We reveal the top 100 news stories in the UK last year and rank them according to the number of articles published - Signal Media
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THAT WAS THE NEWS 2018 We reveal the top 100 news stories in the UK last year and rank them according to the number of articles published.
I N T R O DUCT I O N
By using Signal, our AI-powered media Unsurprisingly it was Brexit that took the
monitoring, reputation management, #1 spot with almost 440,000 more
regulatory compliance and market articles covering the government's
intelligence platform, we’ve been able to plans, negotiations and the ensuing
compile a list of the biggest news stories fallouts than the next most popular topic
reported in the UK press in 2018. of 2017-18 Premier League football.
From storms hitting the United States to
We’ve ranked stories across ten
Stormy Daniels putting pressure on
categories including politics, technology
Donald Trump; 2018 was a tumultuous
and entertainment. You will also be able
year, to say the least.
to read a brief analysis of the top story
in each category.
We hope you enjoy this insight into last
year’s media landscape.
Brexit dominated the UK
news, but with the World
Cup, the Winter Olympics
and Commonwealth
games all taking place in David Benigson
Signal's CEO & Co-founder
2018, sporting events
were high on the media's
agenda.
David Benigson
2 / 44
SUM M A R Y
Brexit was the top news story of 2018, revealing the British media’s affection
with 2,352,000 articles and broadcasts for a romantic story. Or its obsession
mentioning this pivotal process. with celebrities and reality TV stars.
Football also captivated news outlets in Four of the top 10 stories related to
2018, with the 2017-18 Premier League sporting events as the World Cup and
season accumulating almost ten times Winter Olympics both took place last
as many media mentions as the Syrian year.
Civil War.
The UEFA Champions League,
The royal wedding and the fourth series Sanctions against Iran and the
of Love Island received a combined poisoning of the Skripal's made up the
334,000 media mentions, remaining stories in the top 10.
3 / 44
SUM M A R Y CO N T I N UED
Analysis of the top 100 news stories of Other categories included policing and
2018 shows that sports news was the law, arts, entertainment and culture, war
most prolific, with three quadrennial and conflict, technology, environment
sporting events happening in 2018 in and disasters and business and
addition to the regular annual economy.
championships.
Politics was the second most popular
category with Brexit accounting for 80%
of the top political news in 2018.
Education news stories were reported
on the least, with science and health
taking the penultimate spot.
4 / 44
R A N K I N G : T O P 1 0 0 ST O R I ES
RANKING 2017 STORY CATEGORY # OF
RANKING ARTICLES
1 1 Brexit Politics 2,352,000
2 - 2017–18 Premier League Sports 1,914,000
3 - 2018 FIFA World Cup Sports 941,000
4 - 2017–18 UEFA Champions Sports 933,000
League
5 - Sanctions against Iran Politics 255,000
6 - Poisoning of Sergei and Yulia Policing and Law 228,000
Skripal
7 15 Syrian Civil War War and Conflict 192,000
8 27 Wedding of Prince Harry and Arts, Entertainment 182,000
Meghan Markle and Culture
9 14 Love Island 2018 (series 4) Arts, Entertainment 152,000
and Culture
10 - 2018 Winter Olympics Sports 140,000
11 6 Grenfell Tower fire Environment and 116,200
Disasters
12 - 2018 Commonwealth Games Sports 104,000
13 - Midterm elections in the US Politics 100,000
14 - Facebook–Cambridge Technology 94,400
Analytica data scandal
15 52 Cryptocurrency Technology 92,600
16 - Windrush scandal Politics 80,100
17 - Increase in popularity of voice Technology 76,900
assistants
18 30 2018 Six Nations Sports 76,800
Championship
19 - 2018 FA Cup Final Sports 75,600
20 - Gaza border protests War and Conflict 74,000
Data was compiled between 1st Jan - 19th Dec 2018 from UK print, online, broadcast and blog media sources.
The full methodology can be found on the last page of this report.
