Doctoral student at the ICA Annual Conference in Cape Town

From June 4 to 8, 2026, the 76th Annual Conference of the International Communication Association (ICA) took place in Cape Town, South Africa—the world’s most important academic conference in the fields of communication and media studies. Every year, it brings together researchers from various countries and disciplines to discuss the latest findings, theories, and developments in communication research.

Among the participants was Majid Ali, a doctoral student of the Boysen-TU Dresden- Research Traning Group in the E4 project. At the conference, he presented three papers from his research area on science, environmental, and energy communication. This is a major success, as the acceptance rate in the peer-review process for this highly sought-after conference is only one-quarter to one-third of submissions. Mr. Ali was successful with three papers, which he was able to present in separate sessions.

“Sourcing Power in the Hydrogen Discourse: A Cross-National Analysis of Newspaper Coverage in Germany and the MENA Region.” The study examines which sources and stakeholder groups dominate reporting on hydrogen technology in Germany, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Egypt. The results show that political and economic elites dominate the coverage in all countries examined. While German media paint a somewhat more pluralistic yet also more critical picture, coverage in the MENA countries examined is more heavily influenced by government and industry actors. The study thus illustrates that the public portrayal of hydrogen technologies is closely linked to issues of power, access to the public sphere, and journalistic source selection.

© Majid Ali/ Boysen-TUD-GRK

“Media Representations of Sustainable Energy: A Systematic Review of Framing Patterns and Methodological Transparency.” In this systematic literature review, Majid Ali analyzes existing research on the media representation of sustainable energy sources. The study shows that this field of research has grown significantly in recent years but remains heavily concentrated in Europe and North America. It also becomes clear that while many studies examine sustainable energy technologies using framing approaches, they often define and document theoretical concepts and methodological procedures inconsistently. The paper thus provides an important impetus for greater comparability, transparency, and theoretical development in energy and sustainability communication.

“Mapping Media Discourses on Hydrogen Technology: Topic, Sentiment, and Actor Dynamics in Germany and the MENA Region.” This paper is based on an automated content analysis of newspaper articles from Germany, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Egypt. Using topic modeling, sentiment analysis, and actor mapping, the study examines which topics, assessments, and stakeholders shape the media discourse on hydrogen. The results reveal clear regional differences: While hydrogen is discussed in the German media primarily in the context of regulation, energy policy, infrastructure, and risks, media in the MENA region predominantly portray hydrogen as an opportunity for economic diversification, industrial development, and international cooperation.

The three papers are part of Majid Ali’s dissertation, which is being written under the academic supervision of Prof. Lutz Hagen. In addition to the presentations, ICA 2026 offered RTG doctoral student Majid Ali a valuable opportunity to exchange ideas with international scholars, receive feedback on his research, and gain new insights for the further development of his dissertation. His participation in ICA 2026 thus marks another important milestone in his academic career and underscores the relevance of his research in the international discourse on sustainable technologies, media, and social transformation.