← 4 Dec Tuesday 5 December 2017 · to 23:59 UTC 6 Dec →
What the world's news said happened to people.
Counts of coverage, not of suffering
43,070 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 Juba, protests in Kiev (Ukraine) and people displaced in Balaka. Ethiopia's coverage was about three times as angry as the world's. Taken together, the world's news read softer than usual.

Reports of evacuations ran at about three times the usual rate, most often about the US and Libya → Help and hope: reports of vaccination ran at about twice the usual rate →
Part of lifeRights & justice 33 in 100 of the stories about harm · more than usual Country that rose mostMalta 61 in 100 of its 246 stories, usually 24
RegionEvery region about as usual
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 →
Conflict & violence

South Sudan

137 of its 162 stories (85%) were about people being harmed, usually 53%. Juba accounted for 111 of South Sudan's 137 stories about harm, carried by 115 outlets. Reports of refugees ran at more than ten times the usual rate (95 stories). Its coverage was about one and a half times as warm as the world's. Fear in its coverage rose to about twice its own usual.

South Sudan over 30 days → its stories → Juba stories →
Protests & strikes

Ukraine

414 of its 765 stories (54%) were about people being harmed, usually 29%. Kiev accounted for 368 of Ukraine's 414 stories about harm, carried by 309 outlets. 346 of Kiev's 368 stories were about protests or strikes. Reports of arrests ran at about three times the usual rate (104 stories).

Ukraine over 30 days → its stories → Kiev stories →
Rights & justice

Ethiopia

58 of its 170 stories (34%) were about people being harmed, usually 24%. Reports of abductions ran at more than ten times the usual rate (47 stories). Volcanic eruption was named in 22 of its stories about harm, about 10 times usual. Its coverage was about three times as angry as the world's.

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

North Macedonia

67 of its 81 stories (83%) were about people being harmed, usually 45%. Skopje accounted for 66 of North Macedonia's 67 stories about harm, carried by 69 outlets. 61 of Skopje's 66 stories were about protests or strikes. Reports of people injured ran at about 4 times the usual rate (59 stories).

its stories →
Health

Ghana

168 of its 781 stories (22%) were about people being harmed, usually 16%. Reports of people killed ran at about three times the usual rate (74 stories). Meningitis was named in 26 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

Malta

151 of its 246 stories (61%) were about people being harmed, usually 24%. Reports of arrests ran at about 5 times the usual rate (137 stories). Its coverage was about three times as grief-stricken as the world's.

its stories →
Health

Romania

109 of its 390 stories (28%) were about people being harmed, usually 10%. Reports of people killed ran at more than ten times the usual rate (101 stories). Its coverage was about twice as grief-stricken as the world's.

its stories →
Protests & strikes

Honduras

230 of its 452 stories (51%) were about people being harmed, usually 35%. 110 of the Bay Islands' 110 stories were about protests or strikes. Reports of arrests ran at about three times the usual rate (188 stories).

its stories →
Conflict & violence

Philippines

1,053 of its 2,379 stories (44%) were about people being harmed, usually 32%. Reports of evacuations ran at about twice the usual rate (11 stories). Dengue was named in 246 of its stories about harm, about 4 times usual, with malaria, respiratory illness and chikungunya.

its stories →

Also named far more than usual: dengue in Philippines (246 of its stories, about 4 times its usual); train derailment in Germany (101 of its stories, more than ten times its usual); outbreaks in South Africa (86 of its stories, about 9 times its usual); drought in Somalia (31 of its stories, about 4 times its usual); cyclone in India (371 of its stories, about 5 times its usual).

20 in 100 stories were about harm

usually 20; 19 the day before
24 in 10019 in 1006 Nov13 Nov20 Nov27 Nov5 Dec6 Nov: 24 in 1007 Nov: 22 in 1008 Nov: 19 in 1009 Nov: 20 in 10010 Nov: 19 in 10011 Nov: 20 in 10012 Nov: 22 in 10013 Nov: 21 in 10014 Nov: 20 in 10015 Nov: 20 in 10016 Nov: 19 in 10017 Nov: 19 in 10018 Nov: 21 in 10019 Nov: 21 in 10020 Nov: 19 in 10021 Nov: 20 in 10022 Nov: 20 in 10023 Nov: 20 in 10024 Nov: 21 in 10025 Nov: 24 in 10026 Nov: 23 in 10027 Nov: 20 in 10028 Nov: 20 in 10029 Nov: 19 in 10030 Nov: 19 in 1001 Dec: 20 in 1002 Dec: 21 in 1003 Dec: 20 in 1004 Dec: 19 in 1005 Dec: 20 in 100 · this day

Stories about people being harmed, in every 100 stories, the 30 days to 5 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 43,070 stories about harm among 217,704 counted on 5 Dec.

