Dr. Christian von Sikorski ist Professor für Publizistik- und Kommunikationswissenschaft mit dem Schwerpunkt Medienwirkungsforschung am Institut für Publizistik- und Kommunikationswissenschaft der Freien Universität Berlin, wo er die Arbeitsstelle Medienwirkungsforschung leitet. Seine Forschungsschwerpunkte liegen in den Bereichen digitale Medieneffekte, Medienpsychologie und politische Kommunikation. Dabei fokussiert er insbesondere politische Polarisierungsprozesse, die politische Kommunikation von Akteuren wie Social Media Influencern in digitalen Medienumgebungen, die Bedeutung von Fehl- und Desinformationen für politische Kommunikationsprozesse, politische Skandalberichterstattung sowie die Rolle künstlicher Intelligenz in (politischen) Kommunikationsprozessen. Seine Forschung wurde unter anderem von der Deutschen Gesellschaft für Publizistik- und Kommunikationswissenschaft(DGPuK), der International Communication Association (ICA) und der Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication (AEJMC) ausgezeichnet. Seine universitären Lehrveranstaltungen wurde mehrfach durch kompetitive Lehrpreise ausgezeichnet.

Er leitet den Masterstudiengang Medien- und politische Kommunikation an der Freien Universität Berlin und ist zudem als Associate Editor der Fachzeitschrift Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly tätig.

 

Werdegang

2024: Ruf auf die Professur für Politische Psychologie, Institut für Kommunikationspsychologie und Medienpädagogik (IKM), Universität Kaiserslautern-Landau (RPTU) (abgelehnt)

 

2019-2025: Junior-Professor für Politische Psychologie, Institut für Kommunikationspsychologie und Medienpädagogik (IKM), Universität Kaiserslautern-Landau (RPTU)

 

2017-2018: Vertretungsprofessor für Medienpsychologie, Institut für Kommunikationspsychologie und Medienpädagogik (IKM), Universität Koblenz-Landau

 

2015-2019: Universitätsassistent (Post-Doc), Institut für Publizistik- und Kommunikationswissenschaft, Universität Wien

 

2014: PhD in Media and Mass Communication, Deutsche Sporthochschule Köln ("summa cum laude")

 

2011-2014: Kollegiat und Stipendiat in dem interdisziplinären Graduiertenkolleg "Media, Mind, and Movement" an der Deutschen Sporthochschule Köln/Universität zu Köln

 

2007-2015: Doktorrand und Post-Doc, Institut für Kommunikations- und Medienforschung, Deutsche Sporthochschule Köln

 

2002-2007: Studium Sportwissenschaften, Schwerpunkt Medien und Kommunikation, Institut für Kommunikations- und Medienforschung, Deutsche Sporthochschule Köln

Lehre im Wintersemester 2025/2026

BA - 28515: Autoritäten des politischen Wissens auf sozialen Medien: Von Politiker*innen, Influencern und neuen Technologien (Seminar)

BA/MA - 28896: Colloquium Medienwirkung und Politische Kommunikation

MA - 28810: Theorien und Befunde der politischen Kommunikationsforschung (Vorlesung)

MA - 28811: Künstliche Intelligenz (KI) und politische Kommunikation: Chancen, Risiken, Perspektiven (Hauptseminar)

Lehre im Sommersemester 2025

BA - 28560: Einführung in die Medienwirkungsforschung (Vorlesung)

BA - 28561: Aktuelle Themen der Medienwirkungsforschung (Seminar)

BA/MA - 28652: Colloquium Medienwirkungsforschung

- Medienwirkungsforschung, Wirkung digitaler Medien

- Politische Kommunikation und Polarisierungsprozesse  

- Medienpsychologie  

- Künstliche Intelligenz (KI) im Kontext medialer Kommunikation   

- Fehl- und Desinformation  

- Politische Skandalberichterstattung

Publikationen in Fachzeitschriften

Im Erscheinen

• Filler, S., Barkela, B., Maier, M., Winter, S., & von Sikorski, C. (2026). Dealing with Uncertain Futures: Communicating Scientific Modeling in the Public Sphere - A Systematic Review. Science Communication https://doi.org/10.1177/10755470251413493 [SSCI listed, Impact factor 4.1]. 

• Merz, P., & von Sikorski, C. (2025). Social media influencers can increase collective political beliefs and actions: Findings from experiments and a quasi-experimental field study. Human Communication Research https://doi.org/10.1093/hcr/hqaf024 [SSCI listed, Impact factor 4.4].

