← 15 Jan Saturday 16 January 2016 · to 23:59 UTC 17 Jan →
What the world's news said happened to people.
Counts of coverage, not of suffering
32,388 stories about harm· Trends· Every past day

We measure how the world's news covered people being harmed — and the help and hope within it.

How to read these numbers →

The day's news pointed at protests in Copenhagen (Denmark), violence in Ouagadougou and rights and justice in Tehran. Burkina Faso's coverage was about twice as angry as the world's. Everywhere we counted, the words were about as usual.

Reports of abductions ran at about 4 times the usual rate, most often about Burkina Faso and the US → Help and hope: reports of people freed or reunited ran at about 4 times the usual rate →
Part of lifeConflict & violence 31 in 100 of the stories about harm · about as usual Country that rose mostBurkina Faso 97 in 100 of its 2,714 stories, usually 59
RegionSub-Saharan Africa 56 in 100 of its stories, usually 32
Tone of the words About as usual across the world's stories about harm

What the world's news was about today

how these are picked →
Protests & strikes

Denmark

164 of its 241 stories (68%) were about people being harmed, usually 28%. Copenhagen accounted for 130 of Denmark's 164 stories about harm, carried by 117 outlets. 118 of Copenhagen's 130 stories were about protests or strikes. Reports of refugees ran at about 4 times the usual rate (147 stories). Its coverage was about one and a half times as warm as the world's.

Denmark over 30 days → its stories → Copenhagen stories →
Conflict & violence

Burkina Faso

2,625 of its 2,714 stories (97%) were about people being harmed, usually 59%. Ouagadougou accounted for 2,467 of Burkina Faso's 2,625 stories about harm, carried by 1,483 outlets. Reports of abductions ran at more than ten times the usual rate (907 stories). Its coverage was about twice as angry as the world's.

Burkina Faso over 30 days → its stories → Ouagadougou stories →
Rights & justice

Iran

1,829 of its 3,416 stories (54%) were about people being harmed, usually 37%. Tehran accounted for 1,507 of Iran's 1,829 stories about harm, carried by 1,085 outlets. Reports of arrests ran at about three times the usual rate (1,639 stories). Landslides were named in 86 of its stories about harm, more than ten times usual, with tuberculosis.

Iran over 30 days → its stories → Tehran stories →
6 more places the news pointed at
Conflict & violence

Mali

130 of its 146 stories (89%) were about people being harmed, usually 66%. Bamako accounted for 87 of Mali's 130 stories about harm, carried by 110 outlets. Reports of people injured ran at about twice the usual rate (30 stories). Its coverage was about twice as angry as the world's. Grief in its coverage rose to about one and a half times its own usual.

its stories →
Health

Haiti

47 of its 65 stories (72%) were about people being harmed, usually 25%. Reports of refugees ran at about 8 times the usual rate (5 stories). Chikungunya was named in 10 of its stories about harm, about 9 times usual, with dengue.

its stories →
Conflict & violence

Sudan

77 of its 99 stories (78%) were about people being harmed, usually 43%. Reports of people injured ran at more than ten times the usual rate (61 stories). Its coverage was about twice as angry as the world's.

its stories →
Conflict & violence

Malaysia

305 of its 683 stories (45%) were about people being harmed, usually 21%. Reports of arrests ran at about 6 times the usual rate (192 stories). Its coverage was about one and a half times as fearful as the world's. Anger in its coverage rose to about twice its own usual.

its stories →
Protests & strikes

Czechia

58 of its 115 stories (50%) were about people being harmed, usually 19%. 57 of Prague's 58 stories were about protests or strikes. Anger in its coverage rose to about one and a half times its own usual.

its stories →
Health

Sierra Leone

175 of its 206 stories (85%) were about people being harmed, usually 61%. Extreme cold was named in 11 of its stories about harm, more than ten times usual. Its coverage was about twice as grief-stricken as the world's.

its stories →

Also named far more than usual: road crashes in Jordan (36 of its stories, more than ten times its usual); plane crash in Taiwan (28 of its stories, more than ten times its usual); hunger in North Korea (32 of its stories, more than ten times its usual); bird flu in Bangladesh (21 of its stories, more than ten times its usual); natural hazards in Portugal (10 of its stories, about 4 times its usual).