5 / 44
R A N K I N G : T O P 1 0 0 ST O R I ES CO N T 'D
RANKING 2017 STORY CATEGORY # OF
RANKING ARTICLES
21 - Carillion goes into Business and 72,700
liquidation Economy
22 39 GDPR Technology 70,600
23 - Killing of Jamal Khashoggi Policing and Law 66,300
24 - Donald Trump tariffs Business and 65,100
Economy
25 - 2018 California wildfires Environment and 63,700
Disasters
26 - Word War 1 centenary War and Conflict 60,600
27 - Thai boys rescued from Environment and 50,300
cave Disasters
28 - Special counsel Policing and Law 48,200
investigation
29 - Brett Kavanaugh Policing and Law 47,200
controversy
30 - Leicester City F.C. helicopter Sports 46,200
crash
31 - UK windstorm season Environment and 44,700
Disasters
32 - Knife crime in London Policing and Law 43,000
33 - Fortnite (videogame) Technology 40,400
34 - London Marathon Sports 39,800
35 - Death of Alfie Evans Policing and Law 37,600
36 - Stormy Daniels–Donald Policing and Law 31,300
Trump scandal
37 - World Economic Forum Business and 30,100
Economy
38 - Eurovision Song Contest Arts, Entertainment 29,800
and Culture
39 - North Korea–United States Politics 28,300
summit
40 - Conflict in Afghanistan War and Conflict 27,900
6 / 44
R A N K I N G : T O P 1 0 0 ST O R I ES CO N T 'D
RANKING 2017 STORY CATEGORY # OF
RANKING ARTICLES
41 - Matthew Hedges arrest and Policing and Law 26,900
pardon
42 - Hurricane Florence Environment and 26,800
Disasters
43 67 Expansion of Heathrow Environment and 26,300
Disasters
44 28 Trump and Putin meet in Politics 24,400
Helsinki
45 - Oxfam abuse scandal Policing and Law 24,300
46 - Death of Stephen Hawking Science and Health 23,500
47 - Fracking in the UK Environment and 23,200
Disasters
48 - Mike Ashley acquires House of Business and 22,700
Fraser Economy
49 - Charlie Rowley and Dawn Policing and Law 22,670
Sturgess poisoning
50 - US withdraw from Iran nuclear Politics 22,660
deal
51 - Ukraine - Russia conflict War and Conflict 21,920
52 - Princess Eugenie and Jack Arts, Entertainment 21,630
Brooksbank wedding and Culture
53 75 Volkswagen emissions scandal Business and 20,590
Economy
54 - Death of John McCain Politics 20,120
55 - Death of Aretha Franklin Arts, Entertainment 20,090
and Culture
56 - Apprenticeships Education 19,880
57 - Rohingya Muslims persecution War and Conflict 19,060
58 - Libyan Civil War War and Conflict 18,370
59 - Lombok earthquake Environment and 16,970
Disasters
60 - Hurricane Michael Environment and 16,690
Disasters
7 / 44
R A N K I N G : T O P 1 0 0 ST O R I ES CO N T 'D
RANKING 2017 STORY CATEGORY # OF
RANKING ARTICLES
61 - NHS staff shortage Science and 16,650
Health
Pope Francis attends the World Arts,
62 - Meeting of Families in Ireland Entertainment 16,630
and Culture
63 - Samsung releases Galaxy S9 Technology 16,360
64 - Women in science and Science and 15,590
engineering Health
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle Arts,
65 - expecting their first child Entertainment 15,070
and Culture
66 - Imran Khan elected as Pakistan's Politics 14,930
Prime Minister
67 - Black Friday and Cyber Monday Business and 14,850
Economy
68 79 Famine in Yemen War and Conflict 14,210
69 - Iraqi protests War and Conflict 13,980
70 - Rise in biometrics Technology 13,730
71 - Medical marijuana in the United Science and 13,420
Kingdom Health
72 - 10 year anniversary of Lehman Business and 12,900
Brothers' bankruptcy Economy
73 - Poverty in British schools Education 12,230
74 - Super blood moon Science and 12,120
Health
75 - Exam results day: August 2018 Education 12,120
76 - 2018 Brussels summit War and Conflict 12,000
77 - Donald Trump's visit to London Politics 10,910
78 - Review of university tuition fees Education 10,910
79 83 Gene editing Science and 10,890
Health
80 - Maplin goes into administration Business and 10,880
Economy
8 / 44
R A N K I N G : T O P 1 0 0 ST O R I ES CO N T 'D
RANKING 2017 STORY CATEGORY # OF
RANKING ARTICLES
81 77 Hurricane Maria Environment and 10,690
Disasters
82 - Support for pupils with special Education 10,350
needs
83 45 Apple releases iPhone XS and Technology 10,050
XR
84 - Ebola outbreak in the Congo Science and Health 9,940
85 54 Cannes Film Festival Arts, Entertainment 9,780
and Culture
86 - Shortage of teachers Education 9,510
87 - Football sex abuse scandal Sports 9,390
88 - University strike action Education 9,230
89 - France to lend the Bayeux Arts, Entertainment 8,900
Tapestry to the UK and Culture
90 - Racism at UK universities Education 8,750
91 - Mental health at university Education 8,340
92 - Spice Girls reunion Arts, Entertainment 8,160
and Culture
93 - Autonomous vehicle crashes Technology 8,000
94 - Turkey's currency and debt Business and 7,780
Economy
95 - Toys R Us goes into admin Business and 7,350
Economy
96 82 Cholera outbreak in Yemen Science and Health 7,180
97 - Lunar eclipse Science and Health 6,490
98 - Google employees speak out Technology 6,480
against harassment
99 - University education and Education 4,790
gender pay gap
100 - Trump discusses military "space Science and Health 4,770
force"
9 / 44
10 / 44
A R T S, EN T ER T A I N M EN T & CUL T UR E
CATEGORY OVERALL 2017 STORY # OF
RANKING RANKING RANKING ARTICLES
1 8 27 Wedding of Prince Harry and 182,000
Meghan Markle
2 9 14 Love Island 2018 (series 4) 152,000
3 38 - Eurovision Song Contest 29,800
4 52 - Princess Eugenie and Jack 21,630
Brooksbank wedding
5 55 - Death of Aretha Franklin 20,090
6 62 - Pope Francis attends the World 16,630
Meeting of Families in Ireland
7 65 - Prince Harry and Meghan Markle 15,070
expecting their first child
8 85 54 Cannes Film Festival 9,780
9 89 - France agrees to loan the Bayeux 8,900
Tapestry to the UK
10 92 - Spice Girls reunion 8,160
The top arts and entertainment stories in 2018 France was in the limelight for President Macron’s
included two royal weddings, with Prince Harry agreement to loan the Bayeux Tapestry to the UK,
finding his match in American actress Meghan as well as the annual Cannes Film Festival; the
Markle, and Princess Eugenie tying the knot with Palm d’Or was won by Shoplifters, a Japanese
wine merchant Jack Brooksbank. production
Romance was also to be found on Love Island’s In Ireland, Pope Francis held the 9th World
fourth season where a group of bold men and Meeting of Families.
