← 28 Feb Monday 29 February 2016 · to 23:59 UTC 1 Mar →
What the world's news said happened to people.
Counts of coverage, not of suffering
46,364 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 Islamabad (Pakistan), illness in Tegucigalpa and violence in Baghdad. Iraq's coverage was about 4 times as grief-stricken as the world's. Worldwide, the words used were much softer than usual.

Part of lifeRights & justice 41 in 100 of the stories about harm · much more than usual Country that rose mostHonduras 81 in 100 of its 63 stories, usually 32
RegionEvery region about as usual
Tone of the words Much softer than usual across the world's stories about harm

What the world's news was about today

how these are picked →
Protests & strikes

Pakistan

900 of its 2,144 stories (42%) were about people being harmed, usually 37%. 259 of Islamabad's 465 stories were about protests or strikes. Reports of refugees ran at about twice the usual rate (12 stories). Drownings were named in 57 of its stories about harm, more than ten times usual. Its coverage was about three times as grief-stricken as the world's.

Health

Honduras

51 of its 63 stories (81%) were about people being harmed, usually 32%. Tegucigalpa accounted for 38 of Honduras' 51 stories about harm, carried by 44 outlets. Outbreaks were named in 43 of its stories about harm, about 8 times usual. Its coverage was about one and a half times as fearful as the world's.

Conflict & violence

Iraq

1,105 of its 1,320 stories (84%) were about people being harmed, usually 61%. Baghdad accounted for 848 of Iraq's 1,105 stories about harm, carried by 608 outlets. Reports of evacuations ran at more than ten times the usual rate (102 stories). Its coverage was about 4 times as grief-stricken as the world's.

Disasters & accidents

Japan

541 of its 2,403 stories (23%) were about people being harmed, usually 12%. Reports of evacuations ran at more than ten times the usual rate (237 stories). Tsunami was named in 312 of its stories about harm, about three times usual.

6 more places the news pointed at
Conflict & violence

Somalia

374 of its 447 stories (84%) were about people being harmed, usually 77%. Mogadishu accounted for 200 of Somalia's 374 stories about harm, carried by 136 outlets. Reports of people killed ran at about three times the usual rate (317 stories). Its coverage was about three times as grief-stricken as the world's.

Conflict & violence

Yemen

183 of its 223 stories (82%) were about people being harmed, usually 75%. Sanaa accounted for 87 of Yemen's 183 stories about harm, carried by 67 outlets. Reports of people injured ran at about twice the usual rate (95 stories). Its coverage was about twice as angry as the world's. Warmth in its coverage rose to about one and a half times its own usual.

Conflict & violence

Russia

780 of its 2,251 stories (35%) were about people being harmed, usually 29%. Reports of arrests ran at about three times the usual rate (169 stories). Natural hazards were named in 30 of its stories about harm, about 5 times usual. Its coverage was about one and a half times as fearful as the world's.

Protests & strikes

Congo

49 of its 66 stories (74%) were about people being harmed, usually 47%. 4 of Brazzaville's 4 stories were about protests or strikes. Its coverage was about three times as angry as the world's.

Rights & justice

Indonesia

270 of its 641 stories (42%) were about people being harmed, usually 34%. Reports of people injured ran at about 4 times the usual rate (37 stories). Heavy rain was named in 27 of its stories about harm, about 10 times usual, with road crashes.

Rights & justice

Poland

125 of its 411 stories (30%) were about people being harmed, usually 23%. Reports of refugees ran at more than ten times the usual rate (65 stories). Its coverage was about twice as angry as the world's.

Also named far more than usual: snowstorms in Spain (45 of its stories, more than ten times its usual); avalanche in Nepal (16 of its stories, about 7 times its usual); meningitis in Sierra Leone (11 of its stories, about 6 times its usual); hiv in Sri Lanka (13 of its stories, more than ten times its usual); storm surge in Denmark (22 of its stories, more than ten times its usual).