23 in 100 stories were about harm

usually 21; 20 the day before
25 in 10019 in 1001 Jan4 Jan8 Jan12 Jan16 Jan1 Jan: 24 in 1002 Jan: 25 in 1003 Jan: 25 in 1004 Jan: 21 in 1005 Jan: 21 in 1006 Jan: 20 in 1007 Jan: 20 in 1008 Jan: 21 in 1009 Jan: 23 in 10010 Jan: 22 in 10011 Jan: 19 in 10012 Jan: 19 in 10013 Jan: 20 in 10014 Jan: 20 in 10015 Jan: 20 in 10016 Jan: 23 in 100 · this day

Stories about people being harmed, in every 100 stories, the 30 days to 16 Jan. The big dot is this day; the shaded band is a normal day (the 30 days before it). Click a day to open it. Based on 32,388 stories about harm among 142,268 counted on 16 Jan.

Read the day's briefing

On the side of help, reports of people freed or reunited ran at about 4 times the usual rate. Stories about people being harmed made up 23 in every 100 of the day's 142,268 stories, above the usual 21. Abductions were reported at about 4 times the usual rate, most often about Burkina Faso and the US. In Jordan's news, mentions of road crashes ran more than ten times their usual. Denmark stood out: 68% of its news was about people being harmed, usually 28%.

Written by code from the day's numbers.

Where harm was most of the news all →

Burkina Faso97 in 100 of its 2,714 stories · usually 59 · mostly conflict & violence Mali89 in 100 of its 146 stories · usually 66 · mostly conflict & violence Papua New Guinea89 in 100 of its 53 stories · usually 26 · mostly displacement Liberia86 in 100 of its 59 stories · usually 60 · mostly health Yemen85 in 100 of its 134 stories · usually 75 · mostly conflict & violence

Countries with at least 50 stories that day.

Where people protested

Ouagadougou Burkina Faso849 stories about protests or strikes, of its 2467 Harney County US307 stories about protests or strikes, of its 327 Washington US286 stories about protests or strikes, of its 1334 Flint River US130 stories about protests or strikes, of its 277 Delhi India125 stories about protests or strikes, of its 261

Stories, not people.

