← 19 May Saturday 20 May 2017 · to 23:59 UTC 21 May →
What the world's news said happened to people.
Counts of coverage, not of suffering
28,302 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 protests in Phnom Penh (Cambodia), a disaster in Jakarta and violence in Baghdad. Iraq's coverage was about three times as grief-stricken as the world's. Everywhere we counted, the words were softer than usual.

Part of lifeRights & justice 30 in 100 of the stories about harm · about as usual Country that rose mostRomania 59 in 100 of its 238 stories, usually 12
RegionSoutheast Asia 31 in 100 of its stories, usually 25
Tone of the words Softer than usual across the world's stories about harm

What the world's news was about today

how these are picked →
Protests & strikes

Cambodia

181 of its 262 stories (69%) were about people being harmed, usually 38%. 49 of Phnom Penh's 58 stories were about protests or strikes. Reports of people killed ran at about 4 times the usual rate (107 stories). Hunger was named in 108 of its stories about harm, about 7 times usual. Its coverage was about twice as warm as the world's.

Disasters & accidents

Indonesia

246 of its 393 stories (63%) were about people being harmed, usually 28%. Jakarta accounted for 141 of Indonesia's 246 stories about harm, carried by 115 outlets. Reports of evacuations ran at more than ten times the usual rate (18 stories). Volcanic eruption was named in 19 of its stories about harm, about 7 times usual.

Conflict & violence

Iraq

496 of its 651 stories (76%) were about people being harmed, usually 64%. Baghdad accounted for 353 of Iraq's 496 stories about harm, carried by 416 outlets. Reports of people injured ran at about 4 times the usual rate (333 stories). Its coverage was about three times as grief-stricken as the world's.

6 more places the news pointed at
Protests & strikes

Italy

263 of its 715 stories (37%) were about people being harmed, usually 20%. 33 of Milan's 56 stories were about protests or strikes. Reports of people affected ran at about 5 times the usual rate (150 stories). Measles was named in 39 of its stories about harm, about 4 times usual, with hepatitis, diphtheria and chickenpox. Its coverage was about one and a half times as warm as the world's.

Disasters & accidents

Norway

93 of its 198 stories (47%) were about people being harmed, usually 18%. Reports of refugees ran at about twice the usual rate (5 stories). Extreme cold was named in 17 of its stories about harm, more than ten times usual. Its coverage was about one and a half times as fearful as the world's. Warmth in its coverage rose to about one and a half times its own usual.

Protests & strikes

Palestine

608 of its 955 stories (64%) were about people being harmed, usually 47%. Ramallah accounted for 397 of Palestine's 608 stories about harm, carried by 32 outlets. 314 of Ramallah's 397 stories were about protests or strikes. Reports of people killed ran at about three times the usual rate (161 stories).

Conflict & violence

Libya

295 of its 332 stories (89%) were about people being harmed, usually 49%. Reports of refugees ran at about 7 times the usual rate (99 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.

Health

Ethiopia

103 of its 144 stories (72%) were about people being harmed, usually 35%. Reports of people killed ran at about 4 times the usual rate (93 stories). Ebola was named in 88 of its stories about harm, more than ten times usual, with cholera, outbreaks and bird flu.

Conflict & violence

Congo

109 of its 114 stories (96%) were about people being harmed, usually 79%. Reports of abductions ran at about three times the usual rate (5 stories). Its coverage was about 4 times as grief-stricken as the world's. Anger in its coverage rose to about twice its own usual.

Also named far more than usual: ebola in Ethiopia (88 of its stories, more than ten times its usual); train derailment in Germany (48 of its stories, more than ten times its usual); heatstroke in Armenia (13 of its stories, more than ten times its usual); measles in Italy (39 of its stories, about 4 times its usual); extreme cold in Norway (17 of its stories, more than ten times its usual).

