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What the world's news said happened to people.
Counts of coverage, not of suffering
50,889 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 Freetown, deaths in Funchal and violence in Mopti. Sierra Leone's coverage was about three times as grief-stricken as the world's. Taken together, the world's news read harsher than usual.

Part of lifeRights & justice 37 in 100 of the stories about harm · much more than usual Country that rose mostPortugal 87 in 100 of its 779 stories, usually 33
RegionSub-Saharan Africa 38 in 100 of its stories, usually 30
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

Sierra Leone

1,084 of its 1,143 stories (95%) were about people being harmed, usually 46%. Freetown accounted for 1,016 of Sierra Leone's 1,084 stories about harm, carried by 1,027 outlets. Reports of people affected ran at more than ten times the usual rate (567 stories). Cholera was named in 387 of its stories about harm, about 5 times usual, with earthquake. Its coverage was about three times as grief-stricken as the world's. Fear in its coverage rose to about one and a half times its own usual.

Sierra Leone over 30 days → its stories → Freetown stories →
Deaths & injuries, cause not given

Portugal

677 of its 779 stories (87%) were about people being harmed, usually 33%. Funchal accounted for 476 of Portugal's 677 stories about harm, carried by 432 outlets. Reports of people injured ran at more than ten times the usual rate (561 stories). Its coverage was about twice as grief-stricken as the world's. Warmth in its coverage rose to about one and a half times its own usual.

Portugal over 30 days → its stories → Funchal stories →
Conflict & violence

Mali

287 of its 307 stories (93%) were about people being harmed, usually 59%. Mopti accounted for 164 of Mali's 287 stories about harm, carried by 214 outlets. Reports of people injured ran at about 8 times the usual rate (148 stories). Its coverage was about twice as warm as the world's. Fear in its coverage rose to about twice its own usual.

Mali over 30 days → its stories → Mopti stories →
Protests & strikes

US

21,172 of its 73,709 stories (29%) were about people being harmed, usually 22%. 4,293 of Charlottesville's 6,073 stories were about protests or strikes. Reports of people injured ran at about twice the usual rate (4,457 stories). Avalanche was named in 134 of its stories about harm, about three times usual.

US over 30 days → its stories → Charlottesville stories →
6 more places the news pointed at
Disasters & accidents

Greece

200 of its 461 stories (43%) were about people being harmed, usually 26%. Reports of evacuations ran at about 9 times the usual rate (135 stories). Wildfires were named in 146 of its stories about harm, about 5 times usual, with drought. Anger in its coverage rose to about one and a half times its own usual.

its stories →
Conflict & violence

Burkina Faso

228 of its 267 stories (85%) were about people being harmed, usually 74%. Ouagadougou accounted for 210 of Burkina Faso's 228 stories about harm, carried by 194 outlets. Reports of arrests ran at more than ten times the usual rate (6 stories). Its coverage was about three times as fearful as the world's.

its stories →
Rights & justice

North Macedonia

58 of its 74 stories (78%) were about people being harmed, usually 16%. Struga accounted for 52 of North Macedonia's 58 stories about harm, carried by 53 outlets. Reports of people killed ran at more than ten times the usual rate (48 stories).

its stories →
Conflict & violence

Bangladesh

264 of its 464 stories (57%) were about people being harmed, usually 36%. Reports of abductions ran at more than ten times the usual rate (46 stories). Its coverage was about twice as grief-stricken as the world's.

its stories →
Conflict & violence

France

588 of its 1,511 stories (39%) were about people being harmed, usually 25%. Reports of people injured ran at about 4 times the usual rate (402 stories). Its coverage was about twice as grief-stricken as the world's.

its stories →
Conflict & violence

Japan

555 of its 2,052 stories (27%) were about people being harmed, usually 16%. Reports of people killed ran at about three times the usual rate (378 stories). Its coverage was about twice as grief-stricken as the world's.

its stories →

Also named far more than usual: wildfires in Greece (146 of its stories, about 5 times its usual); storms in Bermuda (47 of its stories, about 5 times its usual); volcanic eruption in Antarctica (36 of its stories, about 4 times its usual); flooding in Malaysia (42 of its stories, about 8 times its usual); poisoning in Zimbabwe (24 of its stories, about 5 times its usual).

