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What the world's news said happened to people.
Counts of coverage, not of suffering
22,627 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 the drought in Iran, protests in Managua (Nicaragua) and rights and justice in Vilnius. Tanzania's coverage was about 4 times as grief-stricken as the world's. Across the world, the tone of the words was harsher than usual.

Part of lifeRights & justice 28 in 100 of the stories about harm · about as usual Country that rose mostLithuania 82 in 100 of its 500 stories, usually 26
RegionSub-Saharan Africa 35 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 →
Conflict & violence

Iran

1,725 of its 2,189 stories (79%) were about people being harmed, usually 32%. Ahvaz accounted for 1,003 of Iran's 1,725 stories about harm, carried by 815 outlets. Reports of people injured ran at about 5 times the usual rate (1,053 stories). Drought was named in 315 of its stories about harm, more than ten times usual, with snowstorms. Its coverage was about three times as angry as the world's.

Protests & strikes

Nicaragua

85 of its 86 stories (99%) were about people being harmed, usually 77%. Managua accounted for 69 of Nicaragua's 85 stories about harm, carried by 65 outlets. 68 of Managua's 69 stories were about protests or strikes. Reports of people injured ran at more than ten times the usual rate (77 stories). Its coverage was about three times as grief-stricken as the world's.

Rights & justice

Lithuania

412 of its 500 stories (82%) were about people being harmed, usually 26%. Vilnius accounted for 369 of Lithuania's 412 stories about harm, carried by 324 outlets. Reports of arrests ran at about 6 times the usual rate (16 stories). Its coverage was about twice as grief-stricken as the world's.

Disasters & accidents

Tanzania

381 of its 412 stories (92%) were about people being harmed, usually 55%. Lake Victoria accounted for 272 of Tanzania's 381 stories about harm, carried by 228 outlets. Extreme cold was named in 27 of its stories about harm, about 9 times usual. Its coverage was about 4 times as grief-stricken as the world's.

6 more places the news pointed at
Conflict & violence

Uganda

69 of its 106 stories (65%) were about people being harmed, usually 56%. Reports of people injured ran at more than ten times the usual rate (23 stories). Ebola was named in 35 of its stories about harm, more than ten times usual, with outbreaks. Grief in its coverage rose to about three times its own usual.

Protests & strikes

Guatemala

27 of its 38 stories (71%) were about people being harmed, usually 22%. 17 of Guatemala City's 18 stories were about protests or strikes. Reports of people injured ran at about 5 times the usual rate (16 stories).

Disasters & accidents

Dominican Republic

15 of its 22 stories (68%) were about people being harmed, usually 21%. Earthquake was named in 12 of its stories about harm, about three times usual. Its coverage was about one and a half times as fearful as the world's.

Rights & justice

Spain

193 of its 658 stories (29%) were about people being harmed, usually 14%. Reports of people killed ran at about 7 times the usual rate (164 stories). Its coverage was about three times as fearful as the world's.

Conflict & violence

Pakistan

470 of its 1,095 stories (43%) were about people being harmed, usually 28%. Reports of abductions ran at about three times the usual rate (23 stories). Its coverage was about twice as fearful as the world's.

Health

Congo

46 of its 52 stories (88%) were about people being harmed, usually 63%. Reports of people injured ran at about 8 times the usual rate (23 stories). Its coverage was about twice as grief-stricken as the world's. Anger in its coverage rose to about twice its own usual.

Also named far more than usual: cholera in Yemen (37 of its stories, about three times its usual); ebola in Uganda (35 of its stories, more than ten times its usual); volcanic eruption in Iceland (18 of its stories, about 4 times its usual); tornadoes in Canada (153 of its stories, more than ten times its usual); earthquake in Dominican Republic (12 of its stories, about three times its usual).

