The conference opened with a keynote by Robin Mansell, Professor Emerita at the London School of Economics and Political Science. Her talk, “Comparison, Contextualisation, & Critique: Insights for Digital Governance,” was moderated by Eva Tamara Asboth and Krisztina Rozgonyi.

Across four panels, participants discussed comparative approaches to journalistic practices, political communication, communication ethics, regulation and digital governance. Further discussions addressed the use of AI in comparative research, mixed-method and participatory approaches, and the challenges of comparing media systems and communication practices across different national and disciplinary contexts. The conference also provided space to reflect on a central question for comparative research: how can we compare across contexts while acknowledging the differences that make each context distinctive?

Chaired by Tobias Eberwein, Maren Beaufort, Andreas M. Scheu and Andreas Schulz-Tomančok, the four panels brought together diverse perspectives and approaches, highlighting the continuing relevance of comparison for understanding changing media and communication environments. The CMC thanks all speakers, chairs and participants for two stimulating days of discussion, exchange and methodological reflection.

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Am 23. und 24. September 2026 fand in Wien eine Konferenz des CMC statt. Das Thema war: „Comparison as Method and Heuristic in Communication Research“. Forschende haben darüber gesprochen, wie man verschiedene Länder, Medien und Kommunikationsformen miteinander vergleichen kann. Dabei ging es auch um Künstliche Intelligenz, politische Kommunikation, Medienregulierung und digitale Medien. Ein wichtiges Thema war die Frage: Wie kann man etwas miteinander vergleichen, ohne ihre Unterschiede zu übersehen?