← 30 Aug Friday 31 August 2018 · to 23:59 UTC 1 Sep →
What the world's news said happened to people.
Counts of coverage, not of suffering
38,933 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 deaths in Sofia, violence in Tripoli and protests in San Salvador (El Salvador). Libya's coverage was about three times as angry as the world's. In the world's news as a whole, the wording was softer than usual.

Reports of people falling ill ran at about twice the usual rate, most often about the US and Egypt →
Part of lifeRights & justice 31 in 100 of the stories about harm · about as usual Country that rose mostNetherlands 60 in 100 of its 773 stories, usually 20
RegionMiddle East & North Africa 46 in 100 of its stories, usually 40
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 →
Deaths & injuries, cause not given

Bulgaria

144 of its 233 stories (62%) were about people being harmed, usually 28%. Sofia accounted for 116 of Bulgaria's 144 stories about harm, carried by 201 outlets. Reports of people killed ran at about twice the usual rate (113 stories). Outbreaks were named in 24 of its stories about harm, more than ten times usual. 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.

Bulgaria over 30 days → its stories → Sofia stories →
Conflict & violence

Libya

187 of its 214 stories (87%) were about people being harmed, usually 63%. Tripoli accounted for 166 of Libya's 187 stories about harm, carried by 155 outlets. Reports of evacuations ran at more than ten times the usual rate (44 stories). Its coverage was about three times as angry as the world's.

Libya over 30 days → its stories → Tripoli stories →
Disasters & accidents

Greece

265 of its 589 stories (45%) were about people being harmed, usually 30%. Reports of refugees ran at about 8 times the usual rate (46 stories). Earthquake was named in 110 of its stories about harm, more than ten times usual. Its coverage was about twice as fearful as the world's.

Greece over 30 days → its stories →
6 more places the news pointed at
Displacement

Netherlands

460 of its 773 stories (60%) were about people being harmed, usually 20%. Amsterdam accounted for 357 of the Netherlands' 460 stories about harm, carried by 371 outlets. Reports of people injured ran at more than ten times the usual rate (287 stories).

its stories →
Rights & justice

Cambodia

481 of its 607 stories (79%) were about people being harmed, usually 49%. Reports of arrests ran at about three times the usual rate (364 stories). Its coverage was about one and a half times as warm as the world's.

its stories →
Conflict & violence

United Arab Emirates

98 of its 223 stories (44%) were about people being harmed, usually 15%. Reports of people killed ran at about three times the usual rate (22 stories). Its coverage was about twice as angry as the world's.

its stories →
Conflict & violence

Ukraine

302 of its 664 stories (45%) were about people being harmed, usually 21%. Reports of people killed ran at about twice the usual rate (134 stories). Its coverage was about three times as angry as the world's. Grief in its coverage rose to about twice its own usual.

its stories →
Conflict & violence

Kashmir

177 of its 302 stories (59%) were about people being harmed, usually 44%. Reports of abductions ran at more than ten times the usual rate (85 stories). Its coverage was about twice as fearful as the world's.

its stories →
Rights & justice

Thailand

140 of its 422 stories (33%) were about people being harmed, usually 22%. Reports of refugees ran at more than ten times the usual rate (57 stories). Its coverage was about three times as fearful as the world's.

its stories →

Also named far more than usual: poisoning in Taiwan (20 of its stories, more than ten times its usual); hurricane in Bahamas (11 of its stories, about 4 times its usual); drought in Argentina (22 of its stories, about 5 times its usual); food poisoning in North Korea (12 of its stories, more than ten times its usual); helicopter crash in Ethiopia (14 of its stories, more than ten times its usual).

20 in 100 stories were about harm

usually 21; 20 the day before
24 in 10018 in 1002 Aug9 Aug16 Aug23 Aug31 Aug2 Aug: 18 in 1003 Aug: 18 in 1004 Aug: 20 in 1005 Aug: 23 in 1006 Aug: 23 in 1007 Aug: 21 in 1008 Aug: 20 in 1009 Aug: 21 in 10010 Aug: 21 in 10011 Aug: 24 in 10012 Aug: 24 in 10013 Aug: 21 in 10014 Aug: 22 in 10015 Aug: 21 in 10016 Aug: 21 in 10017 Aug: 21 in 10018 Aug: 23 in 10019 Aug: 23 in 10020 Aug: 21 in 10021 Aug: 20 in 10022 Aug: 20 in 10023 Aug: 19 in 10024 Aug: 21 in 10025 Aug: 23 in 10026 Aug: 24 in 10027 Aug: 20 in 10028 Aug: 19 in 10029 Aug: 20 in 10030 Aug: 20 in 10031 Aug: 20 in 100 · this day

Stories about people being harmed, in every 100 stories, the 30 days to 31 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 38,933 stories about harm among 194,424 counted on 31 Aug.

