← 19 Aug Saturday 20 August 2016 · to 23:59 UTC 21 Aug →
What the world's news said happened to people.
Counts of coverage, not of suffering
33,304 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 news turned to violence in Putumayo, protests in Islamabad (Pakistan) and people displaced in Juba. Pakistan's coverage was about twice as fearful as the world's. Everywhere we counted, the words were much softer than usual.

Reports of people falling ill ran at about twice the usual rate, most often about Haiti and the US → Help and hope: reports of peace efforts ran at about twice the usual rate →
Part of lifeRights & justice 26 in 100 of the stories about harm · less than usual Country that rose mostColombia 75 in 100 of its 310 stories, usually 29
RegionEast Asia 20 in 100 of its stories, usually 15
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 →
Conflict & violence

Colombia

234 of its 310 stories (75%) were about people being harmed, usually 29%. Putumayo accounted for 149 of Colombia's 234 stories about harm, carried by 137 outlets. Reports of people displaced ran at more than ten times the usual rate (135 stories). Its coverage was about one and a half times as warm as the world's. Anger in its coverage rose to about twice its own usual.

Colombia over 30 days → its stories → Putumayo stories →
Protests & strikes

Pakistan

1,371 of its 2,215 stories (62%) were about people being harmed, usually 53%. 676 of Islamabad's 864 stories were about protests or strikes. Reports of arrests ran at about three times the usual rate (663 stories). Its coverage was about twice as fearful as the world's.

Pakistan over 30 days → its stories → Islamabad stories →
Displacement

South Sudan

144 of its 177 stories (81%) were about people being harmed, usually 70%. Juba accounted for 130 of South Sudan's 144 stories about harm, carried by 140 outlets. Reports of people displaced ran at about 4 times the usual rate (109 stories). Its coverage was about one and a half times as warm as the world's. Fear in its coverage rose to about one and a half times its own usual.

South Sudan over 30 days → its stories → Juba stories →
6 more places the news pointed at
Protests & strikes

Uganda

17 of Kivu's 26 stories were about protests or strikes. Reports of people killed ran at about twice the usual rate (34 stories). Plague was named in 17 of its stories about harm, more than ten times usual. Its coverage was about twice as grief-stricken as the world's.

its stories →
Conflict & violence

Saudi Arabia

179 of its 374 stories (48%) were about people being harmed, usually 34%. Reports of evacuations ran at more than ten times the usual rate (29 stories). Its coverage was about twice as grief-stricken as the world's.

its stories →
Conflict & violence

Norway

62 of its 157 stories (39%) were about people being harmed, usually 24%. Reports of arrests ran at about 9 times the usual rate (39 stories). Its coverage was about one and a half times as warm as the world's.

its stories →
Conflict & violence

Sudan

51 of its 73 stories (70%) were about people being harmed, usually 60%. Reports of arrests ran at about three times the usual rate (11 stories). Its coverage was about one and a half times as fearful as the world's.

its stories →
Conflict & violence

Philippines

660 of its 1,848 stories (36%) were about people being harmed, usually 30%. Drownings were named in 31 of its stories about harm, about 5 times usual. 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.

its stories →
Conflict & violence

Yemen

Sanaa accounted for 143 of Yemen's 199 stories about harm, carried by 132 outlets. Reports of evacuations ran at about twice the usual rate (15 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.

its stories →

Also named far more than usual: tsunami in Japan (148 of its stories, about 7 times its usual); heavy rain in India (489 of its stories, about three times its usual); plague in Uganda (17 of its stories, more than ten times its usual); landslides in Vietnam (10 of its stories, about 4 times its usual); cholera in Ethiopia (10 of its stories, more than ten times its usual).

22 in 100 stories were about harm

usually 22; 20 the day before
25 in 10020 in 10022 Jul29 Jul5 Aug12 Aug20 Aug22 Jul: 21 in 10023 Jul: 24 in 10024 Jul: 24 in 10025 Jul: 22 in 10026 Jul: 21 in 10027 Jul: 20 in 10028 Jul: 20 in 10029 Jul: 21 in 10030 Jul: 25 in 10031 Jul: 24 in 1001 Aug: 22 in 1002 Aug: 21 in 1003 Aug: 21 in 1004 Aug: 21 in 1005 Aug: 21 in 1006 Aug: 22 in 1007 Aug: 22 in 1008 Aug: 20 in 1009 Aug: 20 in 10010 Aug: 20 in 10011 Aug: 20 in 10012 Aug: 20 in 10013 Aug: 22 in 10014 Aug: 24 in 10015 Aug: 23 in 10016 Aug: 22 in 10017 Aug: 22 in 10018 Aug: 21 in 10019 Aug: 20 in 10020 Aug: 22 in 100 · this day

Stories about people being harmed, in every 100 stories, the 30 days to 20 Aug. 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 33,304 stories about harm among 152,889 counted on 20 Aug.