women coupled – and recoupled – up over the
course of seven weeks in front of millions of
viewers on national television.
The world of music saw tickets go on sale for a
surprising Spice Girls reunion, Israel’s victory in
the Eurovision Song Contest, and the sad
passing of soul legend Aretha Franklin. Franklin’s
home-going service was streamed by news
outlets and watched by millions.
11 / 44T O P A R T S, EN T ER T A I N M EN T &
CUL T UR E ST O R Y: H A R R Y & M EG H A N 'S
W EDDI N G
The British media went into a frenzy over the Additionally, Meghan Markle’s fashion choices
wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, last year were closely scrutinised by many news
producing 182,000 articles and broadcasts over outlets, ultimately generating up to £150 million
the course of last year. for the United Kingdom’s fashion industry.
It is estimated that the royal wedding brought in 52,000 articles mentioned Meghan Markle in the
£1.5 billion of revenue for the United Kingdom, context of the dresses she wore, while 9,000
with the most important channels of revenue articles referred to her choice of footwear.
being tourism and PR value. The full breakdown
can be seen in the chart below. The ceremony itself was widely covered, with a
total of 17,000 media mentions over the course of
There is no doubt that the media played a huge the day. This constitutes 9% of the year’s total
part in fanning public enthusiasm for the event, media mentions concerning the much-anticipated
encouraging people to buy into the Royal wedding.
Family’s brand.
The chart on the next page details the events of
This led to £50 million being made through 19 May 2018, and media attention throughout the
merchandise sales. course of the day.
12 / 44T O P A R T S, EN T ER T A I N M EN T &
CUL T UR E ST O R Y: H A R R Y & M EG H A N 'S
W EDDI N G CO N T I N UED
As expected, media attention began to sharply increase once guests began to arrive and peaked when
the ceremony started. After the wedding day, the media focused on the couple’s public engagements
and appearances.
The pair will certainly receive further attention in 2019, with their first child due in the Spring.
13 / 4414 / 44
BUSI N ESS & ECO N O M Y
CATEGORY OVERALL 2017 STORY # OF
RANKING RANKING RANKING ARTICLES
1 21 - Carillion goes into liquidation 72,700
2 24 - Donald Trump tariffs 65,100
3 37 - World Economic Forum 30,100
4 48 - Mike Ashley, CEO of Sports Direct, 22,700
acquires House of Fraser
5 53 75 Volkswagen emissions scandal 20,590
6 67 - Black Friday and Cyber Monday 14,850
7 72 - 10 year anniversary of Lehman 12,900
Brothers' bankruptcy
8 80 - Maplin goes into administration 10,880
9 94 - Turkey's currency and debt 7,780
10 95 - Toys R Us goes into administration 7,350
2018 was a turbulent year for business, with The international economy also experienced a lot
Maplin and Toys R Us going into administration, of volatility, with controversial tariffs being
and House of Fraser being acquired by the CEO implemented by Donald Trump’s administration;
of Sports Direct. Carillion – which was the second this led to an ongoing ‘trade war’ between the
largest construction company in the United United States and China. Ironically, the World
Kingdom – also went into liquidation at the Economic Forum’s annual meeting was held at
beginning of the year. the beginning of the year, with a focus on
“creating a shared future in a fractured world”.
In September, many news outlets commemorated
the 10-year anniversary of Lehman Brothers’ Turkey was also in the spotlight last year due to
bankruptcy. the deprecating value of the Turkish lira, and the
country’s debt crisis.
The Volkswagen emissions scandal – ongoing
since 2015 – continued to make the news in Finally, consumers in Britain spent an estimated
2018; ex-CEO Martin Winterkorn was indicted on £8 billion in Black Friday and Cyber Monday
fraud and conspiracy charges in the United States sales, which is almost twice 2017’s figure.
in May 2018, while Audi’s CEO, Rupert Stadler,
was arrested in Germany in June 2018.
15 / 44T O P BUSI N ESS & ECO N O M Y ST O R Y:
CA R I L L I O N G O ES I N T O L I Q UI DA T I O N
The biggest business story of 2018 is also one of company revealed its requirement for fresh
the first. Carillion went into liquidation at 14.2p in capital, or else it would breach debt covenants.
January after operating for nineteen years. This This invoked a noticeable spike in media
led to repercussions that made themselves coverage, yet the possibility of liquidation was
evident in the following months. Once the second barely mentioned by journalists and business
largest construction company in the United commentators at all.
