The GDELT Project monitors global news media and codes events, themes, actors, and tone into an open, continuously updated dataset. Accessible via files, Google BigQuery, and APIs, it enables large-scale analysis of how the world's news covers events — including elections.
What's included
- Coded global events and actors.
- Themes and sentiment/tone signals.
- Coverage volume across outlets and languages.
Typical uses
- Tracking how a narrative spreads across media.
- Contextualising coverage volume around events.
- Large-scale data-journalism analysis.
Notes and limitations
Automated coding introduces noise; validate signals before drawing conclusions, and pair GDELT with primary sources. The Data Journalism Handbook offers good habits for working with data at this scale, and the investigating disinformation campaigns guide shows how coverage data fits an investigation.
Access
Explore the data and documentation at the official source.
Frequently asked questions
What is the GDELT Project?
GDELT monitors global news media and codes events, themes, actors, and tone into an open, continuously updated dataset accessible via downloadable files, Google BigQuery, and APIs.
How is GDELT used in election research?
It helps track how a narrative spreads across media, contextualise coverage volume around events, and support large-scale data-journalism analysis — provided its automated coding noise is validated before drawing conclusions.