Read the day's briefing

Greece's news mentioned the earthquake more than ten times as often as usual. 20 in every 100 of the day's 194,424 news stories were about people being harmed, below the usual 21. People falling ill were reported at about twice the usual rate, most often about the US and Egypt. Bulgaria stood out: 62% of its news was about people being harmed, usually 28%. On 31 August 2017, a year earlier, the share was 26 in every 100, against 20 today.

Written by code from the day's numbers.

Where harm was most of the news all →

Congo88 in 100 of its 76 stories · usually 71 · mostly health Libya87 in 100 of its 214 stories · usually 63 · mostly conflict & violence Cambodia79 in 100 of its 607 stories · usually 49 · mostly rights & justice Yemen77 in 100 of its 190 stories · usually 83 · mostly conflict & violence Nicaragua77 in 100 of its 259 stories · usually 76 · mostly rights & justice

Countries with at least 50 stories that day.

Where people protested

Unrwa Palestine294 stories about protests or strikes, of its 501 Washington US225 stories about protests or strikes, of its 1827 Managua Nicaragua153 stories about protests or strikes, of its 159 Pune India147 stories about protests or strikes, of its 166 Idlib Syria122 stories about protests or strikes, of its 454

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 lessVenezuela: 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: 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: about as warm as its own usual or lessIsle of Man: too little coverage to readUnited Arab Emirates: about as warm as its own usual or lessUkraine: about as warm as its own usual or lessUganda: 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: 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 lessSyria: about as warm as its own usual or lessSwitzerland: 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 lessSouth Sudan: about as warm as its own usual or lessSudan: about as warm as its own usual or lessSouth Korea: 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 lessPeru: too little coverage to readParaguay: too little coverage to readPapua New Guinea: about as warm as its own usual or lessPanama: about as warm as its own usual or lessPalau: too little coverage to readPakistan: 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 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 readNamibia: 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: about as warm as its own usual or lessMontenegro: 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 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: 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 readKazakhstan: about as warm as its own usual or lessJordan: too little coverage to readJapan: too little coverage to readIsrael: about as warm as its own usual or lessPalestine: about as warm as its own usual or lessIreland: about as warm as its own usual or lessIndonesia: 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 lessHungary: about as warm as its own usual or lessHonduras: 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 lessGreece: about as warm as its own usual or lessGhana: about as warm as its own usual or lessGermany: 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: about as warm as its own usual or lessSt Pierre & Miquelon: too little coverage to readFrench Polynesia: too little coverage to readNew Caledonia: about as warm as its own usual or lessFrench Southern Territories: too little coverage to readÅland Islands: too little coverage to readEthiopia: 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: about as warm as its own usual or lessDominica: about as warm as its own usual or lessDjibouti: about as warm as its own usual or lessGreenland: about as warm as its own usual or lessFaroe Islands: too little coverage to readDenmark: 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: too little coverage to readCuba: about as warm as its own usual or lessCroatia: about as warm as its own usual or lessCôte d'Ivoire: too little coverage to readCosta Rica: too little coverage to readDR Congo: about as warm as its own usual or lessCongo: about as warm as its own usual or lessComoros: too little coverage to readChina: 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 lessCentral African Republic: about as warm as its own usual or lessCape Verde: about as warm as its own usual or lessCanada: about as warm as its own usual or lessCameroon: 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 lessBrunei: too little coverage to readBrazil: too little coverage to readBotswana: 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: about as warm as its own usual or lessBenin: too little coverage to readBelize: 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 lessAntigua & Barbuda: about as warm as its own usual or lessAngola: too little coverage to readAndorra: too little coverage to readAlgeria: 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: about as warm