Mag. Sonja Luef

Former Junior Scientist (OeAW/FWF)

c/o Medienhaus Wien
1160 Wien, Brunnengasse 47/6, Austria

Phone (+43) 699 148 948 49

Email: sonja.luef(at)oeaw.ac.at

Sonja Luef on ORCID

New Function
Medienhaus Wien
sonja.luef(@)mhw.at

 

Sonja Luef is a graduate of the University of Vienna, where she studied Communication Sciences and German Philology. She spent ten years working as a journalist at two local media companies in Austria. Since 2011, she has worked as an executive assistant at Medienhaus Wien, where she is responsible for project organization and empirical research. She also serves as a lecturer at two Universities of Applied Sciences in Vienna and Graz. Since 2017, she has participated in several third-party funded research projects at the CMC, including "Journalism in Transition" (2017-2019) with a comprehensive survey among Austrian journalists, and "From Transition to Transformation: Effects of the COVD-19 Pandemic on Austria's Media Industry" (2023-2025). She is co-author and co-editor of the book series "Journalism Report" (Der Journalismus-Report), volume 6 and 7. Her research interests focus on the journalistic profession, journalism education and innovations in journalism.

Research Interests

Journalism research, print and online journalism, media convergence and newsroom integration, journalism education and training


Current Projects

From Transition to Transformation: Effects of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Austria’s Media Industry


Fromer Projects

The reorganisation of regional public and local journalism in the network society

 

Acadamic Education and Professional Career

10/2021 - 4/2023 Coordinator and researcher (Medienhaus Wien)

5/2020 - 9/2021 Junior Scientist (CMC, ÖAW/AAU)

07/2019 - 04/2020: Coordinator and researcher (Medienhaus Wien) on a research project on freelance journalists 

02/2017 - 06/2019: Junior Scientist (CMC, ÖAW/AAU) 

2010 – 2017: Researcher at Medienhaus Wien
Responsible for project organization, empirical research, executive assistant; coordinator and researcher of the project and Website “Publizistik.net” and the follow-up-study “GeneralistInnen vs. SpezialistInnen. Zur Veränderung von Berufsfeld und Qualifikationsbedarf im Journalismus”. Since 2015 researcher to the comparatistic research project “Österreichischer Newsroom-Index”. Gesamterhebung zum Integrationsstatus der Newsrooms österreichischer Tageszeitungen und ihrer (digitalen) Medienkanäle“.

1999 – 2009: Journalist
Journalist at two local media companies in Austria (NÖ Rundschau, Niederösterreichische Nachrichten). Managing editor cultural sections, editor local politics

1996 – 2009: Maga., University of Vienna
Communication Science and German Philology


Publications

Books and Monographs

  • Der Journalismus-Report VII. Lokaljournalismus und Innovation. / Kaltenbrunner, A (Herausgeber:in); Lugschitz, R (Herausgeber:in); Karmasin, M (Herausgeber:in) et al.
    Wien: facultas, 2022.
    WebsiteRISENWBIB
  • Der österreichische Journalismus-Report. Eine empirische Erhebung und eine repräsentative Befragung [Austrian Journalism Report]. / Kaltenbrunner, A; Lugschitz, R; Karmasin, M et al.
    Wien: facultas, 2020.
    RISENWBIB

Peer-Reviewed Articles and Book Chapters

  • Paywalls and paid content. No entry for free: the introduction of paywall models to monetize online journalism. / Klinghardt, K; Luef, S; Meier, K (Herausgeber:in) et al.
    Innovations in Journalism. Comparative Research in Five European Countries. London: Routledge, 2024. S. 153-161.
    DOIRISENWBIB
  • How to Identify Journalists? Developing a Theoretical International Foundation for the Operationalisation of a National Comprehensive Survey of Journalists in Austria. / Kaltenbrunner, A; Lugschitz, R; Karmasin, M et al.
    in: Athens Journal of Mass Media and Communications, Jahrgang 5, Nr. 4, 01.10.2019, S. 233-252.
    WebsiteDownloadRISENWBIB