• Mai, L., & von Sikorski, C. (2025). Narratives are key: How narratives influence solutions journalism and promote climate-friendly behavior. Media Psychology  https://doi.org/10.1080/15213269.2025.2567363 [SSCI listed, Impact factor 3.4]. 

• Merz, P., & von Sikorski, C. (2025). Who feels influenced? Investigating the (non-)political experiences of young adults with social media influencers using a latent profile analysis. Information. Communication & Society, 1–21. https://doi.org/10.1080/1369118X.2025.2590159

• von Sikorski, C., Merz, P., Heiss, R., Karsay, K., Naderer, B., & Schmuck, D. (2025). The political role of social media influencers: Strategies, types, and implications for democracy - An introduction. American Behavioral Scientist.  https://doi.org/10.1177/00027642251344208 [SSCI listed, Impact factor 2.531].

 

2026

• von Sikorski, C., Merz, P., Heiss, R., Bassler, M., Buyny, C., Hildebrand, S., Streller, C., & Wicki, E. (2026). Both AI-generated and Human Influencers Can Correct Misinformation: Investigating the Effectiveness of Corrections for Polarized and Non-Polarized Issues. Computers in Human Behavior, 176, 108845. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2025.108845 [SSCI listed, Impact factor 8.9]. 

 

2025

• von Sikorski, C., & Hameleers, M. (2025). Disinformation in the Age of Artificial Intelligence (AI): Implications for Journalism and Mass Communication. Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly, 102(4), 941-957. https://doi.org/10.1177/10776990251375097

• Huh, E., Kubin, E., & von Sikorski, C. (2025). Can AI journalism reduce hostile media perceptions? Findings from two experiments. Frontiers in Communication, 10. https://doi.org/10.3389/fcomm.2025.1484186 [SSCI listed, Impact factor 1.5].

2024

• Kubin, E., von Sikorski, C., & Gray, K. (2024). Political censorship feels acceptable when ideas seem harmful and false. Political Psychology. https://doi.org/10.1111/pops.13011 [SSCI listed, Impact factor 4.6].

• Christner, C., Merz, P., Barkela, B., Jungkunst, H., & von Sikorski, C. (2024). Combatting climate disinformation: Comparing the effectiveness of correction placement and type. Environmental Communication, 18(6), 729–742. https://doi.org/10.1080/17524032.2024.2316757 [SSCI listed, Impact factor 2.7].

• Kubin, E., Merz, P., Wahba, M., Davis, C., Gray, K., & von Sikorski, C. (2024). Understanding news-related user comments and their effects: A systematic review. Frontiers in Communication, 9, 1447457. https://doi.org/10.3389/fcomm.2024.1447457 [SSCI listed, Impact factor 1.5].   

• Kubin, E. & von Sikorski, C. (2024). The polarizing content warning: How the media can reduce affective polarization. Human Communication Research, 50(3), 404-418. https://doi.org/10.1093/hcr/hqae006  [SSCI listed, Impact factor 5.0].

2023

• von Sikorski, C., & Merz, P. (2023). No-go Zone for Jews?  Examining how news on anti-Semitic attacks increase victim blaming. Communications: European Journal of Communication Research, 48(4), 539–550. https://doi.org/10.1515/commun-2021-0145  [SSCI listed, Impact factor 2.095].

• Matthes, J., Schmuck, D., & von Sikorski, C. (2023). In the eye of the beholder: A case for the visual hostile media phenomenon. Communication Research, 50(7), 879–903.  https://doi.org/10.1177/00936502211018596 [SSCI listed, Impact factor 6.300].  

• Kubin, E., Gray, K., & von Sikorski, C. (2023). The media can reduce political dehumanization by pairing facts with personal experiences. Political Psychology, 44(5), 1119-1140. https://doi.org/10.1111/pops.12875[SSCI listed, Impact factor 4.804].

• Kubin, E., & von Sikorski, C. (2023). The complex relationship between media and political polarization: Understanding how the media can affectively (de)polarize citizens. International Journal of Communication, 17, 5207-5222. [SSCI listed, Impact factor 1.802]. 

• Azevedo, F., Pavlovic ́,T., do Rêgo, G. G., Ay, F. C., Gjoneska, B., Etienne, T. W., … von Sikorski, C., ..., & Sampaio, W. M. (2023). Social and moral psychology of COVID-19 across 69 countries. Nature Scientific Data, 272, 1-26. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41597-023-02080-8 [SSCI listed, Impact factor 8.501].

• von Sikorski, C., Naderer, B., & Brandt, D. (2023). Inappropriate? Gay characters affect adults' perceived age-appropriateness of animated cartoons. Communications: European Journal of Communication Research, 48(1), 28-42. https://doi.org/10.1515/commun-2020-0095 [SSCI listed, Impact factor 2.095].

