← 22 Oct Sunday 23 October 2016 · to 23:59 UTC 24 Oct →
What the world's news said happened to people.
Counts of coverage, not of suffering
29,801 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 a disaster in Douala, violence in Ouagadougou and protests in Mutakura (Burundi). Burkina Faso's coverage was about 4 times as grief-stricken as the world's. Across the world, the tone of the words was harsher than usual.

Help and hope: reports of people freed or reunited ran at about one and a half times the usual rate →
Part of lifeRights & justice 27 in 100 of the stories about harm · about as usual Country that rose mostCameroon 93 in 100 of its 460 stories, usually 54
RegionEast Asia 27 in 100 of its stories, usually 16
Tone of the words Harsher than usual across the world's stories about harm

What the world's news was about today

how these are picked →
Disasters & accidents

Cameroon

429 of its 460 stories (93%) were about people being harmed, usually 54%. Douala accounted for 193 of Cameroon's 429 stories about harm, carried by 119 outlets. Reports of people injured ran at about twice the usual rate (390 stories). Its coverage was about three times as grief-stricken as the world's.

Cameroon over 30 days → its stories → Douala stories →
Conflict & violence

Burkina Faso

98 of its 103 stories (95%) were about people being harmed, usually 43%. Ouagadougou accounted for 97 of Burkina Faso's 98 stories about harm, carried by 115 outlets. Reports of people affected ran at about 6 times the usual rate (10 stories). Its coverage was about 4 times as grief-stricken as the world's.

Burkina Faso over 30 days → its stories → Ouagadougou stories →
Protests & strikes

Burundi

49 of its 54 stories (91%) were about people being harmed, usually 76%. 28 of Mutakura's 28 stories were about protests or strikes. Reports of arrests ran at more than ten times the usual rate (12 stories). Its coverage was about one and a half times as angry as the world's.

Burundi over 30 days → its stories → Mutakura stories →
Rights & justice

Qatar

98 of its 391 stories (25%) were about people being harmed, usually 9%. Reports of people killed ran at about 8 times the usual rate (80 stories). Its coverage was about three times as grief-stricken as the world's.

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

Syria

859 of its 1,075 stories (80%) were about people being harmed, usually 74%. Aleppo accounted for 612 of Syria's 859 stories about harm, carried by 410 outlets. Reports of evacuations ran at about three times the usual rate (46 stories). Its coverage was about twice as angry as the world's.

its stories →
Disasters & accidents

Japan

735 of its 1,441 stories (51%) were about people being harmed, usually 16%. Reports of people injured ran at more than ten times the usual rate (494 stories). Its coverage was about twice as grief-stricken as the world's.

its stories →
Conflict & violence

Uruguay

56 of its 64 stories (88%) were about people being harmed, usually 41%. Montevideo accounted for 43 of Uruguay's 56 stories about harm, carried by 46 outlets. Reports of refugees ran at more than ten times the usual rate (19 stories).

its stories →
Conflict & violence

Somalia

366 of its 441 stories (83%) were about people being harmed, usually 68%. Reports of abductions ran at about 5 times the usual rate (126 stories). Its coverage was about one and a half times as angry as the world's.

its stories →
Protests & strikes

Romania

29 of its 85 stories (34%) were about people being harmed, usually 15%. 10 of Bucharest's 14 stories were about protests or strikes. Reports of people killed ran at about three times the usual rate (18 stories).

its stories →
Conflict & violence

France

324 of its 1,144 stories (28%) were about people being harmed, usually 17%. Reports of refugees ran at more than ten times the usual rate (114 stories). Wildfires were named in 76 of its stories about harm, more than ten times usual.

its stories →

Also named far more than usual: heavy rain in Niger (16 of its stories, more than ten times its usual); typhoon in Hong Kong (16 of its stories, about three times its usual); wildfires in France (76 of its stories, more than ten times its usual); cholera in Angola (12 of its stories, more than ten times its usual); polio in Iraq (231 of its stories, more than ten times its usual).