24 in 100 stories were about harm

usually 22; 26 the day before
29 in 10020 in 10017 Jul24 Jul31 Jul7 Aug15 Aug17 Jul: 22 in 10018 Jul: 21 in 10019 Jul: 21 in 10020 Jul: 21 in 10021 Jul: 22 in 10022 Jul: 24 in 10023 Jul: 25 in 10024 Jul: 23 in 10025 Jul: 21 in 10026 Jul: 21 in 10027 Jul: 20 in 10028 Jul: 21 in 10029 Jul: 22 in 10030 Jul: 24 in 10031 Jul: 21 in 1001 Aug: 20 in 1002 Aug: 21 in 1003 Aug: 21 in 1004 Aug: 21 in 1005 Aug: 22 in 1006 Aug: 24 in 1007 Aug: 21 in 1008 Aug: 21 in 1009 Aug: 21 in 10010 Aug: 20 in 10011 Aug: 20 in 10012 Aug: 25 in 10013 Aug: 29 in 10014 Aug: 26 in 10015 Aug: 24 in 100 · this day

Stories about people being harmed, in every 100 stories, the 30 days to 15 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 50,889 stories about harm among 208,339 counted on 15 Aug.

Read the day's briefing

The news turned to Sierra Leone for the second day running. Sierra Leone's news was 95% about people being harmed, against a usual 46%. of the day's 208,339 news stories, 24 in every 100 were about people being harmed, above the usual 22. On 15 August 2016, a year earlier, the share was 23 in every 100, against 24 today.

Written by code from the day's numbers.

Where harm was most of the news all →

Sierra Leone95 in 100 of its 1,143 stories · usually 46 · mostly disasters & accidents Mali93 in 100 of its 307 stories · usually 59 · mostly conflict & violence Portugal87 in 100 of its 779 stories · usually 33 · mostly deaths & injuries, cause not given Burkina Faso85 in 100 of its 267 stories · usually 74 · mostly conflict & violence South Sudan80 in 100 of its 95 stories · usually 63 · mostly conflict & violence

Countries with at least 50 stories that day.

Where people protested

Charlottesville US4293 stories about protests or strikes, of its 6073 Washington US1069 stories about protests or strikes, of its 2251 Trump Tower US442 stories about protests or strikes, of its 671 Freetown Sierra Leone255 stories about protests or strikes, of its 1016 Boston US167 stories about protests or strikes, of its 575

Stories, not people.