Where the news was warmest

feelings in full →
Feelings Events Harm Warmth
Zimbabwe: about as warm as its own usual or lessZambia: too little coverage to readYemen: about as warm as its own usual or lessVietnam: about as warm as its own usual or lessVenezuela: about as warm as its own usual or lessVanuatu: too little coverage to readUzbekistan: about as warm as its own usual or lessUruguay: about as warm as its own usual or lessMicronesia: too little coverage to readU.S. Virgin Islands: too little coverage to readGuam: too little coverage to readPuerto Rico: too little coverage to readUnited States: about as warm as its own usual or lessSouth Georgia & South Sandwich Islands: too little coverage to readFalkland Islands: too little coverage to readCayman Islands: too little coverage to readIsle of Man: too little coverage to readUnited Kingdom: about as warm as its own usual or lessUkraine: about as warm as its own usual or lessUganda: about as warm as its own usual or lessTurkmenistan: about as warm as its own usual or lessTunisia: about as warm as its own usual or lessTrinidad & Tobago: about as warm as its own usual or lessTonga: about as warm as its own usual or lessTogo: about as warm as its own usual or lessTimor-Leste: too little coverage to readTanzania: about as warm as its own usual or lessTajikistan: about as warm as its own usual or lessTaiwan: about as warm as its own usual or lessSyria: about as warm as its own usual or lessSwitzerland: about as warm as its own usual or lessSweden: about as warm as its own usual or lessEswatini: about as warm as its own usual or lessSuriname: too little coverage to readSouth Sudan: about as warm as its own usual or lessSudan: about as warm as its own usual or lessSri Lanka: too little coverage to readSouth Korea: about as warm as its own usual or lessSouth Africa: about as warm as its own usual or lessSomaliland: too little coverage to readSolomon Islands: about as warm as its own usual or lessSlovakia: about as warm as its own usual or lessSlovenia: about as warm as its own usual or lessSierra Leone: about as warm as its own usual or lessSeychelles: about as warm as its own usual or lessSerbia: too little coverage to readSenegal: about as warm as its own usual or lessSão Tomé: too little coverage to readSamoa: about as warm as its own usual or lessSt Vincent: about as warm as its own usual or lessSt. Lucia: about as warm as its own usual or lessRussia: about as warm as its own usual or lessRomania: about as warm as its own usual or lessQatar: about as warm as its own usual or lessPortugal: about as warm as its own usual or lessPoland: about as warm as its own usual or lessPhilippines: about as warm as its own usual or lessPeru: too little coverage to readParaguay: too little coverage to readPanama: about as warm as its own usual or lessPalau: too little coverage to readPakistan: about as warm as its own usual or lessOman: too little coverage to readNorway: about as warm as its own usual or lessNorth Korea: about as warm as its own usual or lessNigeria: about as warm as its own usual or lessNiger: about as warm as its own usual or lessNicaragua: about as warm as its own usual or lessNiue: too little coverage to readNetherlands: about as warm as its own usual or lessCuraçao: too little coverage to readNepal: about as warm as its own usual or lessNamibia: too little coverage to readMozambique: about as warm as its own usual or lessMorocco: about as warm as its own usual or lessWestern Sahara: about as warm as its own usual or lessMontenegro: about as warm as its own usual or lessMongolia: too little coverage to readMoldova: about as warm as its own usual or lessMexico: about as warm as its own usual or lessMauritius: too little coverage to readMauritania: about as warm as its own usual or lessMalta: about as warm as its own usual or lessMali: about as warm as its own usual or lessMalaysia: about as warm as its own usual or lessMalawi: about as warm as its own usual or lessMadagascar: about as warm as its own usual or lessLuxembourg: too little coverage to readLithuania: about as warm as its own usual or lessLiberia: about as warm as its own usual or lessLesotho: too little coverage to readLebanon: about as warm as its own usual or lessLatvia: about as warm as its own usual or lessLaos: about as warm as its own usual or lessKyrgyzstan: about as warm as its own usual or lessKuwait: about as warm as its own usual or lessKosovo: too little coverage to readKiribati: too little coverage to readKenya: about as warm as its own usual or lessKazakhstan: about as warm as its own usual or lessJordan: about as warm as its own usual or lessJapan: about as warm as its own usual or lessJamaica: about as warm as its own usual or lessItaly: about as warm as its own usual or lessPalestine: about as warm as its own usual or lessIreland: too little coverage to readIran: about as warm as its own usual or lessIndonesia: about as warm as its own usual or lessIndia: about as warm as its own usual or lessIceland: about as warm as its own usual or lessHungary: about as warm as its own usual or lessHonduras: about as warm as its own usual or lessHaiti: too little coverage to readGuyana: about as warm as its own usual or lessGuinea-Bissau: too little coverage to readGuinea: about as warm as its own usual or lessGuatemala: about as warm as its own usual or lessGrenada: too little coverage to readGreece: about as warm as its own usual or lessGhana: about as warm as its own usual or lessGermany: about as warm as its own usual or lessGeorgia: about as warm as its own usual or lessGambia: about as warm as its own usual or lessGabon: too little coverage to readSt Pierre & Miquelon: too little coverage to readFrench Polynesia: too little coverage to readNew Caledonia: too little coverage to readFrench Southern Territories: too little coverage to readÅland Islands: too little coverage to readFinland: about as warm as its own usual or lessFiji: about as warm as its own usual or lessEthiopia: about