21 in 100 stories were about harm

usually 22; 22 the day before
26 in 10019 in 10024 Sep1 Oct8 Oct15 Oct23 Oct24 Sep: 23 in 10025 Sep: 23 in 10026 Sep: 20 in 10027 Sep: 21 in 10028 Sep: 21 in 10029 Sep: 22 in 10030 Sep: 21 in 1001 Oct: 22 in 1002 Oct: 23 in 1003 Oct: 21 in 1004 Oct: 20 in 1005 Oct: 21 in 1006 Oct: 22 in 1007 Oct: 23 in 1008 Oct: 24 in 1009 Oct: 26 in 10010 Oct: 22 in 10011 Oct: 21 in 10012 Oct: 21 in 10013 Oct: 21 in 10014 Oct: 20 in 10015 Oct: 23 in 10016 Oct: 22 in 10017 Oct: 21 in 10018 Oct: 20 in 10019 Oct: 20 in 10020 Oct: 19 in 10021 Oct: 20 in 10022 Oct: 22 in 10023 Oct: 21 in 100 · this day

Stories about people being harmed, in every 100 stories, the 30 days to 23 Oct. 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 29,801 stories about harm among 140,265 counted on 23 Oct.

Read the day's briefing

Mentions of heavy rain ran more than ten times their usual in Niger's news. of the day's 140,265 news stories, 21 in every 100 were about people being harmed, as usual. the news turned to Cameroon for the third day running. Help and hope: reports of people freed or reunited ran at about one and a half times the usual rate. In Cameroon, 93% of the news was about people being harmed, where 54% is usual. This week the news turned most often to Cameroon, on 3 of 7 days; help rose on 3 of them.

Written by code from the day's numbers.

Where harm was most of the news all →

Burkina Faso95 in 100 of its 103 stories · usually 43 · mostly conflict & violence Cameroon93 in 100 of its 460 stories · usually 54 · mostly disasters & accidents Burundi91 in 100 of its 54 stories · usually 76 · mostly rights & justice Uruguay88 in 100 of its 64 stories · usually 41 · mostly conflict & violence Somalia83 in 100 of its 441 stories · usually 68 · mostly conflict & violence

Countries with at least 50 stories that day.

Where people protested

Morton County US210 stories about protests or strikes, of its 213 Washington US155 stories about protests or strikes, of its 791 Chicago US119 stories about protests or strikes, of its 241 Philadelphia US118 stories about protests or strikes, of its 320 North Carolina US106 stories about protests or strikes, of its 121