Where harm was most of the news

feelings in full →
Feelings Events Harm Warmth
Zimbabwe: near the world's share or lessZambia: near the world's share or lessVietnam: near the world's share or lessVanuatu: near the world's share or lessUzbekistan: near the world's share or lessUruguay: near the world's share or lessMicronesia: near the world's share or lessU.S. Virgin Islands: near the world's share or lessGuam: near the world's share or lessPuerto Rico: near the world's share or lessUnited States: near the world's share or lessSouth Georgia & South Sandwich Islands: no storiesFalkland Islands: near the world's share or lessCayman Islands: near the world's share or lessIsle of Man: no storiesUnited Kingdom: near the world's share or lessUnited Arab Emirates: near the world's share or lessUkraine: near the world's share or lessUganda: near the world's share or lessTurkmenistan: near the world's share or lessTunisia: near the world's share or lessTrinidad & Tobago: near the world's share or lessTonga: near the world's share or lessTogo: near the world's share or lessTimor-Leste: near the world's share or lessTanzania: near the world's share or lessTajikistan: near the world's share or lessTaiwan: near the world's share or lessSwitzerland: near the world's share or lessSweden: near the world's share or lessEswatini: near the world's share or lessSuriname: near the world's share or lessSri Lanka: near the world's share or lessSpain: near the world's share or lessSouth Korea: near the world's share or lessSouth Africa: near the world's share or lessSomaliland: no storiesSolomon Islands: near the world's share or lessSlovakia: near the world's share or lessSlovenia: near the world's share or lessSingapore: near the world's share or lessSeychelles: near the world's share or lessSerbia: no storiesSenegal: near the world's share or lessSaudi Arabia: near the world's share or lessSão Tomé: near the world's share or lessSamoa: near the world's share or lessSt Vincent: near the world's share or lessSt. Lucia: near the world's share or lessRwanda: near the world's share or lessRussia: near the world's share or lessRomania: near the world's share or lessQatar: near the world's share or lessPoland: near the world's share or lessPeru: near the world's share or lessParaguay: near the world's share or lessPapua New Guinea: near the world's share or lessPanama: near the world's share or lessPalau: no storiesPakistan: near the world's share or lessOman: near the world's share or lessNorway: near the world's share or lessNorth Korea: near the world's share or lessNigeria: near the world's share or lessNiger: near the world's share or lessNicaragua: near the world's share or lessNew Zealand: near the world's share or lessNiue: near the world's share or lessNetherlands: near the world's share or lessCuraçao: no storiesNamibia: near the world's share or lessMozambique: near the world's share or lessMorocco: near the world's share or lessWestern Sahara: near the world's share or lessMontenegro: near the world's share or lessMongolia: near the world's share or lessMoldova: near the world's share or lessMexico: near the world's share or lessMauritius: near the world's share or lessMauritania: near the world's share or lessMalta: near the world's share or lessMalaysia: near the world's share or lessMalawi: near the world's share or lessMadagascar: near the world's share or lessLuxembourg: near the world's share or lessLithuania: near the world's share or lessLiberia: near the world's share or lessLesotho: near the world's share or lessLatvia: near the world's share or lessLaos: near the world's share or lessKyrgyzstan: near the world's share or lessKuwait: near the world's share or lessKosovo: no storiesKiribati: near the world's share or lessKazakhstan: near the world's share or lessJordan: near the world's share or lessJapan: near the world's share or lessJamaica: near the world's share or lessItaly: near the world's share or lessIreland: near the world's share or lessIndonesia: near the world's share or lessIndia: near the world's share or lessHungary: near the world's share or lessHonduras: near the world's share or lessHaiti: near the world's share or lessGuyana: near the world's share or lessGuinea-Bissau: near the world's share or lessGuinea: near the world's share or lessGuatemala: near the world's share or lessGrenada: near the world's share or lessGhana: near the world's share or lessGermany: near the world's share or lessGeorgia: near the world's share or lessGambia: near the world's share or lessGabon: near the world's share or lessSt Pierre & Miquelon: no storiesFrench Polynesia: near the world's share or lessNew Caledonia: near the world's share or lessFrench Southern Territories: no storiesÅland Islands: no storiesFinland: near the world's share or lessFiji: near the world's share or lessEthiopia: near the world's share or lessEstonia: near the world's share or lessEritrea: near the world's share or lessEquatorial Guinea: no storiesEl Salvador: near the world's share or lessEcuador: near the world's share or lessDominican Republic: near the world's share or lessDominica: near the world's share or lessDjibouti: near the world's share or lessFaroe Islands: no storiesDenmark: near the world's share or lessCzech Republic: near the world's share or lessN. Cyprus: no storiesCyprus: near the world's share or lessCuba: near the world's share or lessCroatia: near the world's share or lessCôte d'Ivoire: near the world's share or lessDR Congo: near the world's share or lessComoros: no storiesChina: near the world's share or lessHong Kong: near the world's share or lessChile: near the world's share or lessChad: near the world's share or lessCape Verde: near the world's share or lessCanada: near the world's share or lessCameroon: near the world's share or lessBurundi: near the world's share or lessBulgaria: near the world's share or lessBrunei: near the world's share or lessBrazil: near the world's share or