Read the day's briefing

Reports of peace efforts, a sign of help, ran at about twice the usual rate. 22 in every 100 of the day's 152,889 news stories were about people being harmed, as usual. In Colombia, 75% of the news was about people being harmed, where 29% is usual. People falling ill were reported at about twice the usual rate, most often about Haiti and the US. Mentions of the tsunami ran about 7 times their usual in Japan's news.

Written by code from the day's numbers.

Where harm was most of the news all →

Libya82 in 100 of its 133 stories · usually 69 · mostly conflict & violence South Sudan81 in 100 of its 177 stories · usually 70 · mostly displacement Haiti79 in 100 of its 329 stories · usually 42 · mostly health Colombia75 in 100 of its 310 stories · usually 29 · mostly conflict & violence Afghanistan75 in 100 of its 626 stories · usually 73 · mostly conflict & violence

Countries with at least 50 stories that day.

Where people protested

Islamabad Pakistan676 stories about protests or strikes, of its 864 Washington US163 stories about protests or strikes, of its 1150 Nablus Palestine152 stories about protests or strikes, of its 157 Delhi India147 stories about protests or strikes, of its 855 Aleppo Syria128 stories about protests or strikes, of its 531

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: 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: too little coverage to readUruguay: about as warm as its own usual or lessMicronesia: about as warm as its own usual or lessU.S. Virgin Islands: about as warm as its own usual or lessGuam: too little coverage to readPuerto Rico: about as warm as its own usual or lessUnited 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 lessUnited Arab Emirates: 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 lessTurkey: 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: too little coverage to readTimor-Leste: too little coverage to readThailand: about as warm as its own usual or lessTanzania: about as warm as its own usual or lessTajikistan: too little coverage to readSyria: about as warm as its own usual or lessSweden: about as warm as its own usual or lessEswatini: too little coverage to readSuriname: too little coverage to readSudan: 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 lessSomalia: about as warm as its own usual or lessSomaliland: too little coverage to readSolomon Islands: about as warm as its own usual or lessSlovakia: too little coverage to readSlovenia: about as warm as its own usual or lessSingapore: about as warm as its own usual or lessSierra Leone: about as warm as its own usual or lessSeychelles: too little coverage to readSerbia: too little coverage to readSenegal: about as warm as its own usual or lessSaudi Arabia: 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: too little coverage to readSt. Lucia: about as warm as its own usual or lessRwanda: about as warm as its own usual or lessRussia: 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 lessPeru: about as warm as its own usual or lessParaguay: about as warm as its own usual or lessPapua New Guinea: 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: about as warm as its own usual or lessNorth Korea: too little coverage to readNigeria: about as warm as its own usual or lessNiger: about as warm as its own usual or lessNew Zealand: about as warm as its own usual or lessNiue: too little coverage to readCuraçao: too little coverage to readNepal: about as warm as its own usual or lessNamibia: about as warm as its own usual or lessMozambique: about as warm as its own usual or lessMorocco: about as warm as its own usual or lessWestern Sahara: too little coverage to readMontenegro: too little coverage to readMongolia: about as warm as its own usual or lessMoldova: 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 lessMalawi: about as warm as its own usual or lessMadagascar: about as warm as its own usual or lessNorth Macedonia: about as warm as its own usual or lessLuxembourg: about as warm as its own usual or lessLithuania: about as warm as its own usual or lessLibya: 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: too little coverage to readKyrgyzstan: too little coverage to readKuwait: 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: too little coverage to readItaly: about as warm as its own usual or lessIsrael: about as warm as its own usual or lessIraq: about as warm as its own usual or lessIran: 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 lessHaiti: about as warm as its own usual or lessGuyana: 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: about as warm as its own usual or lessGreece: about as warm as its own usual or lessGhana: about as warm as its own usual or lessGeorgia: too little coverage to readGambia: 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: about as warm as its own usual or lessFrench 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: about as warm as its own usual or lessEritrea: too little coverage to readEquatorial 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: about as warm as its own usual or lessDominican Republic: too little coverage to readDominica: about as warm as its own usual or lessDjibouti: about as warm as its own usual or lessGreenland: about as warm as its own usual or lessFaroe Islands: too little coverage to readDenmark: about as warm as its own usual or lessCzech 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: about as warm as its own usual or lessCosta Rica: about as warm as its own usual or lessDR Congo: about as warm as its own usual or lessCongo: about as warm as its own usual or lessComoros: too little coverage to readChina: about as warm as its own usual or lessChile: about as warm as its own usual or lessChad: about as warm as its own usual or lessCentral 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 lessCambodia: 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 lessBurkina Faso: too little coverage to readBulgaria: 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 readBelarus: too little coverage to readBarbados: 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 lessAzerbaijan: about as warm as its own usual or lessAustria: about as warm as its own usual or lessAustralia: 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: too little coverage to readAndorra: too little coverage to readAlbania: 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 lessWestern Sahara (Moroccan-controlled): too little coverage to readWestern Sahara (Free Zone): too little coverage to readAzad 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 lessAzad Kashmir & Gilgit-Baltistan: about as warm as its own usual or lessVatican City: too little coverage to readMarshall Islands: about as warm as its own usual or lessNorthern 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: too little coverage to readBritish Virgin Islands: too little coverage to readTurks & Caicos Islands: too little coverage to readMontserrat: too little coverage to readJersey: 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: about as warm as its own usual or lessCook Islands: too little coverage to readAruba: too little coverage to readNauru: about as warm as its own usual or lessMonaco: too little coverage to readLiechtenstein: too little coverage to readWallis & Futuna: too little coverage to readSt. Martin: too little coverage to readSt. Barthélemy: too little coverage to readMacao: about as warm as its own usual or lessNorfolk Island: too little coverage to readSint Maarten: too little coverage to readChristmas Island: too little coverage to readGibraltar: about as warm as its own usual or lessMayotte: too little coverage to readYemen: warmth about one and a half times its own usualTaiwan: warmth about one and a half times its own usualSwitzerland: warmth about its own usualSouth Sudan: warmth about its own usualSpain: warmth about its own usualRomania: warmth about its own usualPhilippines: warmth about one and a half times its own usualNorway: warmth about one and a half times its own usualNicaragua: warmth about one and a half times its own usualNetherlands: warmth about its own usualMexico: warmth about its own usualMalaysia: warmth about its own usualJamaica: warmth about its own usualPalestine: warmth about its own usualIreland: warmth about its own usualHonduras: warmth about its own usualGermany: warmth about its own usualFrance: warmth about its own usualColombia: warmth about one and a half times its own usualHong Kong: warmth about its own usualBelize: warmth about its own usualBelgium: warmth about its own usualAngola: warmth about its own usualAlgeria: warmth about its own usualPalestine: warmth about its own usualPalestine: warmth about its own usualPalestine: warmth about its own usualMaldives: warmth about its own usualCorpus Christi, US -- health: 44 stories, carried by 52 outletsTarin Kowt, Afghanistan -- conflict & violence: 12 stories, carried by 128 outletsClark Air Base, Philippines -- conflict & violence: 11 stories, carried by 28 outletsGurdaspur, India -- conflict & violence: 37 stories, carried by 30 outletsOslo, Norway -- conflict & violence: 34 stories, carried by 34 outletsPutumayo, Colombia -- conflict & violence: 149 stories, carried by 137 outletsJuba, South Sudan -- displacement: 130 stories, carried by 140 outletsRensselaer County, US -- food & livelihood: 39 stories, carried by 43 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