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 lessYemen: about as warm as its own usual or lessVietnam: 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: too little coverage to readU.S. Virgin Islands: about as warm as its own usual or lessGuam: about as warm as its own usual or lessPuerto 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 lessUnited Arab Emirates: 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: 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: 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: about as warm as its own usual or lessSpain: about as warm as its own usual or lessSouth 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: too little coverage to readSlovakia: 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: about as warm as its own usual or lessSerbia: 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 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: about as warm as its own usual or lessParaguay: about as warm as its own usual or lessPapua New Guinea: about as warm as its own usual or lessPanama: too little coverage to readPalau: about as warm as its own usual or lessPakistan: about as warm as its own usual or lessOman: about as warm as its own usual or lessNorway: 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 lessNicaragua: about as warm as its own usual or lessNew Zealand: too little coverage to readNiue: 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: 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: too little coverage to readMoldova: about as warm as its own usual or lessMexico: about as warm as its own usual or lessMauritius: about as warm as its own usual or lessMauritania: 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: too little coverage to readMadagascar: about as warm as its own usual or lessNorth Macedonia: about as warm as its own usual or lessLuxembourg: too little coverage to readLithuania: 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: too little coverage to readLatvia: too little coverage to readLaos: too little coverage to readKyrgyzstan: 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: too little coverage to readKazakhstan: too little coverage to readJapan: about as warm as its own usual or lessItaly: about as warm as its own usual or lessIsrael: too little coverage to readPalestine: about as warm as its own usual or lessIreland: 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 lessIndia: about as warm as its own usual or lessIceland: about as warm as its own usual or lessHonduras: about as warm as its own usual or lessGuyana: about as warm as its own usual or lessGuinea-Bissau: too little coverage to readGuinea: too little coverage to readGuatemala: about as warm as its own usual or lessGrenada: too little coverage to readGhana: 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 readFrance: about as warm as its own usual or lessSt 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: about as warm as its own usual or lessDominican Republic: too little coverage to readDominica: too little coverage to readDjibouti: too little coverage to readGreenland: 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: about as warm as its own usual or lessCosta Rica: about as warm as its own usual or lessDR 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 lessHong Kong: about as warm as its own usual or lessChile: too little coverage to readChad: about as warm as its own usual or lessCentral African Republic: too little coverage to readCape 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: too little coverage to readBurundi: about as warm as its own usual or lessBurkina Faso: about as warm as its own usual or lessBulgaria: too little coverage to readBrunei: about as warm as its own usual or lessBotswana: about as warm as its own usual or lessBosnia and Herzegovina: about as warm as its own usual or lessBolivia: about as warm as its own usual or lessBhutan: too little coverage to readBenin: about as warm as its own usual or lessBelize: 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: about as warm as its own usual or lessBangladesh: 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 readAngola: about as warm as its own usual or lessAndorra: too little coverage to readAlgeria: about as warm as its own usual or lessAlbania: 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 lessGaza: about as warm as its own usual or lessWest Bank: 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 lessEast Jerusalem: about as warm as its own usual or lessAzad Kashmir & Gilgit-Baltistan: about as warm as its own usual or lessVatican City: about as warm as its own usual or lessMarshall Islands: too little coverage to readNorthern Mariana Islands: too little coverage to readAmerican Samoa: about as warm as its own usual or lessChagos 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: too little coverage to readJersey: about as warm as its own usual or lessGuernsey: too little coverage to readSan Marino: too little coverage to readSt Kitts & Nevis: too little coverage to readCook Islands: too little coverage to readAruba: too little coverage to readNauru: too little coverage to readMonaco: 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 readVenezuela: warmth about its own usualUkraine: warmth about its own usualThailand: warmth about its own usualTaiwan: warmth about one and a half times its own usualSwitzerland: warmth about its own usualJordan: warmth about its own usualJamaica: warmth about its own usualIndonesia: warmth about its own usualHungary: warmth about its own usualHaiti: warmth about one and a half times its own usualGreece: warmth about its own usualGermany: warmth about its own usualDenmark: warmth about its own usualChina: warmth about its own usualBrazil: warmth about its own usualBahrain: warmth about its own usualChina: warmth about its own usualUkraine: warmth about its own usualUtah, US -- rights & justice: 25 stories, carried by 44 outletsLong Island, US -- shelter & services: 23 stories, carried by 23 outletsZurich, Switzerland -- health: 25 stories, carried by 13 outletsSunshine Coast, Australia -- disasters & accidents: 31 stories, carried by 31 outletsLahore, Pakistan -- conflict & violence: 33 stories, carried by 25 outletsGwadar, Pakistan -- conflict & violence: 14 stories, carried by 11 outletsVancouver, Canada -- health: 13 stories, carried by 19 outletsMuskrat Falls, Canada -- rights & justice: 28 stories, carried by 46 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

● Taiwan warmth about one and a half times usual ● Haiti warmth about one and a half times usual

Warmest events

● Utah US about twice as warm as the day's news · rights & justice · 25 stories ● Long Island US about twice as warm as the day's news · shelter & services · 23 stories ● Zurich Switzerland about twice as warm as the day's news · health · 25 stories ● Sunshine Coast Australia about twice as warm as the day's news · disasters & accidents · 31 stories ● Lahore Pakistan about one and a half times as warm as the day's news · conflict & violence · 33 stories

The day in three measures

Parts of life 30 days →

Rights & justice27% 8,015 stories · about as usual Conflict & violence25% 7,227 stories · about as usual Health18% 5,138 stories · about as usual Disasters & accidents15% 4,531 stories · about as usual Deaths & injuries, cause not given8% 2,325 stories · more than usual (usually 6%) Displacement3% 920 stories · about as usual Shelter & services3% 805 stories · about as usual Food & livelihood1% 382 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 killed10,059 at about the usual rate Stories reporting people injured3,817 at about one and a half times the usual rate · most about the US and Japan Stories reporting arrests3,791 at about the usual rate Stories reporting people affected3,545 at about the usual rate Stories reporting refugees656 at about the usual rate Stories reporting evacuations504 at about two-thirds of the usual rate · most about the US and the UK Stories reporting abductions491 at about the usual rate Stories reporting people displaced428 at about the usual rate Stories reporting people falling ill12 at less than a quarter of the usual rate · most about the US and Ireland

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 harsher than usual. Filled dot: today. Ring: usual.

● Angerabout as usual
● Warmthabout as usual
● Griefabout as usual
● Feara little less than 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

Read the week →

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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.