as warm as its own usual or lessEstonia: too little coverage to readEritrea: about as warm as its own usual or lessEquatorial Guinea: too little coverage to readEl Salvador: about as warm as its own usual or lessEgypt: about as warm as its own usual or lessEcuador: too little coverage to readDominican Republic: too little coverage to readDominica: too little coverage to readDjibouti: about as warm as its own usual or lessGreenland: about as warm as its own usual or lessFaroe Islands: too little coverage to readCzech Republic: about as warm as its own usual or lessN. Cyprus: too little coverage to readCyprus: about as warm as its own usual or lessCuba: about as warm as its own usual or lessCroatia: about as warm as its own usual or lessCôte d'Ivoire: too little coverage to readCosta Rica: too little coverage to readDR Congo: too little coverage to readCongo: about as warm as its own usual or lessComoros: too little coverage to readColombia: about as warm as its own usual or lessChina: about as warm as its own usual or lessHong Kong: about as warm as its own usual or lessChile: about as warm as its own usual or lessChad: too little coverage to readCentral African Republic: about as warm as its own usual or lessCape Verde: too little coverage to readCanada: about as warm as its own usual or lessCameroon: about as warm as its own usual or lessMyanmar: about as warm as its own usual or lessBurundi: about as warm as its own usual or lessBrunei: about as warm as its own usual or lessBrazil: about as warm as its own usual or lessBotswana: about as warm as its own usual or lessBosnia and Herzegovina: too little coverage to readBolivia: about as warm as its own usual or lessBhutan: about as warm as its own usual or lessBenin: too little coverage to readBelize: about as warm as its own usual or lessBelgium: about as warm as its own usual or lessBelarus: about as warm as its own usual or lessBarbados: too little coverage to readBangladesh: about as warm as its own usual or lessBahrain: about as warm as its own usual or lessBahamas: about as warm as its own usual or lessAustria: about as warm as its own usual or lessHeard & McDonald Islands: too little coverage to readArmenia: about as warm as its own usual or lessArgentina: about as warm as its own usual or lessAntigua & Barbuda: about as warm as its own usual or lessAngola: about as warm as its own usual or lessAndorra: too little coverage to readAlgeria: about as warm as its own usual or lessAfghanistan: about as warm as its own usual or lessJammu & Kashmir: about as warm as its own usual or lessAksai Chin: about as warm as its own usual or lessGaza: about as warm as its own usual or lessWest Bank: about as warm as its own usual or lessWestern Sahara (Moroccan-controlled): about as warm as its own usual or lessWestern Sahara (Free Zone): about as warm as its own usual or lessAzad Kashmir & Gilgit-Baltistan: about as warm as its own usual or lessSiachen Glacier: about as warm as its own usual or lessCrimea: about as warm as its own usual or lessEast Jerusalem: about as warm as its own usual or lessAzad Kashmir & Gilgit-Baltistan: about as warm as its own usual or lessVatican City: too little coverage to readMarshall Islands: too little coverage to readNorthern Mariana Islands: too little coverage to readAmerican Samoa: too little coverage to readChagos Islands: too little coverage to readSt. Helena: too little coverage to readPitcairn: too little coverage to readAnguilla: too little coverage to readBermuda: about as warm as its own usual or lessBritish Virgin Islands: too little coverage to readTurks & Caicos Islands: too little coverage to readMontserrat: about as warm as its own usual or lessJersey: about as warm as its own usual or lessGuernsey: about as warm as its own usual or lessSan Marino: too little coverage to readSt Kitts & Nevis: too little coverage to readCook Islands: about as warm as its own usual or lessAruba: too little coverage to readNauru: about as warm as its own usual or lessMonaco: about as warm as its own usual or lessMaldives: about as warm as its own usual or lessLiechtenstein: too little coverage to readWallis & Futuna: too little coverage to readSt. Martin: too little coverage to readSt. Barthélemy: too little coverage to readMacao: too little coverage to readNorfolk Island: too little coverage to readSint Maarten: too little coverage to readChristmas Island: too little coverage to readGibraltar: too little coverage to readMayotte: too little coverage to readUnited Arab Emirates: warmth about its own usualTürkiye: warmth about one and a half times its own usualThailand: warmth about its own usualSpain: warmth about its own usualSomalia: warmth about its own usualSingapore: warmth about its own usualSaudi Arabia: warmth about its own usualRwanda: warmth about its own usualPapua New Guinea: warmth about its own usualNew Zealand: warmth about its own usualNorth Macedonia: warmth about its own usualLibya: warmth about its own usualIsrael: warmth about its own usualIraq: warmth about its own usualFrance: warmth about its own usualDenmark: warmth about its own usualCambodia: warmth about its own usualBurkina Faso: warmth about its own usualBulgaria: warmth about its own usualAzerbaijan: warmth about its own usualAustralia: warmth about its own usualAlbania: warmth about its own usualGrand Island, US -- deaths & injuries, cause not given: 13 stories, carried by 14 outletsMyrtle Beach, US -- rights & justice: 33 stories, carried by 37 outletsTaiji, Japan -- rights & justice: 20 stories, carried by 20 outletsWarrnambool, Australia -- conflict & violence: 47 stories, carried by 87 outletsManchester, UK -- health: 51 stories, carried by 179 outletsJohannesburg, South Africa -- rights & justice: 25 stories, carried by 15 outletsGuelph, Canada -- health: 15 stories, carried by 16 outletsWellington, New Zealand -- conflict & violence: 18 stories, carried by 112 outlets
Warmer than its own usual The warmest eventsAbout as warm or lessToo little news