Kingdom, and boasting 43,000 employees,
Despite pushing for a positive PR angle at the
Carillion’s dissolution is “a story of recklessness,
beginning of January, which was lapped up by
hubris and greed” (as stated in a Parliamentary
most news outlets, Carillion finally went into
report). It has been estimated that the company’s
liquidation on the 15th. This caused a colossal
liquidation could potentially cost taxpayers up to
spike in media attention, with almost 10,000
£180 million.
articles being published in reaction on the day.
In retrospect, Carillion’s liquidation comes as no
Analysis of all articles and broadcasts before this
big surprise. See the chart below for the change
point shows that not even the media could predict
in share price and media mentions over time.
Carillion’s fate; the company’s liquidation was for
the most part unexpected.
Carillion’s shares dropped by 34% in November
after issuing yet another profit warning; the
16 / 4417 / 44
EDUCA T I O N
CATEGORY OVERALL 2017 STORY # OF
RANKING RANKING RANKING ARTICLES
1 56 - Young people and 19,880
apprenticeships
2 73 - Poverty in British schools 12,230
3 75 - Exam results day: August 12,120
2018
4 78 - Review of university tuition 10,910
fees
5 82 - Support for pupils with 10,350
special needs
6 86 - Shortage of teachers 9,510
7 88 - University strike action 9,230
8 90 - Racism at UK universities 8,750
9 91 - Mental health at university 8,340
10 99 - University education and 4,790
gender pay gap
The British education sector received a lot of shortage of teachers in the United Kingdom.
attention in 2018, but not always for the best
reasons. A series of racist incidents were On a more encouraging note, there was a large
uncovered across multiple universities, including focus on monitoring and improving students’
students being caught making controversial mental health at universities, as well as
comments in private WhatsApp group-chats. supporting students with special needs at
schools.
Earlier in the year, strike action took place at 64
universities, where staff protested against There was also a wider discussion on how to
changes in the USS pensions scheme, as well as close the gender pay gap between men and
pay and working conditions. Students across the women who are university-educated.
country are now waiting in anticipation after
GCSE and A-Level results day was also a hot-
Theresa May initiated a long-awaited review of
topic last year, with pass rates being at their
university tuition fees.
lowest since 2010. However, a record number of
young people shunned traditional university
There was also a lot of attention around poverty in
degrees for ‘apprenticeships’, studying for
primary and secondary schools, as well as the
qualifications while they work.
18 / 44T O P EDUCA T I O N ST O R Y: YO UN G
P EO P L E A N D A P P R EN T I CESH I P S
In 2018, there was a 20% rise in the number of In the chart below you can see the average
young people choosing to embark on number of new apprentices per year, compared to
apprenticeships. This is the first year-on-year rise how much media fanfare each sector gets in the
since an apprenticeship levy was introduced by context of apprenticeships.
the government in 2017, which is paid for by all
large businesses in the United Kingdom. The healthcare, admin and legal sectors have the
greatest intake of apprentices yet receive
The government is attempting to combat the ‘skills relatively low media attention.
gap’ in the UK job market, where there are not
enough skilled workers for more niche jobs. On the other hand, the construction and
engineering industries receive the most media
Young people are attracted by the hands-on coverage regarding apprenticeships yet have the
approach of apprenticeships, as well as the second and third lowest intake of apprentices.
qualifications gained whilst not accumulating any The extensive media attention may be down to an
debt. Many employers and universities have now intensive recruitment drive for engineering
also formed partnerships, offering the chance to apprentices as there aren’t enough people with
study for a degree debt free whilst simultaneously the required skills in the sector currently.
gaining invaluable work experience.
19 / 4420 / 44
EN VI R O N M EN T & DI SA ST ER S
CATEGORY OVERALL 2017 STORY # OF
RANKING RANKING RANKING ARTICLES
1 11 6 Grenfell Tower fire 116,200
2 25 - 2018 California wildfires 63,700
3 27 - Thai boys rescued from cave 50,300
4 31 - UK windstorm season 44,700
5 42 - Hurricane Florence 26,800
6 43 67 Expansion of Heathrow 26,300
Airport
7 47 - Fracking starts again in the UK 23,200
after 7 years
8 59 - Lombok earthquake 16,970
9 60 - Hurricane Michael 16,690
10 81 77 Hurricane Maria 10,690
North America was hit by three hurricanes last airport, a move opposed by Greenpeace and
year, with Florence, Michael and Maria causing London Mayor Sadiq Khan.
billions of dollars’ worth of damage and
thousands of casualties. The Grenfell Tower fire was still a huge topic last
year, where the public and politicians alike
A series of violent wildfires also afflicted the state reflected on issues such as neglect, council
of California, while a major earthquake shook underspending, and class and wealth disparity.
Lombok, Indonesia.
A youth football team in Thailand were trapped in
a flooded cave for eighteen days before all being
rescued, in an effort involving over 10,000 people.
In the United Kingdom, storm season got well
underway in September, while earthquakes were
detected the month after in Lancashire due to
fracking operations in the area.