22 in 100 stories were about harm

usually 21; 23 the day before
27 in 10019 in 10025 Aug1 Sep8 Sep15 Sep23 Sep25 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 1001 Sep: 22 in 1002 Sep: 22 in 1003 Sep: 21 in 1004 Sep: 20 in 1005 Sep: 21 in 1006 Sep: 20 in 1007 Sep: 19 in 1008 Sep: 21 in 1009 Sep: 22 in 10010 Sep: 22 in 10011 Sep: 23 in 10012 Sep: 23 in 10013 Sep: 22 in 10014 Sep: 24 in 10015 Sep: 27 in 10016 Sep: 26 in 10017 Sep: 21 in 10018 Sep: 20 in 10019 Sep: 20 in 10020 Sep: 20 in 10021 Sep: 20 in 10022 Sep: 23 in 10023 Sep: 22 in 100 · this day

Stories about people being harmed, in every 100 stories, the 30 days to 23 Sep. 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 22,627 stories about harm among 102,300 counted on 23 Sep.

Read the day's briefing

For the second day running, the news turned to Iran. Stories about people being harmed made up 22 in every 100 of the day's 102,300 stories, as usual. Iran's news was 79% about people being harmed, against a usual 32%. In Yemen's news, mentions of the cholera ran about three times their usual. A year earlier, on 23 September 2017, 24 in every 100 stories were about people being harmed, against 22 today. This week the news turned most often to Tanzania, on 4 of 7 days; help rose on 1 of them.

Written by code from the day's numbers.

Where it happened

feelings in full →
Feelings Events Harm Warmth
Philippine, Philippines -- accidents & disasters: 103 stories, carried by 63 outlets; harsh wording in 89 in 100Great Barrier Reef, Australia -- deaths, cause not given: 52 stories, carried by 46 outlets; harsh wording in 98 in 100Jerusalem, Israel -- people displaced: 202 stories, carried by 91 outlets; harsh wording in 97 in 100Tunis, Tunisia -- accidents & disasters: 49 stories, carried by 48 outlets; harsh wording in 98 in 100Pyongyang, North Korea -- attacks & violence: 55 stories, carried by 47 outlets; harsh wording in 100 in 100Northern Ireland, UK -- accidents & disasters: 59 stories, carried by 164 outlets; harsh wording in 90 in 100Tripoli, Libya -- attacks & violence: 87 stories, carried by 64 outlets; harsh wording in 100 in 100Romagne-Sous-Montfaucon, France -- attacks & violence: 41 stories, carried by 60 outlets; harsh wording in 98 in 100Mogadishu, Somalia -- attacks & violence: 57 stories, carried by 60 outlets; harsh wording in 100 in 100Perthshire, UK -- people displaced: 36 stories, carried by 130 outlets; harsh wording in 81 in 100Managua, Nicaragua -- protests & strikes: 69 stories, carried by 65 outlets; harsh wording in 99 in 100Khafaji, Iraq -- protests & strikes: 77 stories, carried by 89 outlets; harsh wording in 100 in 100Islamabad, Pakistan -- attacks & violence: 168 stories, carried by 101 outlets; harsh wording in 98 in 100Phnom Penh, Cambodia -- protests & strikes: 34 stories, carried by 108 outlets; harsh wording in 94 in 100Devonport, Australia -- accidents & disasters: 18 stories, carried by 120 outlets; harsh wording in 94 in 100Moscow, Russia -- attacks & violence: 148 stories, carried by 152 outlets; harsh wording in 97 in 100Ukara Island, Tanzania -- accidents & disasters: 43 stories, carried by 121 outlets; harsh wording in 100 in 100Ottawa, Canada -- accidents & disasters: 212 stories, carried by 189 outlets; harsh wording in 92 in 100Idlib, Syria -- attacks & violence: 190 stories, carried by 163 outlets; harsh wording in 100 in 100Penderlea, US -- accidents & disasters: 73 stories, carried by 219 outlets; harsh wording in 99 in 100Lake Victoria, Tanzania -- accidents & disasters: 272 stories, carried by 228 outlets; harsh wording in 99 in 100Cape Fear, US -- accidents & disasters: 235 stories, carried by 239 outlets; harsh wording in 98 in 100Tehran, Iran -- attacks & violence: 569 stories, carried by 385 outlets; harsh wording in 99 in 100Ahvaz, Iran -- attacks & violence: 1,003 stories, carried by 815 outlets; harsh wording in 100 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 harsher than usual. Filled dot: today. Ring: usual.

● Angera little more than 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

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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.