lessBotswana: near the world's share or lessBosnia and Herzegovina: near the world's share or lessBolivia: near the world's share or lessBhutan: near the world's share or lessBenin: near the world's share or lessBelize: near the world's share or lessBelgium: near the world's share or lessBelarus: near the world's share or lessBarbados: near the world's share or lessBahrain: near the world's share or lessBahamas: near the world's share or lessAzerbaijan: near the world's share or lessAustria: near the world's share or lessAustralia: near the world's share or lessHeard & McDonald Islands: no storiesArmenia: near the world's share or lessArgentina: near the world's share or lessAntigua & Barbuda: near the world's share or lessAngola: near the world's share or lessAndorra: near the world's share or lessAlgeria: near the world's share or lessAlbania: near the world's share or lessAksai Chin: near the world's share or lessWestern Sahara (Moroccan-controlled): near the world's share or lessWestern Sahara (Free Zone): near the world's share or lessCrimea: near the world's share or lessVatican City: near the world's share or lessMarshall Islands: near the world's share or lessNorthern Mariana Islands: no storiesAmerican Samoa: near the world's share or lessChagos Islands: no storiesSt. Helena: no storiesPitcairn: near the world's share or lessAnguilla: near the world's share or lessBritish Virgin Islands: near the world's share or lessTurks & Caicos Islands: no storiesMontserrat: no storiesJersey: near the world's share or lessGuernsey: near the world's share or lessSan Marino: near the world's share or lessSt Kitts & Nevis: near the world's share or lessCook Islands: near the world's share or lessAruba: near the world's share or lessNauru: no storiesMonaco: near the world's share or lessMaldives: near the world's share or lessLiechtenstein: near the world's share or lessWallis & Futuna: no storiesSt. Martin: no storiesSt. Barthélemy: no storiesMacao: near the world's share or lessNorfolk Island: near the world's share or lessSint Maarten: no storiesChristmas Island: near the world's share or lessGibraltar: near the world's share or lessMayotte: no storiesYemen: 73 in 100 of its 187 stories were about people being harmed (the world's: 24)Venezuela: 41 in 100 of its 411 stories were about people being harmed (the world's: 24)Türkiye: 40 in 100 of its 577 stories were about people being harmed (the world's: 24)Thailand: 32 in 100 of its 567 stories were about people being harmed (the world's: 24)Syria: 53 in 100 of its 719 stories were about people being harmed (the world's: 24)South Sudan: 80 in 100 of its 95 stories were about people being harmed (the world's: 24)Sudan: 43 in 100 of its 68 stories were about people being harmed (the world's: 24)Somalia: 72 in 100 of its 142 stories were about people being harmed (the world's: 24)Sierra Leone: 95 in 100 of its 1,143 stories were about people being harmed (the world's: 24)Portugal: 87 in 100 of its 779 stories were about people being harmed (the world's: 24)Philippines: 36 in 100 of its 2,155 stories were about people being harmed (the world's: 24)Nepal: 68 in 100 of its 384 stories were about people being harmed (the world's: 24)Mali: 93 in 100 of its 307 stories were about people being harmed (the world's: 24)North Macedonia: 78 in 100 of its 74 stories were about people being harmed (the world's: 24)Libya: 61 in 100 of its 226 stories were about people being harmed (the world's: 24)Lebanon: 53 in 100 of its 154 stories were about people being harmed (the world's: 24)Kenya: 47 in 100 of its 1,038 stories were about people being harmed (the world's: 24)Israel: 47 in 100 of its 1,353 stories were about people being harmed (the world's: 24)Palestine: 50 in 100 of its 602 stories were about people being harmed (the world's: 24)Iraq: 73 in 100 of its 551 stories were about people being harmed (the world's: 24)Iran: 39 in 100 of its 1,135 stories were about people being harmed (the world's: 24)Iceland: 56 in 100 of its 77 stories were about people being harmed (the world's: 24)Greece: 43 in 100 of its 461 stories were about people being harmed (the world's: 24)France: 39 in 100 of its 1,511 stories were about people being harmed (the world's: 24)Egypt: 48 in 100 of its 519 stories were about people being harmed (the world's: 24)Greenland: 68 in 100 of its 25 stories were about people being harmed (the world's: 24)Costa Rica: 37 in 100 of its 81 stories were about people being harmed (the world's: 24)Congo: 64 in 100 of its 45 stories were about people being harmed (the world's: 24)Colombia: 41 in 100 of its 254 stories were about people being harmed (the world's: 24)Central African Republic: 84 in 100 of its 25 stories were about people being harmed (the world's: 24)Cambodia: 43 in 100 of its 214 stories were about people being harmed (the world's: 24)Myanmar: 37 in 100 of its 78 stories were about people being harmed (the world's: 24)Burkina Faso: 85 in 100 of its 267 stories were about people being harmed (the world's: 24)Bangladesh: 57 in 100 of its 464 stories were about people being harmed (the world's: 24)Afghanistan: 70 in 100 of its 557 stories were about people being harmed (the world's: 24)Kashmir: 45 in 100 of its 175 stories were about people being harmed (the world's: 24)Palestine: 50 in 100 of its 602 stories were about people being harmed (the world's: 24)Palestine: 50 in 100 of its 602 stories were about people being harmed (the world's: 24)Kashmir: 45 in 100 of its 175 stories were about people being harmed (the world's: 24)Kashmir: 45 in 100 of its 175 stories were about people being harmed (the world's: 24)Palestine: 50 in 100 of its 602 stories were about people being harmed (the world's: 24)Kashmir: 45 in 100 of its 175 stories were about people being harmed (the world's: 24)Bermuda: 69 in 100 of its 93 stories were about people being harmed (the world's: 24)
A quarter or more above the world's share Near the world's or lessNo stories