Read the day's briefing

Reports of evacuations ran at about three times the usual rate, most often about the US and Libya. of the day's 217,704 news stories, 20 in every 100 were about people being harmed, as usual. Reports of vaccination, a sign of help, ran at about twice the usual rate. Mentions of the dengue ran about 4 times their usual in the Philippines' news. In South Sudan, 85% of the news was about people being harmed, where 53% is usual.

Written by code from the day's numbers.

Where harm was most of the news all →

Central African Republic92 in 100 of its 60 stories · usually 65 · mostly displacement South Sudan85 in 100 of its 162 stories · usually 53 · mostly conflict & violence North Macedonia83 in 100 of its 81 stories · usually 45 · mostly rights & justice Yemen77 in 100 of its 1,060 stories · usually 74 · mostly conflict & violence Haiti70 in 100 of its 131 stories · usually 56 · mostly disasters & accidents

Countries with at least 50 stories that day.

Where people protested

Washington US474 stories about protests or strikes, of its 2225 Kiev Ukraine346 stories about protests or strikes, of its 368 Detroit US198 stories about protests or strikes, of its 604 Los Angeles US167 stories about protests or strikes, of its 739 Madrid Spain128 stories about protests or strikes, of its 359

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 lessVanuatu: about as warm as its own usual or lessUzbekistan: about as warm as its own usual or lessUruguay: 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 lessUnited States: too little coverage to readSouth 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 lessTurkmenistan: too little coverage to readTurkey: 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: too little coverage to readTogo: about as warm as its own usual or lessTimor-Leste: too little coverage to readThailand: about as warm as its own usual or lessTanzania: about as warm as its own usual or lessTajikistan: about as warm as its own usual or lessTaiwan: about as warm as its own usual or lessSyria: about as warm as its own usual or lessSwitzerland: 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: about as warm as its own usual or lessSudan: about as warm as its own usual or lessSpain: too little coverage to readSouth Korea: about as warm as its own usual or lessSouth Africa: about as warm as its own usual or lessSomaliland: too little coverage to readSolomon Islands: about as warm as its own usual or lessSlovakia: about as warm as its own usual or lessSlovenia: 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: about as warm as its own usual or lessSt. 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: about as warm as its own usual or lessPalau: 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: about as warm as its own usual or lessNigeria: 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: about as warm as its own usual or lessNiue: 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: about as warm as its own usual or lessMoldova: about as warm as its own usual or lessMexico: 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 lessMalaysia: 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: 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: about as warm as its own usual or lessLebanon: about as warm as its own usual or lessLatvia: about as warm as its own usual or lessLaos: about as warm as its own usual or lessKyrgyzstan: too little coverage to readKuwait: too little coverage to readKosovo: 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: about as warm as its own usual or lessJamaica: about as warm as its own usual or lessItaly: about as warm as its own usual or lessIsrael: about as warm as its own usual or lessPalestine: too little coverage to readIreland: about as warm as its own usual or lessIraq: about as warm as its own usual or lessIndia: too little coverage to readIceland: too little coverage to readHungary: 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: about as warm as its own usual or lessGuinea: 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 lessGhana: about as warm as its own usual or lessGermany: too little coverage to readGeorgia: 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: about as warm as its own usual or lessNew 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: about as warm as its own usual or lessDominica: too little coverage to readDjibouti: about as warm as its own usual or lessGreenland: about as warm as its own usual or lessFaroe Islands: 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 lessCosta Rica: about as warm as its own usual or lessDR Congo: about as warm as its own usual or lessComoros: too little coverage to readColombia: about as warm as its own usual or lessChina: about as warm as its own usual or lessHong Kong: 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 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: about as warm as its own usual or lessBulgaria: 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: about as warm as its own usual or lessBolivia: about as warm as its own usual or lessBenin: about as warm as its own usual or lessBelize: about as warm as its own usual or lessBelarus: too little coverage to readBarbados: 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: too little coverage to readAustralia: 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: about as warm as its own usual or lessAngola: 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 lessAksai Chin: about as warm as its own usual or lessGaza: too little coverage to readWest Bank: too little coverage to readWestern 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: too little coverage to readAzad 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: about as warm as its own usual or lessPitcairn: too little coverage to readAnguilla: too little coverage to readBermuda: about as warm as its own usual or lessBritish Virgin Islands: about as warm as its own usual or lessTurks & 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: 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: too little coverage to readMayotte: too little coverage to readYemen: warmth about its own usualVietnam: warmth about its own usualVenezuela: warmth about its own usualPuerto Rico: warmth about its own usualUkraine: warmth about one and a half times its own usualUganda: warmth about its own usualSouth Sudan: warmth about one and a half times its own usualSri Lanka: warmth about its own usualSomalia: warmth about twice its own usualPakistan: warmth about its own usualIran: warmth about one and a half times its own usualIndonesia: warmth about its own usualHonduras: warmth about its own usualGreece: warmth about one and a half times its own usualDenmark: warmth about its own usualCroatia: warmth about its own usualCôte d’Ivoire: warmth about its own usualCongo: warmth about its own usualCentral African Republic: warmth about one and a half times its own usualBhutan: warmth about its own usualBelgium: warmth about its own usualBahrain: warmth about its own usualUkraine: warmth about one and a half times its own usualBalaka, Central African Republic -- displacement: 49 stories, carried by 63 outletsMogadishu, Somalia -- conflict & violence: 65 stories, carried by 48 outletsMaine, US -- health: 36 stories, carried by 30 outletsAdelaide, Australia -- rights & justice: 36 stories, carried by 17 outletsMadison Square, US -- disasters & accidents: 11 stories, carried by 13 outletsWest Midlands, UK -- health: 16 stories, carried by 12 outletsKigali, Rwanda -- health: 15 stories, carried by 11 outletsGhazni, Afghanistan -- conflict & violence: 29 stories, carried by 19 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