Parliament voted in favour of expanding
Heathrow
21 / 44T O P EN VI R O N M EN T & DI SA ST ER S
ST O R Y: G R EN FEL L T O W ER
Over a year on, people continue to ponder the Ultimately, the public had a lot to say on the
tragic incident that took the lives of 72 people in matter and this is reflected by the breakdown of
June 2017. In June 2018, the incident’s news volume by media type; see the chart below.
anniversary was observed; the tower itself was
illuminated green, and a moment of silence was
held at noon in remembrance of the victims.
Notably, the Grenfell Inquiry was halted for a
whole week to allow people to attend memorial
services. Media discussion about Grenfell Tower
increased by approximately 300% in June (see
chart below).
In 2018, focus shifted away from the faulty
refrigerator and cladding, which were the direct
causes of the fire. Instead, there was a wider
discussion on more deep-rooted issues such as
poverty, underspending, and general neglect by
40% of the discussion occurred through
the council. It also sparked a review of fire-safety
broadcast media, mainly reflecting radio shows
for similar buildings across the UK.
with phone-in formats. In fact, the two news outlets
that mentioned Grenfell Tower the most in 2018
were LBC Radio and BBC London Radio; these
two radio stations regularly had phone-in
discussions with political commentators and
experts, as well as the general public about the
tragic event.
22 / 4423 / 44
P O L I CI N G & L A W
CATEGORY OVERALL 2017 STORY # OF
RANKING RANKING RANKING ARTICLES
1 6 - Poisoning of Sergei and Yulia Skripal 228,000
2 23 - Killing of Jamal Khashoggi 66,300
3 28 - Special counsel investigation 48,200
4 29 - Brett Kavanaugh controversy 47,200
5 32 - Knife crime in London 43,000
6 35 - Death of Alfie Evans 37,600
7 36 - Stormy Daniels–Donald Trump 31,300
scandal
8 41 - Arrest and pardon of Matthew 26,900
Hedges by the UAE government
9 45 - Oxfam abuse scandal 24,300
10 49 - Poisoning of Charlie Rowley and 22,670
Dawn Sturgess
In America, the FBI probed deeper into Russia’s It was also discovered that Oxfam staff working in
interference in the 2016 presidential election. Haiti and Chad had sexually exploited vulnerable
Donald Trump was also put under pressure by locals.
Stormy Daniels over an affair the two allegedly
had in 2006. The adult actress filed a law-suit In the UK, a lengthy legal case regarding whether
against Trump in March, disputing a non- to keep infant Alfie Evans on life support came to
disclosure agreement she signed about the end an end in April. In the capital, the Home
alleged affair. Secretary spoke of giving the police more power
to combat knife crime.
In July, Trump nominated Brett Kavanaugh to the
United States Supreme Court, after which he was Finally, Russia was accused of poisoning a
accused of sexual assault dating back to the former Russian military officer and his daughter
1980s. on British soil. Two British citizens were also
poisoned a few months later, one of whom died.
Saudi Arabia came under international scrutiny for
the murder of Washington Post journalist Jamal
Khashoggi. In the United Arab Emirates, British
academic Matthew Hedges was arrested on
suspicion of spying and held for six months. He
was finally pardoned in November.
24 / 44T O P P O L I CI N G & L A W ST O R Y: SK R I P A L
P O I SO N I N G
In March, former Russian military officer Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia were poisoned in
Salisbury, England by a Novichok nerve agent. Both victims were taken to Salisbury District Hospital
where they recovered over a period of a few weeks. The chart below details the events of the day.
25 / 44
In America, the FBI probed deeper into Russia’sT O P P O L I CI N G & L A W ST O R Y: SK R I P A L
P O I SO N I N G CO N T I N UED
After the incident, Theresa May issued a In the chart below you can see the spike in media
statement saying that the United Kingdom coverage the day after the Skripal incident.
believed the Russian government was to blame
for the attack. Additionally, various countries stood On 6 March 2018, two days after the incident,
by the UK by expelling more than 150 Russian news outlets published thousands more articles
diplomats (the UK itself expelled 23). In response, as they received further information from the
Russia expelled equal numbers of foreign police. The head of Counter Terrorism Policing –
diplomats. Assistant Commissioner Mark Rowley –
appealed for witnesses on this date.
There was intense media coverage about the
incident, with many members of the public calling
in to radio shows to express fears of
contamination. This was only made worse a few
months later when two British citizens were
poisoned by remnants of Novichok; one of the
victims sadly passed away in hospital.
26 / 44P O L I T I CS 27 / 44
P O L I T I CS
CATEGORY OVERALL 2017 STORY # OF
RANKING RANKING RANKING ARTICLES
1 1 1 Brexit 2,352,000
2 5 - Sanctions against Iran 255,000
3 13 - Midterm elections in the US 100,000
4 16 - Windrush scandal 80,100
5 39 - North Korea–United States summit 28,300
United States President Donald Trump
6 44 28 and Russian President Vladimir Putin 24,400
meet in Helsinki
Donald Trump announces that the
7 50 - United States will withdraw from the 22,660
Iranian nuclear deal
8 54 - Death of John McCain 20,120
9 66 - Imran Khan elected as Pakistan's Prime 14,930
Minister
10 77 - Donald Trump's visit to London 10,910
Unsurprisingly, Brexit was not only the biggest Donald Trump met with North Korean Supreme
news story in politics, but the top news story Leader Kim Jong-un, which resulted in the
overall in 2018. Brexit negotiations drew a lot of beginning of an ongoing peace negotiation
discussion around immigration and the status of process. Trump also met privately with Russian
asylum seekers. This was only made more heated President Vladimir Putin in Helsinki.