22 in 100 stories were about harm

usually 21; 21 the day before
24 in 10019 in 10021 Apr28 Apr5 May12 May20 May21 Apr: 22 in 10022 Apr: 23 in 10023 Apr: 22 in 10024 Apr: 22 in 10025 Apr: 21 in 10026 Apr: 20 in 10027 Apr: 20 in 10028 Apr: 20 in 10029 Apr: 20 in 10030 Apr: 21 in 1001 May: 22 in 1002 May: 21 in 1003 May: 21 in 1004 May: 21 in 1005 May: 21 in 1006 May: 23 in 1007 May: 24 in 1008 May: 20 in 1009 May: 20 in 10010 May: 20 in 10011 May: 19 in 10012 May: 20 in 10013 May: 22 in 10014 May: 20 in 10015 May: 20 in 10016 May: 20 in 10017 May: 20 in 10018 May: 20 in 10019 May: 21 in 10020 May: 22 in 100 · this day

Stories about people being harmed, in every 100 stories, the 30 days to 20 May. 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 28,302 stories about harm among 131,340 counted on 20 May.

Read the day's briefing

Ethiopia's news mentioned Ebola more than ten times as often as usual. 22 in every 100 of the day's 131,340 news stories were about people being harmed, as usual. In Cambodia, 69% of the news was about people being harmed, where 38% is usual. A year earlier, on 20 May 2016, 20 in every 100 stories were about people being harmed, against 22 today.

Written by code from the day's numbers.

Where it happened

feelings in full →
Feelings Events Harm Warmth
Anadolu, Türkiye -- attacks & violence: 79 stories, carried by 81 outlets; harsh wording in 53 in 100Badrinath, India -- accidents & disasters: 84 stories, carried by 46 outlets; harsh wording in 88 in 100Islamabad, Pakistan -- attacks & violence: 165 stories, carried by 69 outlets; harsh wording in 97 in 100Phnom Penh, Cambodia -- protests & strikes: 58 stories, carried by 53 outlets; harsh wording in 93 in 100Raqqa, Syria -- protests & strikes: 98 stories, carried by 94 outlets; harsh wording in 99 in 100Paris, France -- attacks & violence: 183 stories, carried by 168 outlets; harsh wording in 54 in 100Tripoli, Libya -- attacks & violence: 118 stories, carried by 104 outlets; harsh wording in 98 in 100Beirut, Lebanon -- attacks & violence: 64 stories, carried by 67 outlets; harsh wording in 98 in 100Damascus, Syria -- attacks & violence: 121 stories, carried by 100 outlets; harsh wording in 99 in 100French Riviera, France -- attacks & violence: 74 stories, carried by 75 outlets; harsh wording in 99 in 100Cairo, Egypt -- protests & strikes: 98 stories, carried by 106 outlets; harsh wording in 94 in 100Zaman Khan, Pakistan -- attacks & violence: 62 stories, carried by 77 outlets; harsh wording in 100 in 100Jakarta, Indonesia -- accidents & disasters: 141 stories, carried by 115 outlets; harsh wording in 87 in 100Istanbul, Türkiye -- protests & strikes: 105 stories, carried by 102 outlets; harsh wording in 100 in 100Abuja, Nigeria -- attacks & violence: 119 stories, carried by 129 outlets; harsh wording in 89 in 100Kabul, Afghanistan -- attacks & violence: 154 stories, carried by 126 outlets; harsh wording in 97 in 100Melbourne, Australia -- protests & strikes: 154 stories, carried by 250 outlets; harsh wording in 95 in 100Tehran, Iran -- attacks & violence: 832 stories, carried by 499 outlets; harsh wording in 47 in 100Caracas, Venezuela -- protests & strikes: 208 stories, carried by 175 outlets; harsh wording in 99 in 100Baton Rouge, US -- protests & strikes: 146 stories, carried by 209 outlets; harsh wording in 95 in 100Chibok, Nigeria -- attacks & violence: 317 stories, carried by 286 outlets; harsh wording in 88 in 100Washington, US -- attacks & violence: 1,244 stories, carried by 980 outlets; harsh wording in 82 in 100Baghdad, Iraq -- attacks & violence: 353 stories, carried by 416 outlets; harsh wording in 100 in 100Riyadh, Saudi Arabia -- attacks & violence: 1,252 stories, carried by 857 outlets; harsh wording in 53 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 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?

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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.