#rp26 speaker Dirk von Gehlen & Stefan Niggemeier: How to have better debates?

How can we move beyond the current state of public debate towards a genuine exchange of views, or even mutual understanding?

At re:publica 26, Stefan Niggemeier and Dirk von Gehlen aim to explore what we can do to learn how to engage in better discussions in an age of disinformation and AI-generated content – on both a personal and political level, and within media-shaped public spheres.

The two have been following failed public debates for years; they recognise the problems and challenges facing a free society, yet they refuse to give up hope that communication can succeed.

In an open discussion, they are therefore developing criteria for better debates. These include: the ability to change one’s mind, a willingness to distinguish between people and their opinions, and possibly also the use of AI language models that can shift the process of forming opinions from the public sphere to a private setting.

The aim: to improve media literacy and critical thinking in an age of polarisation and populism.

Dirk von Gehlen is an author, journalist and public speaker. He was editor-in-chief of jetzt.de for many years and currently works as ‘Director of the Think Tank’ at the SZ Institute. For many years, he has been exploring the topic of internet culture and the social consequences of digitalisation. He has published numerous books on the subject, including ‘Mashup. Lob der Kopie’ (Mashup. In Praise of the Copy, 2011), ‘Meta! Das Ende des Durchschnitts’ (Meta! The End of the Average, 2017), ‘Gebrauchsanweisung für das Internet’ (A User’s Guide to the Internet, 2018), ‘Meme’ (2020) and, most recently, ‘Wie KI dein Leben besser macht. 50 Denkanstöße für einen entspannteren Alltag’ (How AI Makes Your Life Better: 50 Food for Thought for a More Relaxed Everyday Life, 2025).

Stefan Niggemeier is a freelance journalist who writes about the media. In 2004, he co-founded the BILDblog with Christoph Schultheis. In 2007, he was named “Journalist of the Year 2007” by Medium Magazin and received the Grimme Online Award for his blog. In 2016, he co-founded Übermedien with Boris Rosenkranz. He currently writes media columns for the FAS and Radio Eins and contributes to the podcast “Das kleine Fernsehballett” with Sarah Kuttner.