Other Articles and Book Chapters

  • Vertrauen in der Krise. Die volatile Medienrezeption während der Pandemie. / Kaltenbrunner, Andy; Luef, S; Lugschitz, Renée et al.
    Nach Corona: Reflexionen für zukünftige Krisen. Wien: Verlag der OeAW, 2023. S. 22-34.
    DOIRISENWBIB
  • Innovative Projekte in Österreich – und über der Grenze. [Innovative projects in Austria - and across the border.]. / Roither, M; Luef, S; Kaltenbrunner, A et al.
    Der Journalismus-Report VII. Lokaljournalismus und Innovation. [The Journalism Report VII. Local Journalism and Innovation.]. Wien: facultas, 2022. S. 45-76.
    RISENWBIB
  • Lokaljournalist:innen in Österreich [Local Journalists in Austria]. / Luef, S; Kaltenbrunner, A; Kaltenbrunner, A (Herausgeber:in) et al.
    Der Journalismus-Report VII. Lokaljournalismus und Innovation. [The Journalism Report VII. Local Journalism and Innovation.]. Wien: facultas, 2022. S. 11-39.
    RISENWBIB
  • Newsroom integration. A nationwide study. Austria as a microcosm of editorial models of daily newspapers. / Kaltenbrunner, Andy; Luef, Sonja; Kaltenbrunner, Andy (Herausgeber:in) et al.
    Journalism report V: Innovation and transition. Wien: facultas, 2017. S. 91-114.
    RISENWBIB

Research Papers

  • Newsroom-Integration bei österreichischen Tageszeitungen. Österreich als Mikrokosmos der Modelle: Eine erste nationale Gesamtstudie zur Veränderung von Medienstrategien und Redaktionspraxis durch digitale Entwicklungen [Newsroom integration of Austrian newspapers. Austria as a microcosm of editorial models]. / Kaltenbrunner, Andy; Luef, Sonja; Kaltenbrunner, Andy (Herausgeber:in) et al.
    Wien, 2017.
    DownloadRISENWBIB

Popular Articles and Book Chapters

Keynotes

Invited Lectures

  • Berlin

    Medien, Politik und Polarisierung während der Corona-Krise: Was wir gelernt haben und was wir nicht wieder vergessen sollten [Media, politics and polarisation during the coronavirus crisis: what we have learned and what we should not forget]

    Seethaler, J. (Speaker), Melischek, G. ((Co-)Author), Kaltenbrunner, A. (Speaker), Luef, S. ((Co-)Author) & Lugschitz-Kaltenbrunner, R. ((Co-)Author)

    21 Mar 2025

  • Vienna

    Who is a journalist today? An Austrian survey and case study

    Karmasin, M. ((Co-)Author), Kaltenbrunner, A. (Speaker), Luef, S. (Speaker) & Lugschitz-Kaltenbrunner, R. ((Co-)Author)

    15 Feb 2019

Other Lectures

  • Rome

    It's the Gut, not the Data": How Intuition-Driven Leadership Fosters Resilient Innovation during Major Crises

    Voci, D. (Speaker), Förster, S. (Speaker), Luef, S. (Speaker), Kaltenbrunner, A. (Speaker) & Karmasin, M. (Speaker)

    4 Jun 2025

  • Rome

    Trust in Media Brands as a Competitive Advantage: Driving Engagement, Loyalty, and Willingness to Pay

    Voci, D. (Speaker), Karmasin, M. (Speaker), Luef, S. ((Co-)Author), Förster, S. (Speaker) & Kaltenbrunner, A. ((Co-)Author)

    4 Jun 2025

  • Warschau

    Lessons Learned? Crisis Management and the Evolution of Dynamic Capabilities in Austrian Media Companies During COVID-19

    Voci, D. (Speaker), Förster, S. (Speaker), Luef, S. (Speaker), Kaltenbrunner, A. (Speaker) & Karmasin, M. (Speaker)

    23 May 2025

Popular Lectures

  • N/A

    Der österreichische Journalismus-Report – Bestandsaufnahme, Herausforderungen, Ausblicke

    Kaltenbrunner, A. (Speaker) & Luef, S. ((Co-)Author)

    10 Jun 2020

  • Wien

    Der österreichische Journalismus-Report – Präsentation

    Kaltenbrunner, A. (Speaker), Karmasin, M. (Speaker), Luef, S. ((Co-)Author) & Kraus, D. (Contributor)

    27 Jan 2020

  • Eisenstadt

    Digitale Transition im Lokaljournalismus. Ergebnisse der Studie zu Arbeitsbedingungen und digitalen Veränderungen in Österreichs Regionaljournalismus und Ausblick auf die Studie „Journalism in Transition“ [Digital Transition in Local Journalism]

    Kaltenbrunner, A. (Speaker), Luef, S. (Speaker) & Kraus, D. (Contributor)

    3 Apr 2019