Editorial

Abstract

We are pleased to introduce the first issue of 2024’s Studies in Communication Sciences (SComS). Following a two-year trial period, the thrice-yearly publication rhythm is now firmly established. Thanks to our reviewers and additional efforts of the whole editorial team, it permits us to accommodate the growing number of submissions.

The General Section includes an article by Konstantin Schätz and Susanne Kirchhoff from the University of Salzburg. Combining conceptual metaphor analysis and qualitative frame analysis, they explore how Austrian newspapers portrayed the initial outbreak of COVID-19 in March 2020. Building on the distinction between rhetorical and technical devices of journalistic framing, the article suggests considering metaphors as an additional “reasoning device.” Thus, ontological metaphors emphasized the fragility of the collective “we,” needing to stand together while guarding the distance. The analysis reveals a consistent journalistic framing in a neutral tone that may have favored a responsible public discussion during the crisis.