← 18 Dec Monday 19 December 2016 · to 23:59 UTC 20 Dec →
What the world's news said happened to people.
Counts of coverage, not of suffering
50,025 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 →

Most of the day's attention went to house fires in Jordan, protests in Hanoi (Vietnam) and the earthquake in Ecuador. Jordan's coverage was about three times as angry as the world's. Worldwide, the words used were much harsher than usual.

Reports of evacuations ran at about three times the usual rate, most often about Syria and Germany →
Part of lifeRights & justice 25 in 100 of the stories about harm · less than usual Country that rose mostJordan 76 in 100 of its 1,048 stories, usually 26
RegionMiddle East & North Africa 52 in 100 of its stories, usually 47
Tone of the words Much harsher than usual across the world's stories about harm

What the world's news was about today

how these are picked →
Conflict & violence

Jordan

793 of its 1,048 stories (76%) were about people being harmed, usually 26%. Karak accounted for 465 of Jordan's 793 stories about harm, carried by 411 outlets. Reports of people injured ran at about 8 times the usual rate (485 stories). House fires were named in 260 of its stories about harm, about three times usual. Its coverage was about three times as angry as the world's.

Protests & strikes

Vietnam

203 of its 561 stories (36%) were about people being harmed, usually 19%. 101 of Hanoi's 123 stories were about protests or strikes. Reports of evacuations ran at about 10 times the usual rate (10 stories). Tropical storm was named in 30 of its stories about harm, more than ten times usual.

Disasters & accidents

Ecuador

119 of its 155 stories (77%) were about people being harmed, usually 25%. Reports of people killed ran at about 7 times the usual rate (97 stories). Earthquake was named in 97 of its stories about harm, about 4 times usual, with tsunami and power cuts.

6 more places the news pointed at
Conflict & violence

Türkiye

1,715 of its 3,038 stories (56%) were about people being harmed, usually 40%. Ankara accounted for 1,355 of Türkiye's 1,715 stories about harm, carried by 1,015 outlets. Reports of people injured ran at about three times the usual rate (835 stories). Its coverage was about twice as angry as the world's.

Protests & strikes

South Korea

413 of its 1,484 stories (28%) were about people being harmed, usually 17%. 247 of Seoul's 344 stories were about protests or strikes. Reports of abductions ran at more than ten times the usual rate (27 stories). Hypothermia was named in 29 of its stories about harm, more than ten times usual, with hunger.

Conflict & violence

Somalia

197 of its 252 stories (78%) were about people being harmed, usually 67%. Qoryooley accounted for 112 of Somalia's 197 stories about harm, carried by 158 outlets. Building collapse was named in 13 of its stories about harm, about 5 times usual, with measles. Its coverage was about twice as grief-stricken as the world's.

Disasters & accidents

Fiji

125 of its 212 stories (59%) were about people being harmed, usually 25%. Reports of evacuations ran at about 9 times the usual rate (23 stories). Heavy rain was named in 57 of its stories about harm, about three times usual, with landslides.

Conflict & violence

Germany

1,583 of its 3,183 stories (50%) were about people being harmed, usually 24%. Berlin accounted for 1,347 of Germany's 1,583 stories about harm, carried by 1,033 outlets. Reports of evacuations ran at more than ten times the usual rate (133 stories).

Protests & strikes

DR Congo

40 of its 53 stories (75%) were about people being harmed, usually 37%. 25 of Kinshasa's 28 stories were about protests or strikes. Reports of arrests ran at about 4 times the usual rate (24 stories).

Also named far more than usual: heavy rain in Fiji (57 of its stories, about three times its usual); train derailment in Cuba (26 of its stories, more than ten times its usual); hunger in Myanmar (33 of its stories, more than ten times its usual); poisoning in Russia (256 of its stories, more than ten times its usual); hurricane in France (58 of its stories, more than ten times its usual).

