← 18 Oct Friday 19 October 2018 · to 23:59 UTC 20 Oct →
What the world's news said happened to people.
Counts of coverage, not of suffering
35,458 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 cyclone in Panama, protests in Tripoli (Libya) and violence in Kabul drew the news. Bulgaria's coverage was about twice as angry as the world's. In the world's news as a whole, the wording was about as usual.

Part of lifeRights & justice 32 in 100 of the stories about harm · more than usual Country that rose mostCzechia 68 in 100 of its 247 stories, usually 22
RegionSouth Asia 33 in 100 of its stories, usually 26
Tone of the words About as usual across the world's stories about harm

What the world's news was about today

how these are picked →
Disasters & accidents

Panama

184 of its 263 stories (70%) were about people being harmed, usually 54%. Panama City accounted for 178 of Panama's 184 stories about harm, carried by 193 outlets. Reports of evacuations ran at about three times the usual rate (28 stories). Cyclone was named in 53 of its stories about harm, more than ten times usual. Anger in its coverage rose to about one and a half times its own usual.

Panama over 30 days → its stories → Panama City stories →
Protests & strikes

Libya

65 of its 107 stories (61%) were about people being harmed, usually 53%. Tripoli accounted for 57 of Libya's 65 stories about harm, carried by 43 outlets. 30 of Tripoli's 57 stories were about protests or strikes. Reports of evacuations ran at more than ten times the usual rate (17 stories). Hunger was named in 21 of its stories about harm, more than ten times usual.

Libya over 30 days → its stories → Tripoli stories →
Conflict & violence

Afghanistan

914 of its 1,167 stories (78%) were about people being harmed, usually 61%. Kabul accounted for 654 of Afghanistan's 914 stories about harm, carried by 569 outlets. Reports of evacuations ran at about 4 times the usual rate (44 stories). Its coverage was about twice as angry as the world's. Warmth in its coverage rose to about one and a half times its own usual.

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

Azerbaijan

101 of its 201 stories (50%) were about people being harmed, usually 10%. Baku accounted for 98 of Azerbaijan's 101 stories about harm, carried by 134 outlets. Reports of people injured ran at more than ten times the usual rate (75 stories). Anger in its coverage rose to about twice its own usual.

its stories →
Conflict & violence

Comoros

36 of its 37 stories (97%) were about people being harmed, usually 47%. Anjouan accounted for 35 of the Comoros' 36 stories about harm, carried by 21 outlets. Reports of people killed ran at about twice the usual rate (29 stories).

its stories →
Health

Fiji

57 of its 168 stories (34%) were about people being harmed, usually 18%. Chikungunya was named in 18 of its stories about harm, more than ten times usual. Its coverage was about twice as fearful as the world's.

its stories →
Protests & strikes

Mexico

669 of its 1,706 stories (39%) were about people being harmed, usually 28%. 216 of Ciudad Hidalgo's 218 stories were about protests or strikes. Reports of refugees ran at more than ten times the usual rate (176 stories).

its stories →
Conflict & violence

Kashmir

169 of its 263 stories (64%) were about people being harmed, usually 52%. Reports of people injured ran at about twice the usual rate (35 stories). Its coverage was about twice as fearful as the world's.

its stories →
Rights & justice

Saudi Arabia

1,196 of its 2,895 stories (41%) were about people being harmed, usually 33%. Reports of abductions ran at about 7 times the usual rate (46 stories). Its coverage was about twice as grief-stricken as the world's.

its stories →

Also named far more than usual: food poisoning in Switzerland (87 of its stories, more than ten times its usual); cholera in South Korea (53 of its stories, more than ten times its usual); chikungunya in Fiji (18 of its stories, more than ten times its usual); tuberculosis in Australia (146 of its stories, more than ten times its usual); hunger in Mali (10 of its stories, more than ten times its usual).

18 in 100 stories were about harm

usually 20; 19 the day before
24 in 10017 in 10020 Sep27 Sep4 Oct11 Oct19 Oct20 Sep: 20 in 10021 Sep: 20 in 10022 Sep: 23 in 10023 Sep: 22 in 10024 Sep: 20 in 10025 Sep: 19 in 10026 Sep: 18 in 10027 Sep: 17 in 10028 Sep: 19 in 10029 Sep: 22 in 10030 Sep: 21 in 1001 Oct: 19 in 1002 Oct: 19 in 1003 Oct: 19 in 1004 Oct: 19 in 1005 Oct: 20 in 1006 Oct: 22 in 1007 Oct: 23 in 1008 Oct: 21 in 1009 Oct: 21 in 10010 Oct: 21 in 10011 Oct: 22 in 10012 Oct: 21 in 10013 Oct: 23 in 10014 Oct: 24 in 10015 Oct: 20 in 10016 Oct: 19 in 10017 Oct: 19 in 10018 Oct: 19 in 10019 Oct: 18 in 100 · this day

Stories about people being harmed, in every 100 stories, the 30 days to 19 Oct. 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 35,458 stories about harm among 192,889 counted on 19 Oct.