● Somalia warmth about twice usual ● Iran warmth about one and a half times usual ● Central African Republic warmth about one and a half times usual ● South Sudan warmth about one and a half times usual ● Greece warmth about one and a half times usual ● Ukraine warmth about one and a half times usual

Warmest events

● Balaka Central African Republic about three times as warm as the day's news · displacement · 49 stories ● Mogadishu Somalia about twice as warm as the day's news · conflict & violence · 65 stories ● Maine US about twice as warm as the day's news · health · 36 stories ● Adelaide Australia about twice as warm as the day's news · rights & justice · 36 stories ● Madison Square US about twice as warm as the day's news · disasters & accidents · 11 stories

The day in three measures

Parts of life 30 days →

Rights & justice33% 13,768 stories · more than usual (usually 30%) Health20% 8,468 stories · about as usual Conflict & violence18% 7,709 stories · less than usual (usually 22%) Disasters & accidents15% 6,420 stories · about as usual Deaths & injuries, cause not given5% 2,227 stories · about as usual Shelter & services4% 1,542 stories · about as usual Displacement3% 1,233 stories · about as usual Food & livelihood2% 788 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 killed11,157 at about two-thirds of the usual rate · most about the US and the UK Stories reporting arrests6,025 at about the usual rate Stories reporting people affected5,111 at about the usual rate Stories reporting people injured2,658 at about two-thirds of the usual rate · most about the US and Yemen Stories reporting evacuations1,086 at about three times the usual rate · most about the US and Libya Stories reporting refugees696 at about two-thirds of the usual rate · most about South Sudan and Germany Stories reporting abductions421 at about the usual rate Stories reporting people displaced287 at about half the usual rate · most about the Central African Republic and the US Stories reporting people falling ill17 at less than a quarter of 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 softer than usual. Filled dot: today. Ring: usual.

● Angerabout as usual
● Warmthabout as usual
● Griefa little less 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

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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.