Each country shaded by the warmth in its news — care, help, gratitude — against its own last 30 days. Stronger colour: further above. Dots: the events whose coverage carried the most warmth, even where the event itself began as harm. Warm words, not good outcomes. Click a country or a dot.

Warmest news

● Türkiye warmth about one and a half times usual

Warmest events

● Grand Island US about twice as warm as the day's news · deaths & injuries, cause not given · 13 stories ● Myrtle Beach US about twice as warm as the day's news · rights & justice · 33 stories ● Taiji Japan about one and a half times as warm as the day's news · rights & justice · 20 stories ● Warrnambool Australia about one and a half times as warm as the day's news · conflict & violence · 47 stories ● Manchester UK about one and a half times as warm as the day's news · health · 51 stories

The day in three measures

Parts of life 30 days →

Conflict & violence31% 9,829 stories · about as usual Rights & justice30% 9,360 stories · more than usual (usually 27%) Health12% 3,876 stories · more than usual (usually 10%) Disasters & accidents12% 3,686 stories · less than usual (usually 16%) Deaths & injuries, cause not given6% 1,809 stories · about as usual Shelter & services4% 1,261 stories · about as usual Displacement4% 1,184 stories · about as usual Food & livelihood2% 635 stories · about as usual

Of the stories about people being harmed, what part of life each was about. The mark is usual.

Harm reported 30 days →

Stories reporting people killed11,584 at about the usual rate Stories reporting arrests5,425 at about one and a half times the usual rate · most about Iran and the US Stories reporting people affected4,214 at about the usual rate Stories reporting people injured3,830 at about one and a half times the usual rate · most about Burkina Faso and the US Stories reporting abductions1,427 at about 4 times the usual rate · most about Burkina Faso and the US Stories reporting refugees1,145 at about the usual rate Stories reporting people displaced226 at about the usual rate Stories reporting evacuations224 at about two-thirds of the usual rate · most about Syria and Burkina Faso Stories reporting people falling ill144 at about one and a half times the usual rate · most about the US and France

Stories that report it, not people: we count what reporters wrote, not what happened.

How it felt 30 days →

● Angerabout as usual
● Warmthabout as usual
● Griefabout as usual
● Fearabout as usual

From the words reporters used across the whole day, never one story. Fear is the weakest of the four measures. How?

The weekly briefing · 19 Oct – 25 Oct

The week in human impact

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How to read these numbers →

These are counts of stories, not counts of suffering. Most of what happens to people is never reported at all.