as its own usual or lessWest Bank: about as warm as its own usual or lessWestern Sahara (Moroccan-controlled): about as warm as its own usual or lessWestern Sahara (Free Zone): about as warm as its own usual or lessAzad Kashmir & Gilgit-Baltistan: about as warm as its own usual or lessSiachen Glacier: about as warm as its own usual or lessCrimea: 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: too little coverage to readMarshall Islands: too little coverage to readNorthern Mariana Islands: about as warm as its own usual or lessAmerican 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: about as warm as its own usual or lessMontserrat: too little coverage to readJersey: about as warm as its own usual or lessGuernsey: about as warm as its own usual or lessSan Marino: too little coverage to readSt Kitts & Nevis: about as warm as its own usual or lessCook Islands: about as warm as its own usual or lessAruba: too little coverage to readNauru: about as warm as its own usual or lessMonaco: too little coverage to readMaldives: 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 readVietnam: warmth about its own usualPuerto Rico: warmth about its own usualUK: warmth about its own usualThailand: warmth about its own usualTaiwan: warmth about its own usualSweden: warmth about its own usualSri Lanka: warmth about its own usualSpain: warmth about one and a half times its own usualSouth Africa: warmth about its own usualSomalia: warmth about its own usualPhilippines: warmth about its own usualNiger: warmth about its own usualNepal: warmth about one and a half times its own usualMali: warmth about one and a half times its own usualMalaysia: warmth about its own usualKenya: warmth about its own usualJamaica: warmth about its own usualItaly: warmth about one and a half times its own usualIraq: warmth about its own usualIran: warmth about its own usualFrance: warmth about its own usualFinland: warmth about one and a half times its own usualFiji: warmth about its own usualColombia: warmth about its own usualCambodia: warmth about its own usualBulgaria: warmth about one and a half times its own usualBahrain: warmth about its own usualArgentina: warmth about its own usualAlbania: warmth about one and a half times its own usualGothenburg, Sweden -- rights & justice: 17 stories, carried by 14 outletsCalgary, Canada -- health: 11 stories, carried by 11 outletsJuba, South Sudan -- conflict & violence: 21 stories, carried by 21 outletsBogota, Colombia -- conflict & violence: 49 stories, carried by 49 outletsTable Rock Lake, US -- disasters & accidents: 53 stories, carried by 57 outletsKhartoum, Sudan -- conflict & violence: 20 stories, carried by 23 outletsBaghdad, Iraq -- conflict & violence: 19 stories, carried by 17 outletsPatna, India -- rights & justice: 22 stories, carried by 17 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

● Nepal warmth about one and a half times usual ● Bulgaria warmth about one and a half times usual ● Italy warmth about one and a half times usual ● Albania warmth about one and a half times usual ● Mali warmth about one and a half times usual ● Spain warmth about one and a half times usual

Warmest events

● Gothenburg Sweden about twice as warm as the day's news · rights & justice · 17 stories ● Calgary Canada about twice as warm as the day's news · health · 11 stories ● Juba South Sudan about twice as warm as the day's news · conflict & violence · 21 stories ● Bogota Colombia about twice as warm as the day's news · conflict & violence · 49 stories ● Table Rock Lake US about twice as warm as the day's news · disasters & accidents · 53 stories

The day in three measures

Parts of life 30 days →

Rights & justice31% 11,947 stories · about as usual Health21% 7,989 stories · about as usual Conflict & violence15% 5,805 stories · about as usual Disasters & accidents13% 5,172 stories · much less than usual (usually 21%) Deaths & injuries, cause not given9% 3,264 stories · more than usual (usually 5%) Shelter & services4% 1,651 stories · about as usual Displacement4% 1,545 stories · about as usual Food & livelihood3% 1,019 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 killed12,032 at about the usual rate Stories reporting arrests5,357 at about the usual rate Stories reporting people affected4,603 at about the usual rate Stories reporting people injured2,766 at about the usual rate Stories reporting refugees1,047 at about one and a half times the usual rate · most about Palestine and Israel Stories reporting abductions468 at about the usual rate Stories reporting evacuations464 at about half the usual rate · most about the US and Libya Stories reporting people displaced416 at about two-thirds of the usual rate · most about Syria and the US Stories reporting people falling ill216 at about twice the usual rate · most about the US and Egypt

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
● 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?

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.