Schmidt, Thomas R.

My interdisciplinary research focuses on the contemporary analysis of journalistic practice and the institutional transformation of journalism in the face of economic constraints, political challenges and technological upheavals. My research centres on the following questions: How and under what conditions have journalistic representations and practices changed since the dawn of the Internet age? What technological, social and cultural factors have promoted the development of digital journalism, and what impact does this have on the social role of journalism?

My research contributes to understanding contemporary digital journalism from the perspective of the recent past. Only by recognising its historical roots can we better assess contemporary journalism – and opportunities for change.

• Cultural and social history of modern journalism from a comparative perspective (Europe – USA)
• Development of Austrian journalism after 1945
• History of narrative journalism
• History of communication studies from an international perspective

• 1998-2005 Master of Arts in Philosophy and a combination of subjects (Political Science, Journalism and Communication Studies, International Development, African Studies) at the University of Vienna
• 2005-2007 Ph.D. student (with Fulbright scholarship) in Political Philosophy at the New School for Social Research in New York (USA)
• 2009-2011 M.A. in Literary Nonfiction at the School of Journalism and Mass Communication at the University of Oregon (USA)
• 2012-2017 Ph.D. Media Studies at the School of Journalism and Communication at the University of Oregon (USA)
• 2017-2018 Postdoctoral Fellow at the School of Journalism and Communication Portland at the University of Oregon (USA)
• 2018-2019 Lecturer at the Department of Communication at Boise State University (USA)
• 2019-2022 Assistant Professor of Critical Journalism Studies at the Department of Communication at the University of California, San Diego (USA)
• 2022-2026 Associate Professor of Critical Journalism Studies at the Department of Communication at the University of California, San Diego (USA)
• since January 2026 Tenure-track professorship for Communication and Media History at the Institute for Journalism and Communication Studies, University of Vienna