Each country shaded by how much of its news was about people being harmed, against the world's 24 in 100 that day. Stronger colour: further above. A country with few stories is drawn closer to the world's. Click a country.

Most of its news about harm

● Sierra Leone 95 in 100 of its 1,143 stories · mostly disasters & accidents ● Mali 93 in 100 of its 307 stories · mostly conflict & violence ● Portugal 87 in 100 of its 779 stories · mostly deaths & injuries, cause not given ● Burkina Faso 85 in 100 of its 267 stories · mostly conflict & violence ● Iraq 73 in 100 of its 551 stories · mostly conflict & violence ● Afghanistan 70 in 100 of its 557 stories · mostly conflict & violence

Stories, not people. Countries with at least 50 stories.

The day in three measures

Parts of life 30 days →

Rights & justice37% 18,806 stories · much more than usual (usually 28%) Conflict & violence19% 9,577 stories · about as usual Health16% 7,883 stories · less than usual (usually 19%) Disasters & accidents15% 7,285 stories · less than usual (usually 17%) Deaths & injuries, cause not given7% 3,564 stories · about as usual Shelter & services3% 1,307 stories · about as usual Food & livelihood2% 979 stories · about as usual Displacement2% 784 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 killed16,588 at about the usual rate Stories reporting people injured7,745 at about one and a half times the usual rate · most about the US and Portugal Stories reporting arrests5,830 at about the usual rate Stories reporting people affected5,489 at about the usual rate Stories reporting people displaced941 at about one and a half times the usual rate · most about the US and Iraq Stories reporting refugees602 at about the usual rate Stories reporting evacuations534 at about the usual rate Stories reporting abductions351 at about half the usual rate · most about the US and Bangladesh Stories reporting people falling ill43 at about half the usual rate · most about the US and Australia

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.

● Angera little more than 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

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.