

Submissions should be written in English. Contributors whose native language is not English should have their manuscripts read by a native speaker before submission
Examples not in English must have aligned interlinear glosses and an idiomatic translation
Before submitting your article please have a look at our Ethical Guidelines and our Copyright Transfer Agreement
Once your article is accepted you have the option to publish it open access
Our Repository Policy allows you to distribute 30 PDF copies of your published article to colleagues (the PDF has to include the information that it is an author's copy). Please also feel free to distribute the link to the online abstract
If you have any general questions please visit our FAQ page for authors

We look forward to receiving your manuscript!

Hybrid Open Access

In this journal, authors have the option to publish their article under an open access license. Open Access allows you as an author to retain copyright and share your findings with colleagues and interested parties worldwide without any restraints.
Please note that authors from institutions with which we have a transformative agreement can publish open access without paying an article processing charge (APC). More information on the eligible institutions and articles can be found under the "Funding and Support" tab here.

Editors

Stefanie Averbeck-Lietz
Department of Political Science and Communication Studies, University of Greifswald, Germany

Leen d'Haenens
Media Culture & Policy Lab, K. U. Leuven, Belgium

Associate Editors
Denisa Hejlová, Faculty of Social Sciences, Charles University in Prague, Czechia
Philippe J. Maarek, Université Paris Est-UPEC, CECCOPOP & SIC.Lab Méditeranée, France
Hillel Nossek, Kinneret College on the Sea of Galilee, Israel
Christian Pentzold, Universität Leipzig, Germany
Cristina Ponte, Faculdade de Ciências Sociais e Humanas, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Portugal

Book Review Editors
Stijn Joye, University of Ghent, Belgium
Olivier Driessens, University of Copenhagen, Denmark
Rebecca Venema, University of Amsterdam, Netherlands

Editorial Management
Viviane Harkort, Germany

Editorial Board

Hanna Adoni, Interdisciplinary Center (IDC), Herzliya, Israel
Akiba Cohen, Tel Aviv University, Israel
Nicoleta Corbu, National University of Political Studies and Public Administration, Bucharest, Romania
Andreas Hepp, University of Bremen, Gemany
John L. Hochheimer, Southern Illinois University, USA
Klaus Bruhn Jensen, University of Copenhagen, Denmark
Leif Kramp, Universität Bremen, ZeMKI
†Klaus Krippendorff, University of Pennsylvania, USA
Friedrich Krotz, University of Bremen, Germany
Ivan Lacasa, International University of Catalonia, Spain
Tristan Mattelart, Université Paris-2, France
Ekkehard Mochmann, German Society for Communication Research (DGKF), Cologne, Germany
Beata Ociepka, University of Wrocław, Poland
Irena Reifová, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republich
Keith Roe, K. U. Leuven, Belgium
Jan Servaes, City University of Hong Kong, China
Laura Vandenbosch, K. U. Leuven, Belgium
Christian von Sikorski, University of Koblenz-Landau, Germany
Katrin Voltmer, School of Media and Communications, University of Leeds, United Kingdom
Karin Wahl-Jorgensen, Cardiff University, UK

Editorial Assistance
Annalena Oeffner Ferreira, Bremen, Germany
Elke Ichau, Belgium

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Instructions_for_Authors_COMM_09

Online Submission of Manuscripts

Journal information

Additional information

eISSN:

1613-4087

ISSN:

0341-2059

Language:

English

Publisher:

De Gruyter Mouton

Additional information

First published:

January 1, 1976

Publication Frequency:

4 issues per year

eISSN: 1613-4087

ISSN: 0341-2059

Audience(s) for this journal

Researchers and practitioners interested in communication studies, especially Scholars and Students in Communication and Media, Communication Sociologists, and Linguists

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Walter de Gruyter GmbH
Genthiner Straße 13
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productsafety@degruyterbrill.com

Communications

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