by the Windrush scandal, which affected people
from Caribbean countries that were unrightfully Trump controversially pulled the US from the Iran
detained and deported. nuclear deal, after which the EU nullified US
sanctions on countries that trade with Iran. This is
US President Donald Trump – known for his especially poignant considering a month earlier,
controversial immigration policies – visited Trump referred to the EU as the United States’
London in July amid protests against his arrival. biggest economic foe.
Back in the United States, the midterm elections
saw the Democrats take control of the House, Prominent US politician John McCain passed
while the Republicans retained control of the away in August.
Senate.
Finally, Pakistan elected Imran Khan as its Prime
Aside from domestic politics, 2018 was also an Minister.
interesting year for US foreign relations.
28 / 44T O P P O L I T I CS ST O R Y: BR EX I T
2018 has been a big year for Brexit. See the chart below for a summary on Brexit media coverage,
resignations, and the value of the pound sterling.
29 / 44
In America, the FBI probed deeper into Russia’sT O P P O L I T I CS ST O R Y: BR EX I T
CO N T I N UED
Prime Minister Theresa May demonstrated she There is no doubt that Brexit will be an even
wouldn’t take no for an answer as she pushed bigger story in 2019, as we race towards the date
through her Chequers proposal in July and stood that the UK is due to leave the European Union.
by the draft withdrawal agreement in November –
finally receiving the backing of her Cabinet. Her
leadership was challenged in December by a
vote of no confidence, but she pulled through with
63% of her party in support of her.
However, her party remained divided over Brexit
negotiations. 2018 saw nineteen government
ministers resign over Brexit policy that they
disagreed with; seven of these ministers resigned
over the Chequers proposal, while nine resigned
over the withdrawal agreement.
Media coverage also spiked during these
periods, with the majority of news outlets
discussing the contents of the Chequers proposal
and the withdrawal agreement. A resignation of
note was that of Dominic Raab, who served as
Brexit Secretary for only four months.
The value of the pound also fell over the course of
2018. Although the currency’s value has
fluctuated over the last year, there were sharp
drops whenever new aspects of the UK’s Brexit
plans were revealed.
The pound will continue to fall so long as
uncertainty remains around the Brexit deal.
Investors have been offloading shares in FTSE
100 companies, as they fear the consequences of
being embroiled in Britain’s volatile economy.
30 / 4431 / 44
SCI EN CE & H EA L T H
CATEGORY OVERALL 2017 STORY # OF
RANKING RANKING RANKING ARTICLES
1 46 - Death of Stephen Hawking 23,500
2 61 - NHS staff shortage 16,650
3 64 - Women in science and engineering 15,590
4 71 - Medical marijuana in the United 13,420
Kingdom
5 74 - Super blood moon 12,120
6 79 83 Gene editing 10,890
7 84 - Ebola outbreak in the Democratic 9,940
Republic of the Congo
8 96 82 Cholera outbreak in Yemen 7,180
9 97 - Lunar eclipse 6,490
Donald Trump discusses
10 100 - implementation of military "space 4,770
force"
The NHS is facing a major staffing crisis, with tabloids and online publications reporting on
experts warning that staff shortages could hit these rare events. Donald Trump also aimed for
250,000 by 2030. It is also now legal for medical the stars after proposing the implementation of a
cannabis to be prescribed through the NHS to military “space force”. The idea was met by
patients with severe epilepsy, or nausea caused general uproar.
by chemotherapy.
The contribution and recognition of women in
Gene editing – always a hot topic – got a lot of science and engineering was a major theme in
media coverage in 2018. International outcry was 2018. Donna Strickland became the third woman
caused after a scientist in China figured out how to receive the Nobel Prize in Physics.
to edit the genes of human embryos.
The science story that received the most
Severe epidemics hit Africa and the Arabian coverage was the passing of world-renowned
Peninsula. There was an outbreak of Ebola in the physicist Stephen Hawking, who died at his home
Democratic Republic of the Congo, while Cholera on 14 March.
rapidly spread in Yemen.
The ‘super blood moon’ in January, and lunar
eclipse in July fascinated the public, with various
32 / 44T O P SCI EN CE & H EA L T H ST O R Y: DEA T H
O F ST EP H EN H A W K I N G
Stephen Hawking, an iconic figure in the world of The University of Cambridge was mentioned the
science, inspired countless people with his novel most (8,709 media mentions). This is because
thinking and extraordinary perseverance. Hawking completed his graduate studies at the
university, and subsequently became director of
Whilst completing his PhD at the University of research at the Centre for Theoretical Cosmology,
Cambridge, Hawking was diagnosed with early as well as the Lucasian Professor of Mathematics.
onset motor neurone disease. Doctors did not
give him much longer to live, but Hawking defied Next in the ranking is Caltech (550 media
all odds and spent the next 55 years changing the mentions), where Hawking was a visiting
landscape of science. professor, followed by the University of Oxford
(271 media mentions) where he had received his
Hawking popularised cosmology and theoretical undergraduate degree.
physics amongst the general public by releasing
a range of popular science books and Finally, the Perimeter Institute for Theoretical
documentaries. However, it wasn’t just the public Physics in Canada (15 media mentions) also
that benefited from Hawking’s genius. gave a visiting position to Hawking, and even built
and named a building in his honour.
