JOURNALISM · ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE · DIGITAL MEDIA

Simón Peña-Fernández

Full Professor of Journalism

University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU)

Researching the transformation of journalism and digital media, with a particular focus on artificial intelligence, disinformation, social media and algorithmic polarisation.

Publications Research Projects Academic CV
Simón Peña-Fernández

Research profile

Simón Peña-Fernández is Full Professor of Journalism at the University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU) and a researcher in the Gureiker Research Group.

His research focuses on the intersection of artificial intelligence, journalism, disinformation and digital media ecosystems.

His current research examines the impact of artificial intelligence and algorithms on news media, journalists and audiences, including generative AI in journalism, algorithmic polarisation, disinformation, hate speech and news consumption on social media.

His research has resulted in an extensive body of scholarly publications on digital journalism, artificial intelligence, disinformation, social media and media audiences, developed through sustained participation in publicly funded competitive research projects.

Research expertise

  • Artificial Intelligence and Journalism
  • Generative Artificial Intelligence
  • Digital Journalism and Online Media
  • Disinformation
  • Algorithmic Polarisation
  • Social Media and News Consumption
  • Hate Speech and Online Harassment
  • Media Audiences
  • Political Communication

Current research

Artificial Intelligence, Algorithms and Digital Media

Principal Investigator — PID2022-138391OB-I00

Impacto de la inteligencia artificial y los algoritmos en los cibermedios, los profesionales y las audiencias

Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities · 2023–2026

Social Media, Disinformation and Artificial Intelligence

Principal Investigator — EHU-G25/05

Social Media, Disinformation and AI: Strategies and tools to prevent polarisation and foster democratic values

University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU) · 2026–2027

View all research projects →

Selected publications

Journalists’ Perceptions of Artificial Intelligence and Disinformation Risks

Peña-Alonso, U., Peña-Fernández, S., & Meso-Ayerdi, K. (2025).
Journalism and Media, 6(3), 133.
DOI

Shooting the Messenger? Harassment and Hate Speech Directed at Journalists on Social Media

Peña-Fernández, S., Peña-Alonso, U., Larrondo-Ureta, A., & Morales-i-Gras, J. (2025).
Societies, 15(5), 130.
DOI

Without journalists, there is no journalism: the social dimension of generative artificial intelligence in the media

Peña-Fernández, S., Meso-Ayerdi, K., Larrondo-Ureta, A., & Díaz-Noci, J. (2023).
Profesional de la información, 32(2).
DOI

Feminism, gender identity and polarization in TikTok and Twitter

Peña-Fernández, S., Larrondo-Ureta, A., & Morales-i-Gras, J. (2023).
Comunicar, 75, 49–60.
DOI

Current affairs on TikTok. Virality and entertainment for digital natives

Peña-Fernández, S., Larrondo-Ureta, A., & Morales-i-Gras, J. (2022).
Profesional de la información, 31(1).
DOI

View all publications →

Research leadership and international activity

Simón Peña-Fernández has led competitive research projects and networks on artificial intelligence, digital journalism, disinformation, polarisation and social media, including PID2022-138391OB-I00, TED2021-130810B-C22, RED2022-134211-T (CIBERCOM), COLAB22/11 and RTI2018-095775-B-C41.

His international research activity includes participation in European projects such as BEYOND and Social Innovation Community (SIC).

Knowledge transfer

Research and knowledge-transfer activities include collaborations with Euskal Irrati Telebista (EITB), the Basque Parliament and Emakunde – Basque Institute for Women.

He was also part of the team that drafted the Decalogue for the Ethical Use of Artificial Intelligence in the Media, published by the Basque Association of Journalists in 2024.

Academic profiles and identifiers

Academic CV · Publications · Research Projects