● Norway warmth about one and a half times usual ● Yemen warmth about one and a half times usual ● Philippines warmth about one and a half times usual ● Colombia warmth about one and a half times usual ● Taiwan warmth about one and a half times usual ● Nicaragua warmth about one and a half times usual

Warmest events

● Corpus Christi US about twice as warm as the day's news · health · 44 stories ● Tarin Kowt Afghanistan about twice as warm as the day's news · conflict & violence · 12 stories ● Clark Air Base Philippines about twice as warm as the day's news · conflict & violence · 11 stories ● Gurdaspur India about twice as warm as the day's news · conflict & violence · 37 stories ● Oslo Norway about twice as warm as the day's news · conflict & violence · 34 stories

The day in three measures

Parts of life 30 days →

Rights & justice26% 8,653 stories · less than usual (usually 29%) Conflict & violence22% 7,362 stories · about as usual Health20% 6,451 stories · about as usual Disasters & accidents18% 5,754 stories · more than usual (usually 15%) Deaths & injuries, cause not given6% 2,083 stories · about as usual Food & livelihood3% 876 stories · about as usual Shelter & services3% 870 stories · about as usual Displacement2% 779 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 killed11,472 at about the usual rate Stories reporting arrests4,190 at about the usual rate Stories reporting people affected3,281 at about the usual rate Stories reporting people injured3,132 at about the usual rate Stories reporting refugees637 at about the usual rate Stories reporting abductions539 at about the usual rate Stories reporting people displaced484 at about one and a half times the usual rate · most about Colombia and South Sudan Stories reporting evacuations281 at about half the usual rate · most about the US and Syria Stories reporting people falling ill155 at about twice the usual rate · most about Haiti and the US

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

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
● 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.