#rp25 Panel: Media Realities in the Post-Migrant Society

We live in a post-migrant society - even if the recurring "migration debate" often suggests otherwise and realities are often excluded from the media spotlight. Aren't media formats and content already characterised by diverse post-migrant perspectives and target group-specific offerings and have arguably become an established part of the media landscape?

But which channels and platforms are used to inform themselves, network or become visible? How do post-migrant communities negotiate their identities and affiliations in an increasingly fragmented media landscape? These questions will be answered by panellists Schiwa Schlei, Julia Boxler and Güner Balcı with moderator Ciani-Sophia Hoeder at #rp25.

Schiwa Schlei heads the two youth-focused programs at WDR, 1LIVE and COSMO. Her passion as a media manager is not tied to a single outlet: she loves both radio and social media, is a successful podcast producer, and has also created a fictional series. For her, the platform is secondary to the mission: embracing innovation, supporting young talent and diversity, advancing digitalization, and always delivering the best possible programming for young audiences. 

Julia Boxler works transdisciplinarily across journalism, film, and podcasting. She co-founded X3, the first German podcast on "post-East" identities. She is a moderator, speaker, and jury member on topics related to "post-East," develops and moderates festival and talk formats, and is part of the team behind Arte Tracks East, which was nominated for the German Television Award. She also co-curated the exhibition POSTOST: Україна/Ukraine and served as a guest lecturer for several semesters at the University of Cologne. 

Güner Yasemin Balcı is a journalist, author, and filmmaker. Until the end of 2008, she was an editor for Frontal 21 at ZDF. She then worked as a director for Arte, ARD, and ZDF. Since 2020, she has served as the Commissioner for Integration in the Berlin district of Neukölln. Her new book Heimatland – Showing Your Teeth Against the Enemies of Democracy will be published by Piper in August 2025.

Ciani-Sophia Hoeder combines visual, literary, and academic research to examine social injustices, power imbalances, pop culture, and millennial life. She is an editor at ZDF Info, founder of RosaMag, a Grimme Online Award nominee, winner of the Golden Blogger Award, and was named one of the “30 under 30.”. Her third nonfiction book Ökorassismus will be released in fall 2025.