Over his lifetime he was part of various
academic/research institutions, all of which It’s interesting to note that the establishments with
enjoyed the benefits that came with being the most media mentions were those that
associated with a celebrity scientist. In the chart Stephen Hawking contributed the most of his time
below you can see which institutions were to in terms of research or visiting lectures.
mentioned in articles and broadcasts that
reported Hawking’s death.
33 / 44
In America, the FBI probed deeper into Russia’s34 / 44
SP O R T S
CATEGORY OVERALL 2017 STORY # OF
RANKING RANKING RANKING ARTICLES
1 2 - 2017–18 Premier League 1,914,000
2 3 - 2018 FIFA World Cup 941,000
3 4 - 2017–18 UEFA Champions 933,000
League
4 10 - 2018 Winter Olympics 140,000
5 12 - 2018 Commonwealth Games 104,000
6 18 30 2018 Six Nations Championship 76,800
7 19 - 2018 FA Cup Final 75,600
8 30 - Leicester City F.C. helicopter 46,200
crash
9 34 - London Marathon 39,800
10 87 - Football sex abuse scandal in the 9,390
United Kingdom
2018 is the year football almost came home. After allegations of historic sex abuse perpetrated
England made it all the way to the World Cup by youth coaches at football clubs across the UK,
semi-finals but lost 2-1 to Croatia. On the bright 300 suspects were reported, 13 of whom were
side, Harry Kane finished as top goal-scorer, charged.
winning the Golden Boot.
The world was brought together by the
The Premier League, however, got more media Commonwealth Games and the Winter Olympics,
coverage than the World Cup and the UEFA while Ireland beat defending champions England
Champions League combined. Manchester City in the Six Nations final.
won the title (their third so far), while defending
champions Chelsea finished fifth. Chelsea, The warmest London Marathon took place on 22
however, won the FA Cup Final. April, with the highest temperature being 24.1˚C.
The world of football was shaken by the tragic
death of Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha – owner of
Leicester City F.C. – in a helicopter crash
following a match in the city.
35 / 44T O P SP O R T S ST O R Y: 2 0 1 7 -1 8 P R EM I ER
L EA G UE
With football being at the heart of British culture, See the league table ranking for the top six teams
it’s no wonder that the Premier League is not only below, how much media coverage each team
the most popular news story in sport, but also the received, and the size of their global fanbases.
second biggest story overall for 2018. This is
down to the countless online publications that Most top-ranking teams received very similar
report on a total of 380 matches over the course of amounts of media attention. However, one team
the season. that stands out is Tottenham. Despite finishing in
third place, Spurs received significantly less
The 2017-18 Premier League did not start well for media coverage compared to its competitors; on
Chelsea who lost 2-3 to Burnley in their first match average, it received 100,000 fewer media
of the season; this was indicative of the defending mentions.
champions’ performance for the rest of the
season, and they finished in fifth place. Arsenal’s Finishing in second place in the 2016-17 season,
performance was also below par, losing 5-0 to bookies said Spurs were 9/1 to win the 2017-18
Burnley in their final home game. Burnley can be title. However, they did not receive nearly as
considered to have had a decent season; despite much coverage as other top-ranking teams. The
finishing in seventh place, it was their best finish reason for this is likely to lie in the fact that
for over four decades. Tottenham have the smallest global fanbase of
the ‘big six’ teams. Manchester United, which has
Manchester City had a great season, finishing in the largest fanbase, received the most media
first place while breaking and setting many mentions.
records in the process.
36 / 4437 / 44
T ECH N O L O G Y
CATEGORY OVERALL 2017 STORY # OF
RANKING RANKING RANKING ARTICLES
1 14 - Facebook–Cambridge Analytica 94,400
data scandal
2 15 52 Cryptocurrency 92,600
3 17 - Increase in popularity of voice 76,900
assistants
4 22 39 GDPR 70,600
5 33 - Fortnite (videogame) 40,400
6 63 - Samsung releases Galaxy S9 16,360
7 70 - Rise in biometrics 13,730
8 83 45 Apple releases iPhone XS and 10,050
XR
9 93 - Autonomous vehicle crashes 8,000
10 98 - Google employees speak out 6,480
against harassment
Artificial intelligence was hotter than ever in 2018. as they dropped in value by up to 80%.
Voice assistants are on the rise, with 2.9 million
more devices being sold in 2018 compared to The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)
2017. Despite the popularity of autonomous was implemented in May, with an aim to give
vehicles, they were in the news for the wrong individuals more control over their personal data.
reasons last year after two fatalities related to self- Google was found to have breached the
driving cars. regulation in seven different countries in
November.
