SComS Best Paper Award 2024

The Studies in Communication Sciences (SComS) Best Paper Award for 2024 has been awarded to Benjamin P. Lange (IU University of Applied Sciences and University of Würzburg), Stefanie Lörch (University of Würzburg), and Frank Schwab (University of Würzburg) for their article Zwischen Wissenserwerb und wahrgenommener Glaubwürdigkeit: Effekte unterschiedlicher sprachlicher Gestaltung in den Fernsehnachrichtensendungen Tagesschau, RTL aktuell und logo! (Vol. 24, Issue 3).

The study examines how linguistic complexity in German-language television news influences viewers’ knowledge acquisition and perceptions of credibility. Using a carefully constructed experimental design and professionally produced video segments, the authors analyzed audience responses to three news formats: Tagesschau, RTL aktuell, and logo!. Their findings show that subtle differences in language use can shape both learning outcomes and the perceived trustworthiness of news content.

The jury praised the paper as an innovative and methodologically robust contribution—one of the few studies to provide causal evidence on the communicative effects of language in broadcast news. Reviewers highlighted the study’s strong theoretical framework, precise operationalization, and the relevance of its findings in the context of social equity and media inclusion. One juror noted that the research offers “valuable insights into how news can be made more accessible to underserved audiences—such as children, migrants, and people with lower literacy levels.” The implications, they emphasized, go beyond the three programs studied and speak to broader practices in news production.

The pre-selection of six candidate papers was conducted by Jolanta Drzewiecka (USI Università della Svizzera italiana) and Franziska Oehmer-Pedrazzi (University of Applied Sciences of the Grisons). Final evaluation was carried out by five independent jurors external to the editorial team: Hannah Früh (HAW Hamburg University of Applied Sciences), Federico Lucchesi (USI Università della Svizzera italiana), Niels Mede (University of Zurich), Werner A. Meier (University of Zurich), and Tobias Rohrbach (University of Bern).

We warmly congratulate the authors and thank all jurors and pre-selectors for their expert contributions to this year’s award process.

Philipp Bachmann / Journal Manager