• Schmuck, D., Matthes, J., & von Sikorski, C. (2023). No compassion for Muslims? How journalistic news coverage of terrorist crimes influences emotional reactions and policy support depending on the victim’s religion. Crime & Delinquency, 69(5), 1020–1043. https://doi.org/10.1177/00111287211000626 [SSCI listed, Impact factor 2.307].

2022

• von Sikorski, C. (2022). Trump against Germany: Examining how news about Donald Trump's anti-German utterances affect anti-Americanism in Germany: A moderated mediation model. The International Journal of Press/Politics, 27(1), 263–284. https://doi.org/10.1177/1940161220964773 [SSCI listed, Impact factor 6.592].

• Pavlović, T., Azevedo, F., De, K., C. Riaño-Moreno, J. C., Maglić, M., Gkinopoulos, T., ... von Sikorski, C., ..., & Van Bavel, J. J. (2022). Predicting attitudinal and behavioral responses to COVID-19 pandemic using machine learning. PNAS Nexus, 1(3), 1–15. https://doi.org/10.1093/pnasnexus/pgac093 [SSCI listed]

• von Sikorski, C. (2022). Visual polarization: Examining the interplay of visual cues and media trust on the evaluation of political candidates. Journalism, 23(9), 1900–1918. https://doi.org/10.1177/1464884920987680 [SSCI listed, Impact factor 3.194]    

• Van Bavel, J. J., Cichocka, A., Capraro, V., Sjåstad, H., Nezlek, J. B., Pavlović, T., … von Sikorski, C., … Zwaan, R. A. (2022). National identity predicts public health support during a global pandemic. Nature Communications, 13(517). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-021-27668-9 [SSCI listed, Impact factor 14.919].

• von Sikorski, C., Schmuck, D., Matthes, J., Klobasa, C., Knupfer, H., & Saumer, M. (2022). Do journalists differentiate between Muslims and Islamist terrorists? A content analysis of terrorism coverage. Journalism, 23(6), 1171–1193. https://doi.org/10.1177/1464884921990223 [SSCI listed, Impact factor 3.194].

• Schmuck, D., Matthes, J., von Sikorski, C., Rahmanian, M., & Bulat, B. (2022). Tearing us apart? Muslims' attitudes toward the majority population in response to differentiated versus undifferentiated news about terror. International Journal of Communication, 16, 1420–1440 [SSCI listed, Impact factor 1.802].

2021

• Kubin, E., & von Sikorski, C. (2021). The role of (social) media in political polarization: A systematic review. Annals of the International Communication Association. 45(3), 188–206. https://doi.org/10.1080/23808985.2021.1976070 [SSCI listed] 

• von Sikorski, C., Matthes, J., & Schmuck, D. (2021). The Islamic State in the news: Journalistic differentiation of Islamist terrorism from Islam, terror news proximity, and Islamophobic attitudes. Communication Research, 48(2), 203–232. https://doi.org/10.1177/0093650218803276 [SSCI listed, Impact factor 6.300].

• Schmuck, D., Matthes, J., & von Sikorski, C. (2021). No compassion for Muslims? How journalistic news coverage of terrorist crimes influences emotional reactions and policy support depending on the victim’s religion. Crime & Delinquencyhttps://doi.org/10.1177/00111287211000626 [SSCI listed, Impact factor 2.827].

• Dan, V., Paris, B., Donovan, J., Hameleers, M., Roozenbeek, J., van der Linden, S., & von Sikorski, C. (2021). Visual mis- and disinformation, social media and democracy. Journalism and Mass Communication Quarterly, 98(3), 641–664. https://doi.org/10.1177/10776990211035395 [SSCI listed, Impact factor 4.128].

• Matthes, J., Marquart, F., & von Sikorski, C. (2021). Likeminded and cross-cutting talk, network characteristics, and political participation online and offline: A panel study. Communications: European Journal of Communication Research, 46(1), 113–126. https://doi.org/10.1515/commun-2020-2080 [SSCI listed, Impact factor 2.095].

• von Sikorski, C., & Saumer, M. (2021). Sexual harassment in politics. News about victims’ delayed sexual harassment accusations and effects on victim blaming: A mediation model. Mass Communication and Society, 24(2), 259–287. https://doi.org/10.1080/15205436.2020.1769136 [SSCI listed, Impact factor 3.309].

2020

• Schmuck, D. & von Sikorski, C. (2020). Perceived threats from social bots: The media's role in supporting literacy. Computers in Human Behavior, 140, 106507. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2020.106507 [SSCI listed, Impact factor 6.829].

