Official spokespeople from foreign governments are just as credible as Arab media outlets when it comes to what extent the public accepts their statements as reliable, said a report.

A joint research study released by APCO Insight, the global opinion research division of APCO Worldwide, and the Dubai Press Club, polled opinion leaders throughout the Middle East to measure the performance of official spokespeople.

The survey was carried out in light of findings from the fourth edition of the “Arab Media Outlook Report 2012-2015”.

“Studies and statistics have shown that Arabic versions of foreign satellite channels do not claim large audiences, which prompted us to look at how spokespersons from foreign governments might be contributing to this trend,” said Mamoon Sbeih, managing director of APCO Worldwide in the Arab region.

“But there is no clear evidence that connects spokespersons from foreign governments to the declining viewership of foreign channels. Our research shows that official spokespeople from foreign governments are clearly part of the Arab media dialogue. They frequently appear in all Arab media outlets and on talk shows and news channels.”

As individuals who speak about their country’s position and that of their foreign ministers and heads of state, official spokespersons from foreign governments possess high penetration in Arab media outlets: 80 per cent of Arab opinion leaders have noticed government spokespersons throughout the past year’s coverage of events in the region.

Penetration is even higher in Saudi Arabia, where 91 per cent are aware of foreign government spokespersons making statements on Arab media outlets.

Delivery preferences for non-Arab spokespersons are divided among Arab opinion leaders, where 47 per cent prefer that foreign spokespersons are Arabic language speakers, and 44 per cent prefer that spokespersons use their native language with Arabic translations. Only 9 per cent say they have no preference.

“This suggests that spokespersons should be able to present information in both formats,” said Sbeih. “While we are interested in knowing language preferences for information delivery, it is more important to understand how Arab opinion leaders assess the credibility of the information that is presented.”

Al-Arabiya tops the list of media outlets releasing statements and reports made by foreign government spokespersons in Arabic.

Sixty-six per cent of opinion leaders indicate that they have either seen, read or heard something issued in Al-Arabiya by an official spokesperson of a foreign government.

In addition to Al-Arabiya, opinion leaders were asked awareness of foreign spokespersons in five other media outlets, including Al Jazeera Arabic, BBC Arabic, MBC, and a country’s national news channel.

Media coverage varies by country, where foreign spokespersons on Al Jazeera Arabic are more prevalent in Tunisia (80 per cent recall), BBC Arabic in Egypt (87 per cent recall), and MBC in Saudi Arabia (81 per cent recall).

When asked about the reliability of the statements made by foreign spokespersons, Arab opinion leaders put the most trust in BBC Arabic (75 per cent say statements are reliable) and their national news channel (75 per cent say statements are reliable).

Conversely, only 33 per cent of Arab opinion leaders recall foreign spokespersons on their national network.

Although fewer people report awareness of statements in Arabic by foreign government spokespersons on these networks, reliability is extremely high in these situations. Foreign spokespersons able to enter the national news market and appear in Arabic on state channels are viewed as the most reliable information sources.

When seeking and receiving information on current events, opinion leaders find roundtable discussions that include both non-Arab and Arab media (mean score of 6.4) and findings from public opinion surveys (mean score of 6.3) are most valuable when discussing events in the region.

Reports or statements issued by foreign government spokesperson in Arabic (mean score of 6.2), and newspaper articles from a non-Arab newspaper (mean score of 6.2) comprised the other top two mentions.

Arab opinion leaders are also seeking information from a variety of sources. More than half of the respondents mention co-workers (53 per cent) and friends and family (51 per cent) as information sources on political social events in the Arab region.

The survey also examined the credibility of both the media and non-Arab spokespersons and revealed there is very little difference in perceptions of the reliability of information.

Opinion leaders were asked to rate the credibility of the media on a zero-to-ten scale, where the average score was 5.9, slightly above the average and also showing that there is room to improve.

At the country-level basis, scores are significantly higher in Egypt (mean score of 7.2) and Saudi Arabia (mean score of 6.6). Importantly, the credibility score of non-Arab spokespersons (mean score of 5.5) is not significantly different from media in general.

“This suggests that Arab opinion leaders do not make distinctions between reports delivered by Arab or foreign spokespersons,” said Sbeih.

Survey results reveal that the credibility of foreign government spokespersons is not determined by language. In fact, the majority of Arabic opinion leaders (57 per cent) believe that statements or reports issued in native languages are more credible sources of information than those delivered in Arabic (43 per cent).

Egypt is the only exception, where 70 per cent of opinion leaders believe that the ability of foreign government spokespersons to deliver reports in Arabic credential them as more credible information sources.

Key findings from the research were shared as part of panel discussion at Arab Media Forum, held recently at the Grand Hyatt in Dubai. The research was presented by Brad Staples, APCO president, international, with featured remarks from Mamoon Sbeih.

“This study highlights the significant role of foreign spokespersons in a new era of Arab media and government,” said Staples, “but more importantly, it exhibits that Arabs are seeking both experience and subject-matter expertise. As the influence of foreign spokespersons increases, so do the responsibilities and expectations of Arabs.” – TradeArabia News Service