The Schader Prize 2018 goes to the communication scientist Otfried Jarren, chairman of the scientific advisory board and former director of the Hans-Bredow-Institut. Otfried Jarren is honored for his contributions to media policy and his achievements as a science manager. Jarren teaches and researches as a professor at the Department of Communication and Media Research (former Institute for Journalism and Media Research, IPMZ) at the University of Zurich. The Schader Prize, which is endowed with 15,000 euros, honours social scientists who contribute to solving social problems through their research and public work.
"Otfried Jarren is an outstanding scientist and successful mediator within his discipline, but also between scientific disciplines and social practice," said Jutta Allmendinger, President of the Social Science Research Center Berlin (WZB) and spokeswoman of the Schader Foundation's Senate, explaining the decision for this year's award winner.
As an expert in media policy and political communication research, Otfried Jarren has been involved in numerous commissions in recent years. "His ability to conduct negotiations reliably and unifyingly is outstanding," emphasises Allmendinger.
Otfried Jarren, born in Neumünster in 1953, has been a professor at the Department of Communication and Media Research (former IPMZ) at the University of Zurich since 1997. He studied journalism, political science, folklore and sociology at the University of Münster. Subsequently, he worked at the Free University of Berlin and as a professor of journalism and government at the University of Hamburg. From 1998 to 2001, he was the director of the Hans-Bredow-Institut für Medienforschung in Hamburg and, since 2009, he has been chairman of the scientific advisory board of the institute. He has also been President of the Federal Media Commission since 2013. Since 2016, he has held an honorary professorship in journalism and communications at the Freie Universität Berlin.
In recent years, his work has focused on the fields of media and communication policy, governance in science and political communication research.
The Schader Prize will be awarded in Darmstadt in May 2018. It is awarded by the Senate of the Schader Foundation, to which the prizewinners of previous years belong: Prof. Dr. Nicole Deitelhoff (2017), Prof. Dr. Christine Landfried (2016), Prof. Dr. Dr. Dr. h. c. Angelika Nußberger (2015), Prof. Dr. Stephan Leibfried (2014), Prof. Dr. h. c. Jutta Allmendinger Ph. D. (2013), Prof. Dr. Dres. h. c. Paul Kirchhof (2012) and Prof. Dr. Dr. Dr. h. c. Wolf Lepenies (2010).
The Schader Foundation has been promoting dialogue between the social sciences and practice since 1988.
Photo: Christoph Rau