• Matthes, J., Kaskeleviciute, R., Schmuck, D., von Sikorski, C., Klobasa, C., Knupfer, H., & Saumer, M. (2020). Who differentiates between Muslims and Islamist terrorists in terrorism news coverage? An actor-based approach. Journalism Studies, 21(15), 2135–2153. https://doi.org/10.1080/1461670X.2020.1812422 [SSCI listed, Impact factor 3.741].

• von Sikorski, C. (2020). Scandalous?! Examining the differential effects of news   coverage about (non-)severe political misconduct on voting intentions and news source evaluations. Journalism and Mass Communication Quarterly, 97(3), 762–789. https://doi.org/10.1177/1077699020911081 [SSCI listed, Impact factor 4.128].

2019

• von Sikorski, C., Heiss, R., & Matthes, J. (2019). How political scandals affect the electorate. Tracing the eroding and spillover effects of scandals with a panel study. Political Psychology, 41(3), 549–568. https://doi.org/10.1111/pops.12638 [SSCI listed, Impact factor 4.333].

• Matthes, J., Knoll, J., Valenzuela, S., Hopman, D., & von Sikorski, C. (2019). A meta-analysis of the effects of cross-cutting exposure on political participation. Political Communication, 36(4), 523–542. https://doi.org/10.1080/10584609.2019.1619638 [SSCI listed, Impact factor 7.859]. 

• von Sikorski, C. (2019). Framing-Effekte in der Gesundheitskommunikation: Ein Forschungsüberblick und eine Inhaltsanalyse der Studien zur Wirkung von Gain- und Loss-Frames. Medien Journal, 43(2), 23–44. https://doi.org/10.24989/medienjournal.v43i2.1709

• von Sikorski, C., & Herbst, C. (2019). Not practicing what they preached! Exploring negative spillover effects of news about ex-politicians’ hypocrisy on party attitudes, voting intentions, and political trust. Media Psychology, 23(3), 436 –460. https://doi.org/10.1080/15213269.2019.1604237 [SSCI listed, Impact factor 3.824].

• Matthes, J., Schmuck, D., & von Sikorski, C. (2019). Terror, terror, everywhere? How terrorism news shape support for anti-Muslim policies as a function of perceived threat severity and controllability. Political Psychology, 40(5), 935–951. https://doi.org/10.1111/pops.12576 [SSCI listed, Impact factor 4.333].

• Heiss, R., von Sikorski, C., & Matthes, J. (2019). Populist Twitter posts in news stories: Statement recognition and the polarizing effects on candidate evaluation and anti-immigrant attitudes. Journalism Practice, 13(6), 742–758. https://doi.org/10.1080/17512786.2018.1564883 [SSCI listed, Impact factor 2.537].

• von Sikorski, C., & Knoll, J. (2019). Framing political scandals: Exploring the multimodal effects of isolation cues in scandal news coverage on candidate evaluations and voting intentions. International Journal of Communication, 13, 206–228 [SSCI listed, Impact factor 1.194].

2018

• von Sikorski, C., Schmuck, D., & Matthes, J., (2018). Eine Spirale der Angst? Terrorberichterstattung in den Medien, wahrgenommene Bedrohung und politische Einstellungen. Psychologie in Österreich, 38, 354-361.

• Haack, G., von Sikorski, C., Hänelt, M., & Schierl, T. (2018). Onlineinformationen zur Förderung einer informierten Entscheidung über die Teilnahme an einer Darmkrebsfrüherkennung. Evaluation und Rezeptionsanalyse eines Themenmoduls auf dem Frauen- und Männergesundheitsportal der Bundeszentrale für gesundheitliche Aufklärung (BZgA). Bundesgesundheitsblatt, 61, 1569–1578. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00103-018-2841-9 [SSCI listed, Impact factor 1.059].

• Matthes, J., Knoll, J., & von Sikorski, C., (2018). Spiral of Silence revisited: A meta-analysis on the relationship between perceptions of opinion support and political opinion expression. Communication Research, 45(1), 3–33. https://doi.org/10.1177/0093650217745429 [SSCI listed, Impact factor 3.758].

• von Sikorski, C., Knoll, J., & Matthes, J. (2018). A new look at celebrity endorsements in politics: Investigating the impact of scandalous celebrity endorsers and politicians’ best responses. Media Psychology, 21(3), 403–436. https://doi.org/10.1080/15213269.2017.1378109 [SSCI listed, Impact factor 2.397].

