Journalism for All: How Media Reaches People with Low Literacy

Journalism for All: How Media Reaches People with Low Literacy

On September 18, 2025, research was published highlighting the challenges of journalism for people with limited literacy. Around 6.2 million adults in Germany can only understand simple representations in video, audio or text formats, which severely limits their media use. Many classic media formats are incomprehensible to them, which is what communication scientists say Catholic University of Eichstätt-Ingolstadt consider it alarming.

The study, which is based on 28 qualitative interviews with affected people, shows that journalism is of great importance for this target group. Almost all of those interviewed would like the media to better represent their issues and concerns. In particular, it was found that reporting on politics and social issues is often difficult to understand. Prof. Dr. Friederike Herrmann, who leads the study, drew attention to the problems that this can pose for democratic society.

Emotional connections and service orientation

A central finding of the study is that abstract topics are easier to understand when they are emotionally linked. In addition, service-oriented journalism is considered important to ensure social participation. Interviews revealed that there is great interest in in-depth explanations of political elections.

Although existing offers such as “news easily” and “Tagesschau in Easy Language” are rated positively, they are often unknown or difficult to find. The study recommends using messenger services to increase the discoverability of such offers. Otto Brenner Foundation reports that the use of artificial intelligence (AI) to support the translation of conventional news into easy or simple language is also seen as helpful.

Formats in easy and simple language

The analysis further shows that news in plain or simple language is currently little known. Six researchers from the Catholic University have identified a variety of needs. This includes the need for news to tell stories and express the feelings of those affected more clearly. This could increase the understanding of readers and viewers. In addition, such messages could be made easier to find through visual design, such as special colors on the Internet.

Examples of media offers in plain or simple language are:

• Hamburger Abendblatt: Einfach Deutsch (Internet und Podcast)
• Mitteldeutscher Rundfunk (MDR): Nachrichten in Leichter Sprache (Internet und Podcast)
• Nachrichtenleicht (Dlf): Internet, WhatsApp, Instagram, Radio
• Österreichischer Rundfunk (ORF): Nachrichten in Einfacher Sprache (Fernsehen und Internet)
• Tagesschau in Einfacher Sprache (Fernsehen und Internet)
• TopEasy News (Internet)

The offers mentioned illustrate how diverse the approaches can be to make news communication more accessible for people with lower literacy levels. However, the challenge remains to bring these formats to the masses. Loud lesj.ku.de There is currently no comprehensive journalistic offering that fully takes into account the specific needs of this target group.

The study, which is available for download, provides a deeper insight into the topic and is viewed by the researchers as groundbreaking for the further development of understandable media formats. The social participation of those affected is a crucial asset in a democratic society.