Journalists on Twitter: Followers, Gender and Perceptions of Credibility A thesis presented to the faculty of the Scripps College of Communication of Ohio University and the Institute for Communication and Media Studies of Leipzig University In partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degrees Master of Science in Journalism (Ohio University), Master of Arts in Global Mass Communication (Leipzig University) Briana D. Ekanem May 2020 © 2019 Briana D. Ekanem. All Rights Reserved. 1 This thesis titled Journalists on Twitter: Followers, Gender and Perceptions of Credibility by BRIANA D. EKANEM has been approved for the E.W. Scripps School of Journalism, the Scripps College of Communication, and the Institute for Communication and Media Studies by Dr. Parul Jain Associate Professor, Scripps College of Communication, Ohio University Scott Titsworth Dean, Scripps College of Communication, Ohio University Christian Pieter Hoffman Director, Institute for Communication and Media Studies, Leipzig University 2 Abstract EKANEM, D. BRIANA, M.S., Journalism; M.A., Global Mass Communication, May 2020 3749466 Journalists on Twitter: Followers, Gender & Perceptions of Credibility Director of Thesis: Dr. Parul Jain Committee Members: Dr. Hans Meyer, Rosanna Planner As news consumers move online, journalists and media professionals face new challenges regarding the way in which they maintain trust with audiences. The spread of disinformation and misleading messages has become a pertinent issue for both consumers and creators on social media platforms, making source credibility online an incredibly important evaluation for consumers to consider and for journalists to adhere to. This study examined the perceptions of credibility for journalists on Twitter based on their gender and the number of followers they had. A total of 200 respondents with Twitter accounts residing in the U.S. took part in the study and a 2 (gender: male or female) x 2 (Twitter followers: high or low) between subjects experimental design with random assignment to view one of four conditions was utilized. Results of the study suggest that gender and the number of Twitter followers a journalist has does not influence a respondent’s evaluation of their credibility, but the number of followers a female journalist has on Twitter has a marginal effect on her perceived trustworthiness, a dimension of credibility, while the same is not true for a male journalist. 3 Dedication This thesis is dedicated to my friends, both in Ohio and in Leipzig, and my family, whose love, support and encouragement inspired me to complete this research. None of this would have been possible if it weren’t for my incredible parents, Kristin and Roy. 4 Acknowledgments Thank you to my thesis committee, Dr. Parul Jain (Ohio University), Dr. Hans Meyer (Ohio University) and Rosanna Planner (Leipzig University), for their professional and expert guidance throughout the research process. I am incredibly thankful for my time at Ohio University and the E.W. Scripps School of Journalism and I am especially thankful for the opportunity to participate in the double-degree program which has certainly changed my life for the better. 5 Table of Contents Page Abstract ............................................................................................................................................. 3 Dedication ......................................................................................................................................... 4 Acknowledgments ............................................................................................................................ 5 List of Tables .................................................................................................................................... 7 List of Figures ................................................................................................................................... 8 Chapter 1: Introduction ..................................................................................................................... 9 Chapter 2: Literature Review.......................................................................................................... 14 The Media and its Audience .................................................................................................... 14 Credibility ................................................................................................................................ 15 Gender ...................................................................................................................................... 19 Twitter ...................................................................................................................................... 21 Chapter 3: Hypotheses .................................................................................................................... 26 Chapter 4: Methodology ................................................................................................................. 27 Manipulations ........................................................................................................................... 28 Measures .................................................................................................................................. 32 Credibility .......................................................................................................................... 32 Social Attraction ................................................................................................................ 33 News Affinity. ................................................................................................................... 33 Twitter Frequency.............................................................................................................. 34 News Media Literacy......................................................................................................... 35 News Motives. ................................................................................................................... 36 News Skepticism ............................................................................................................... 36 Demographic Variables. .................................................................................................... 37 Chapter 5: Analyzing Results ......................................................................................................... 39 Chapter 6: Discussion ..................................................................................................................... 50 Limitations and Future Research ............................................................................................. 55 References....................................................................................................................................... 59 Appendix A ..................................................................................................................................... 69 Appendix B ..................................................................................................................................... 72 6 List of Tables Page Table 1 Pearsons Correlation Among Variables ............................................................... 40 Table 2 Descriptive Statistics for Percieved Credibility Score ......................................... 41 Table 3 ANCOVA Summary for Percieved Credibility Score ......................................... 42 Table 4 Descriptive Statistics for Percieved Competence Score ...................................... 43 Table 5 ANCOVA Summary for Percieved Competence Score ...................................... 44 Table 6 Descriptive Statistics for Percieved Trustworthiness Score ................................ 45 Table 7 ANCOVA Summary for Percieved Trustworthiness Score ................................ 46 Table 8 Descriptive Statistics for Percieved Social Attraction ......................................... 48 Table 9 ANOVA Summary for Percieved Social Attraction ............................................ 48 7 List of Figures Page Figure 1. Manipulation 1 – Male journalist with high follower count.............................. 30 Figure 2. Manipulation 2 – Female journalist with high follower count. ......................... 30 Figure 3. Manipulation 3 – Male journalist with low follower count. .............................. 31 Figure 4. Manipulation 4 – Female journalist with low follower count. .......................... 31 Figure 5. ANCOVA Interaction – Trustworthiness. ......................................................... 47 Figure 6. ANOVA Interaction – Social Attraction. .......................................................... 49 8 Chapter 1: Introduction Journalism and journalists themselves have an important and unique role in the digital world we live in. With expectations for faster and more dynamic news today than ever before, it is only natural that journalists have added social media to their reporting toolkit. From real-time reporting to headhunting sources, social media has been an important feature of the world of a modern journalist, one that entry-level candidates are expected to both understand and master. Because of this relatively recent addition to the practice of reporting and disseminating news via social media, it is important for practitioners and media scholars alike to better understand the ways