It Depends on Who’s Asking: Interviewer Gender Effects on Credibility Ratings of Male and Female Journalists in Six Arab Countries

Abstract

Abstract This study examined interviewer gender effects on attitudes toward male and female journalists in a survey experiment in six Arab countries. Respondents (N = 5,040) in Jordan, Lebanon, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Tunisia, and UAE were read a scenario, by a male or female interviewer, of either a male or female journalist covering a political scandal, and were then asked about the journalist’s perceived credibility. Interviewer gender affected ratings of journalist conscientiousness in four of six countries (positively in Tunisia and UAE, and negatively in Jordan and Lebanon), and negatively affected knowledgeability ratings in Lebanon. Implications for research on media credibility, gender bias, and survey research are discussed.