The Ebola outbreak in DR Congo has now killed more than 5,000 people
More than 5,000 people have died in the Democratic Republic of Congo's Ebola outbreak, government data show, with more than 10,000 infected since it was declared in May. There are no approved treatments or vaccines for the Bundibugyo strain behind it, and the virus has reached eight of the country's 26 provinces and neighbouring countries. UK experts say the risk of spread to Britain is low.
Left 0 · Centre-left 2 · Centre 2 · Centre-right 0 · Right 1
ContextSources by leanVideoDeep diveFollow the moneyMore coverage
How each side framed it
Left-leaning outlets
The scale of the outbreak: 'Ebola death toll in DR Congo passes 5,000' (Al Jazeera).
Centre outlets
Centre-rated outlets headline it: “Ebola outbreak kills more than 5,000 people in Democratic Republic of Congo” (Sky News); “Congo Ebola outbreak kills more than 5,000” (Reuters).
Right-leaning outlets
Risk at home: 'Risk of Ebola spread in UK is low, experts stress' (The Telegraph).
Context
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Sources by lean
Balanced: the same number of articles from the left, the centre and the right (up to 3 each). The bar above still counts every rated outlet we found. Bias and factual ratings come from Media Bias/Fact Check. How we balance · All ratings.
Left 2
Centre 2
- Reuters
Congo Ebola outbreak kills more than 5,000 (paywall or login) - Sky News
Ebola outbreak kills more than 5,000 people in Democratic Republic of Congo (paywalled or blocks bots)
Right 2
Showing 2 from each side of 5 rated outlets (L 2 / C 2 / R 1). Capped at 2 because that is all we found on the thinnest side. 2 found by a targeted top-up search (marked; not counted in the split). More coverage
Video
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Deep dive
A short prompt for thinking it through. We write a fuller side-by-side deep dive for the day's biggest stories.
The paradox: The country's deadliest Ebola outbreak on record was covered by only a handful of outlets in our sample.
What each side may be protecting: Left: patients and health workers in Congo. Right: domestic health security.
A question to hold: Shared question: what would most speed up detection in conflict areas?
Try it: open one left and one right article in Sources by lean and note what each takes for granted.
Follow the money
Not yet researched. We haven't yet looked at who gains or loses financially from this story, or who funds the main voices on each side. When we do, we check company filings, the Electoral Commission donations register, lobbying registers, annual reports, InfluenceMap and OpenSecrets, and we apply the same checks to every side. How we follow the money.
Who owns or funds the outlets covering this story (4 outlets)
| Outlet | Lean | Ownership & funding (MBFC) |
|---|---|---|
| Al Jazeera | Centre-left | Al Jazeera is owned and funded by the state of Qatar. The founder and Chairman of the Board is Sheikh Hamad bin Thamer Al Thani, a member of Qatar’s ruling family, the House of Thani. According to a Fortune article, i n 2016, state-funded broadcaster Al Jazeera laid off 500 workers due to Qatar’s financial troubles resulting from low global prices for oil and natural gas. source |
| Reuters | Centre | In April 2008, the British company Reuters Group was acquired by Thomson Corporation and formed Thomson Reuters. source |
| Sky News | Centre | Sky News is owned by Comcast as of November 2018 and is funded through advertising. Rupert Murdoch is no longer affiliated with Sky News UK; however, Newscorp still has a share of Sky News Australia, which reports with a right-leaning bias. source |
| The Telegraph | Right | Telegraph Media Group (TMG) owns The Telegraph, which is owned by Press Acquisitions Ltd., which in turn is owned by Sir David and Sir Frederick Barclay. In 2004, Twin Brothers Sir David and Sir Frederick Barclay acquired the Daily Telegraph and the Sunday Telegraph from the Canadian media company Hollinger Inc. for £665 million. For a complete list of Board members, see here. source |