19 in 100 stories were about harm

usually 21; 20 the day before
25 in 10018 in 10031 Jan7 Feb14 Feb21 Feb29 Feb31 Jan: 22 in 1001 Feb: 20 in 1002 Feb: 19 in 1003 Feb: 19 in 1004 Feb: 20 in 1005 Feb: 20 in 1006 Feb: 24 in 1007 Feb: 21 in 1008 Feb: 20 in 1009 Feb: 20 in 10010 Feb: 18 in 10011 Feb: 20 in 10012 Feb: 20 in 10013 Feb: 23 in 10014 Feb: 22 in 10015 Feb: 21 in 10016 Feb: 20 in 10017 Feb: 20 in 10018 Feb: 20 in 10019 Feb: 21 in 10020 Feb: 23 in 10021 Feb: 25 in 10022 Feb: 21 in 10023 Feb: 20 in 10024 Feb: 20 in 10025 Feb: 20 in 10026 Feb: 20 in 10027 Feb: 21 in 10028 Feb: 20 in 10029 Feb: 19 in 100 · this day

Stories about people being harmed, in every 100 stories, the 30 days to 29 Feb. 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 46,364 stories about harm among 239,755 counted on 29 Feb.

Read the day's briefing

19 in every 100 of the day's 239,755 news stories were about people being harmed, below the usual 21.

Written by code from the day's numbers.

Where it happened

feelings in full →
Feelings Events Harm Warmth
Kabul, Afghanistan -- attacks & violence: 63 stories, carried by 47 outlets; harsh wording in 97 in 100Tegucigalpa, Honduras -- disease & outbreaks: 38 stories, carried by 44 outlets; harsh wording in 97 in 100Ramadi, Iraq -- attacks & violence: 76 stories, carried by 92 outlets; harsh wording in 45 in 100Lashkar, Pakistan -- attacks & violence: 41 stories, carried by 43 outlets; harsh wording in 95 in 100Bujumbura, Burundi -- attacks & violence: 69 stories, carried by 67 outlets; harsh wording in 97 in 100Hay River, Canada -- deaths, cause not given: 21 stories, carried by 45 outlets; harsh wording in 100 in 100Severnaya, Russia -- attacks & violence: 52 stories, carried by 120 outlets; harsh wording in 100 in 100Ankara, Türkiye -- attacks & violence: 137 stories, carried by 77 outlets; harsh wording in 94 in 100Lima, Peru -- attacks & violence: 102 stories, carried by 71 outlets; harsh wording in 99 in 100Riyadh, Saudi Arabia -- attacks & violence: 85 stories, carried by 88 outlets; harsh wording in 94 in 100Sanaa, Yemen -- attacks & violence: 87 stories, carried by 67 outlets; harsh wording in 100 in 100Jerusalem, Israel -- protests & strikes: 537 stories, carried by 132 outlets; harsh wording in 99 in 100Saskatchewan, Canada -- accidents & disasters: 38 stories, carried by 88 outlets; harsh wording in 97 in 100Baidoa, Somalia -- attacks & violence: 136 stories, carried by 121 outlets; harsh wording in 99 in 100Mogadishu, Somalia -- attacks & violence: 200 stories, carried by 136 outlets; harsh wording in 98 in 100Islamabad, Pakistan -- protests & strikes: 465 stories, carried by 313 outlets; harsh wording in 98 in 100Salt Lake City, US -- protests & strikes: 192 stories, carried by 333 outlets; harsh wording in 96 in 100Damascus, Syria -- attacks & violence: 295 stories, carried by 237 outlets; harsh wording in 100 in 100Athens, Greece -- protests & strikes: 362 stories, carried by 289 outlets; harsh wording in 100 in 100Tokyo, Japan -- accidents & disasters: 372 stories, carried by 296 outlets; harsh wording in 99 in 100Aleppo, Syria -- attacks & violence: 690 stories, carried by 462 outlets; harsh wording in 100 in 100Moscow, Russia -- attacks & violence: 512 stories, carried by 542 outlets; harsh wording in 98 in 100Baghdad, Iraq -- attacks & violence: 848 stories, carried by 608 outlets; harsh wording in 99 in 100Hollywood, US -- protests & strikes: 3,214 stories, carried by 2,109 outlets; harsh wording in 46 in 100
Attacks & violenceAccidents & disastersPeople displacedDeaths, cause not givenProtests & strikesDisease & outbreaks

The day's biggest events: attacks, accidents and disasters, people displaced, protests, outbreaks. Bigger dot: more stories. Ranked by the share of the day's outlets that reported it and how clearly it was about one thing, the same way for every place and year; the news data does not say who attacked whom, so both sides of a war appear where the news put them. Click a dot for its stories.

The day in three measures

How it felt 30 days →

harshwarm

The words in the day's stories were much softer than usual. Filled dot: today. Ring: usual.

● Angerabout as usual
● Warmtha little more than 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

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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.