Fortnite became one of the most successful free-
to-play video games of all time, making a massive In the same month, thousands of Google
$1.2 billion in its first 10 months. employees protested at the way the company
dealt with allegations of sexual harassment.
Samsung and Apple’s latest flagships phones
were also released, both of which use The biggest story in tech was the Facebook –
increasingly popular biometric authentication Cambridge Analytica scandal. The political
features. consulting firm Cambridge Analytica illegally
harvested data from millions of Facebook users.
2018 was also the year of the cryptocurrency
crash, where most cryptocurrencies were sold-off
38 / 44
In America, the FBI probed deeper into Russia’sT O P T ECH N O L O G Y ST O R Y: FA CEBO O K -
CA M BR I DG E A N A L YT I CA SCA N DA L
Formed in 2013 by parent company SCL Group, In the chart below you can see the media
Cambridge Analytica was a political consulting coverage in the aftermath of the scandal, as well
firm that used data analysis as the basis for as the change in Facebook’s share price.
political campaigns and strategic communication.
The company ceased operations in 2018. As soon as the scandal was exposed,
Facebook’s share price dropped steeply. Media
In March, it was revealed that Cambridge mentions peaked over the next few days until
Analytica had illegally used millions of Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg publicly acknowledged the
users’ personal data to create directed ad- scandal for the first time; the share price
campaigns. It was also revealed that the company continued to plunge.
utilised sex workers and bribes to weaken the
opposition during elections. Facebook’s share price stabilised once
Zuckerberg implemented better security features
Although Cambridge Analytica ran operations in and promised a review of Facebook’s security
many different countries, it was mainly in the policy. Zuckerberg also testified before Senate
spotlight for its role in Donald Trump’s and Congress in the United States, which was
presidential campaign, as well as Leave.EU’s streamed by various media outlets.
successful campaign to leave the European
Union. Facebook came under fire for its security Despite initial misgivings, it was Zuckerberg’s
policy, resulting in a $37 billion drop in market acknowledgment of the scandal and appropriate
capitalisation. response that allowed shares to recover.
39 / 4440 / 44
W A R & CO N FL I CT
CATEGORY OVERALL 2017 STORY # OF
RANKING RANKING RANKING ARTICLES
1 7 15 Syrian Civil War 192,000
2 20 - Gaza border protests 74,000
3 26 - Word War 1 centenary 60,600
4 40 - Conflict in Afghanistan 27,900
5 51 - Ukraine - Russia conflict 21,920
6 57 - Persecution of Rohingya 19,060
Muslims in Myanmar
7 58 - Libyan Civil War 18,370
8 68 79 Famine in Yemen 14,210
9 69 - Iraqi protests 13,980
10 76 - 2018 Brussels summit 12,000
2018 was another tumultuous year in the Middle Many world leaders came together in the 2018
East, with the ongoing Libyan civil war and Brussels Summit, whilst numerous countries also
famine in Yemen. Protests in Iraq continued for commemorated the one hundred-year
their fourth consecutive year, while protests on the anniversary of the end of the First World War.
Gaza Strip resulted in the most violence in that
area since the Gaza War in 2014. The Russia – Ukraine conflict also escalated in
2018, as Russian warships seized three
The conflict in Afghanistan also continued; the Ukrainian vessels in November.
Taliban fought and defeated Islamic State over
control of the Darzab District.
The Syrian Civil War resulted in thousands more
causalities in 2018.
The persecution of Muslims in Myanmar was also
covered by many news outlets. The United
Nations recognised this as genocide and ethnic
cleansing.
41 / 44T O P W A R & CO N FL I CT ST O R Y: SYR I A N
CI VI L W A R
The civil war in Syria is still raging after eight The Syrian Arab Army were accused of executing
years of violence and more than 500,000 deaths, the Douma assault.
7.6 million internally displaced civilians, and 5.1
million refugees. In response, the United Kingdom, France, and the
United States carried out missile strikes against
The chart at the bottom of the page shows media government sites in Syria.
coverage of the Syrian civil war, as well as the
The chart shows that there is no correlation
monthly (in grey) and aggregated (in red) death
between media mentions and death toll. The
toll of civilians over the last year.
media instead focuses on the events themselves,
and the key players.
The largest spike in media coverage came in
April after the chemical attack in Douma. It is
estimated that up to 85 people were killed in the
attack, while more than 500 were injured. 408
civilians were killed in April overall.
42 / 44
In America, the FBI probed deeper into Russia’sM ET H O DO L O G Y
We collated content published or transmitted between 1st January and 19th December
2018 from UK print, online, broadcast and blog media sources. Using Signal, our AI-
powered media monitoring and intelligence platform, we tallied up the number of pieces
of content (inc. TV and radio broadcasts) that mentioned each story. For ease of
reading, we have referred to each piece of content as an 'article' throughout this report.
Please note: the data for December is for the partial month only – 1st to 19th December
inclusive.
To track exactly where the story was featured, we included and counted:
(1) syndicated content where the same article appeared in more than one publication,
(2) the online and print version of the article where it existed and
(3) later editions of the same article.
Non-media related external data (e.g. share price) was acquired from reliable third-
party data providers.
For more information about our media monitoring and intelligence platform or to
request a demo, please get in touch here.
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