• Schmuck, D., Matthes, J., von Sikorski, C., Materne, N., & Shah, E. (2018). Are unidentified terrorist suspects always Muslims? How terrorism news shape news consumers' automatic activation of Muslims as perpetrators. Religions, 9(10), 1–16. https://doi.org/10.3390/rel9100286 [Arts & Humanities CI listed].

• von Sikorski, C. (2018). The aftermath of political scandals: A meta-analysis. International Journal of Communication, 12, 3109–3133. [SSCI listed, Impact factor 1.096].

• Allern, S., & von Sikorski, C. (2018). Political scandals as a democratic challenge: From important revelations to provocations, trivialities, and neglect. Introduction. International Journal of Communication, 12, 3014–3023. [SSCI listed, Impact factor 1.096].

• von Sikorski, C., & Ludwig, M. (2018). The effects of visual isolation on the perception of scandalized politicians. Communications: European Journal of Communication Research, 43(2), 23–-257. https://doi.org/10.1515/commun-2017-0054 [SSCI listed, Impact factor 1.302].

• von Sikorski, C., & Müller, L. (2018). When corporate social responsibility messages enter the news: Examining the effects of CSR framed news on product purchasing intentions and the mediating role of company and product attitudes. Communication Research Reports, 35(4), 335–345. https://doi.org/10.1080/08824096.2018.1506757

• von Sikorski, C., & Knoll, J. (2018). All at once or bit by bit? How the serialization of news affects recipients' attitudes toward politicians involved in scandals. International Journal of Communication, 12, 1389–1407. [SSCI listed, Impact factor 1.2].

• von Sikorski, C. (2018). The effects of darkness and lightness cues in the visual depiction of political actors involved in scandals: An experimental study. Communication Research Reports, 35(2), 162–171. https://doi.org/10.1080/08824096.2018.1425984

2017

• von Sikorski, C., Schmuck, D., Matthes, J., & Binder, A. (2017). “Muslims are not terrorists”: Islamic State coverage, journalistic differentiation between terrorism and Islam, fear reactions, and attitudes toward Muslims. Mass Communication and Society, 20(6), 825–848. https://doi.org/10.1080/15205436.2017.1342131 [SSCI listed, Impact factor 2.189].

• von Sikorski, C. (2017). Politische Skandalberichterstattung: Ein Forschungsüberblick und Systematisierungsversuch. Publizistik, 62, 299–323. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11616-017-0355-3

2016

• von Sikorski, C. (2016). The effects of reader comments on the perception of personalized scandals: Exploring the roles of comment valence and commenters’ social status. International Journal of Communication, 10, 4480–4501. [SSCI listed, Impact factor 1.498].

• von Sikorski, C., & Hänelt, M. (2016). Scandal 2.0: How valenced reader comments affect recipients’ perception of scandalized individuals and the journalistic quality of online news. Journalism and Mass Communication Quarterly 93(3), 551–571. https://doi.org/10.1177/1077699016628822 [SSCI listed, Impact factor 1.706].

2015

• von Sikorski, C. (2015). Journalismus 2.0 – Wie die Kommentare und sozialen Informationen “der Anderen“ unsere Wahrnehmung von Online-Nachrichten beeinflussen. The Inquisitive Mind, 5, 1–3.

2014

• von Sikorski, C., & Schierl, T. (2014). Attitudes in context. Effects of salient contextual information on recipients’ attitudes toward persons with disabilities. Journal of Media Psychology, 26(2), 70–80. https://doi.org/10.1027/1864-1105/a000113 [SSCI listed, Impact factor 1.514]

• von Sikorski, C., & Schierl, T. (2014). Inclusion of persons with disabilities through media sports. Attitudinal and behavioral news framing effects. International Journal of Sport Communication, 7(1), 90–112. https://doi.org/10.1123/IJSC.2013-0123

2012

• von Sikorski, C., & Schierl, T. (2012). Effects of news frames on recipients’ information processing in disability sports communications. Journal of Media Psychology, 24(3), 113–123. https://doi.org/10.1027/1864-1105/a000069 [SSCI listed, Impact factor 1.514]

• von Sikorski, C., Schierl, T., Möller, C., & Oberhäuser, K. P. (2012). Visual media framing and effects on recipients’ attitudes toward athletes with physical disabilities. International Journal of Sport Communication, 5(1), 69–86. https://doi.org/10.1123/ijsc.5.1.69

2011

• Möller, C., von Sikorski, C., & Oberhäuser, K. P. (2011). Massenmediale Kommunikation über Athleten mit Behinderung: Implizite Assoziationen als Barrieren in der Behindertensportrezeption. Publizistik, 56, 51–64. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11616-010-0108-z