Inside AFP
AFP uses independent crowd counting for accurate reporting on demonstrations
The Agency has teamed up with around 20 french media groups and an independent research firm to jointly assess the number of people in gatherings in order to reflect events as accurately as possible.
Research and consulting firm Occurrence uses two elevated sensors to trace a virtual line that counts each demonstrator on the ground. Manual spot counts reinforce the method.
It will be used for the first time to count the number of people at public sector demonstrations in Paris on March 22.
The partaking media are: AFP, France Inter, RTL, Europe 1, Franceinfo, RMC, France Culture, BFMTV, CNews, France 2, Médiapart, Le Monde, Le Figaro, Le Parisien, Les Echos, Libération and La Croix, with regional and department media represented by the UPREG regional press union.