21 in 100 stories were about harm

usually 21; 25 the day before
25 in 10020 in 10020 Nov27 Nov4 Dec11 Dec19 Dec20 Nov: 22 in 10021 Nov: 21 in 10022 Nov: 22 in 10023 Nov: 20 in 10024 Nov: 21 in 10025 Nov: 21 in 10026 Nov: 23 in 10027 Nov: 23 in 10028 Nov: 20 in 10029 Nov: 20 in 10030 Nov: 20 in 1001 Dec: 20 in 1002 Dec: 20 in 1003 Dec: 22 in 1004 Dec: 22 in 1005 Dec: 20 in 1006 Dec: 20 in 1007 Dec: 21 in 1008 Dec: 20 in 1009 Dec: 21 in 10010 Dec: 23 in 10011 Dec: 22 in 10012 Dec: 20 in 10013 Dec: 20 in 10014 Dec: 20 in 10015 Dec: 20 in 10016 Dec: 21 in 10017 Dec: 23 in 10018 Dec: 25 in 10019 Dec: 21 in 100 · this day

Stories about people being harmed, in every 100 stories, the 30 days to 19 Dec. 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 50,025 stories about harm among 236,594 counted on 19 Dec.

Read the day's briefing

Jordan's news was 76% about people being harmed, against a usual 26%. of the day's 236,594 news stories, 21 in every 100 were about people being harmed, as usual. Evacuations were reported at about three times the usual rate, most often about Syria and Germany. It was the second day running that the news turned to Jordan. In Ecuador's news, mentions of the earthquake ran about 4 times their usual.

Written by code from the day's numbers.

Where it happened

feelings in full →
Feelings Events Harm Warmth
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia -- attacks & violence: 115 stories, carried by 84 outlets; harsh wording in 99 in 100Pathankot, India -- attacks & violence: 177 stories, carried by 93 outlets; harsh wording in 97 in 100Jerusalem, Israel -- attacks & violence: 315 stories, carried by 192 outlets; harsh wording in 93 in 100Hanoi, Vietnam -- protests & strikes: 123 stories, carried by 112 outlets; harsh wording in 98 in 100Maiduguri, Nigeria -- attacks & violence: 123 stories, carried by 111 outlets; harsh wording in 92 in 100Tiksi, Russia -- accidents & disasters: 201 stories, carried by 175 outlets; harsh wording in 100 in 100Denver, US -- accidents & disasters: 220 stories, carried by 249 outlets; harsh wording in 80 in 100Anadolu, Türkiye -- attacks & violence: 144 stories, carried by 155 outlets; harsh wording in 98 in 100Boston, US -- deaths, cause not given: 369 stories, carried by 369 outlets; harsh wording in 85 in 100Baghdad, Iraq -- attacks & violence: 100 stories, carried by 144 outlets; harsh wording in 97 in 100Bolivar, Venezuela -- protests & strikes: 182 stories, carried by 161 outlets; harsh wording in 99 in 100Luhansk, Ukraine -- attacks & violence: 78 stories, carried by 130 outlets; harsh wording in 100 in 100Qoryooley, Somalia -- attacks & violence: 112 stories, carried by 158 outlets; harsh wording in 100 in 100Jakarta, Indonesia -- protests & strikes: 159 stories, carried by 246 outlets; harsh wording in 90 in 100Tripoli, Libya -- attacks & violence: 138 stories, carried by 181 outlets; harsh wording in 100 in 100Seoul, South Korea -- protests & strikes: 344 stories, carried by 256 outlets; harsh wording in 97 in 100Moscow, Russia -- attacks & violence: 746 stories, carried by 518 outlets; harsh wording in 97 in 100Zurich, Switzerland -- attacks & violence: 248 stories, carried by 313 outlets; harsh wording in 100 in 100Sanaa, Yemen -- attacks & violence: 125 stories, carried by 252 outlets; harsh wording in 100 in 100Amman, Jordan -- attacks & violence: 247 stories, carried by 287 outlets; harsh wording in 99 in 100Karak, Jordan -- attacks & violence: 465 stories, carried by 411 outlets; harsh wording in 100 in 100Berlin, Germany -- attacks & violence: 1,347 stories, carried by 1,033 outlets; harsh wording in 99 in 100Aleppo, Syria -- people displaced: 2,707 stories, carried by 1,393 outlets; harsh wording in 98 in 100Ankara, Türkiye -- attacks & violence: 1,355 stories, carried by 1,015 outlets; harsh wording in 97 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 harsher than usual. Filled dot: today. Ring: usual.

● Angerabout as usual
● Warmthabout as usual
● Griefa little more than 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.