Read the day's briefing

18 in every 100 of the day's 192,889 news stories were about people being harmed, below the usual 20. On 19 October 2017, a year earlier, the share was 22 in every 100, against 18 today.

Written by code from the day's numbers.

Where harm was most of the news all →

Afghanistan78 in 100 of its 1,167 stories · usually 61 · mostly conflict & violence Nicaragua75 in 100 of its 52 stories · usually 69 · mostly rights & justice Syria73 in 100 of its 572 stories · usually 69 · mostly conflict & violence Congo72 in 100 of its 60 stories · usually 75 · mostly health Panama70 in 100 of its 263 stories · usually 54 · mostly disasters & accidents

Countries with at least 50 stories that day.

Where people protested

Ciudad Hidalgo Mexico216 stories about protests or strikes, of its 218 Washington US207 stories about protests or strikes, of its 1087 Beersheba Israel199 stories about protests or strikes, of its 215 Orangeburg US178 stories about protests or strikes, of its 178 Fronteras Mexico148 stories about protests or strikes, of its 149

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 lessVietnam: 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: too little coverage to readMicronesia: too little coverage to readU.S. Virgin Islands: too little coverage to readGuam: about as warm as its own usual or lessPuerto Rico: too little coverage to readUnited 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 Kingdom: about as warm as its own usual or lessUnited Arab Emirates: about as warm as its own usual or lessUganda: too little coverage to readTurkmenistan: 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: about as warm as its own usual or lessTogo: too little coverage to readTimor-Leste: too little coverage to readThailand: 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: too little coverage to readSweden: about as warm as its own usual or lessEswatini: about as warm as its own usual or lessSuriname: too little coverage to readSouth Sudan: about as warm as its own usual or lessSouth 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: too little coverage to readSlovenia: 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: too little coverage to readSt Vincent: about as warm as its own usual or lessSt. Lucia: too little coverage to readRwanda: 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 lessPoland: about as warm as its own usual or lessPhilippines: about as warm as its own usual or lessParaguay: 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 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 readCuraçao: 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 lessWestern Sahara: too little coverage to readMontenegro: about as warm as its own usual or lessMongolia: about as warm as its own usual or lessMoldova: about as warm as its own usual or lessMauritius: about as warm as its own usual or lessMauritania: too little coverage to readMalta: 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: 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: too little coverage to readLatvia: too little coverage to readLaos: too little coverage to readKyrgyzstan: about as warm as its own usual or lessKuwait: about as warm as its own usual or lessKosovo: too little coverage to readKiribati: about as warm as its own usual or lessKenya: 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 lessIreland: about as warm as its own usual or lessIraq: about as warm as its own usual or lessIran: about as warm as its own usual or lessIndonesia: too little coverage to readIndia: 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 lessGhana: too little coverage to readGermany: 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 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: about as warm as its own usual or lessEquatorial Guinea: too little coverage to readEl Salvador: 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: 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 readCroatia: about as warm as its own usual or lessCôte d'Ivoire: 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 lessCongo: about as warm as its own usual or lessComoros: about as warm as its own usual or lessColombia: 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 lessChad: about as warm as its own usual or lessCentral African Republic: 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: too little coverage to readBurundi: 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: too little coverage to readBrazil: 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 lessBhutan: 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 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 lessBahrain: about as warm as its own usual or lessBahamas: 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 lessArgentina: too little coverage to readAntigua & 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 lessJammu & Kashmir: about as warm as its own usual or lessAksai Chin: about as warm as its own usual or lessWestern 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 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: 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: 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: too little coverage to readNorfolk Island: too little coverage to readSint Maarten: too little coverage to readChristmas Island: too little coverage to readGibraltar: about as warm as its own usual or lessMayotte: too little coverage to readUkraine: warmth about its own usualTanzania: warmth about one and a half times its own usualTaiwan: warmth about its own usualSudan: warmth about its own usualSri Lanka: warmth about one and a half times its own usualSpain: warmth about one and a half times its own usualSomalia: warmth about one and a half times its own usualPortugal: warmth about its own usualPeru: warmth about its own usualPapua New Guinea: warmth about its own usualPanama: warmth about its own usualNetherlands: warmth about its own usualMorocco: warmth about its own usualMexico: warmth about its own usualMali: warmth about one and a half times its own usualLithuania: warmth about its own usualIsrael: warmth about one and a half times its own usualPalestine: warmth about its own usualGreece: warmth about its own usualFrance: warmth about one and a half times its own usualEgypt: warmth about its own usualCuba: warmth about its own usualChile: warmth about its own usualAzerbaijan: warmth about one and a half times its own usualAlbania: warmth about its own usualAfghanistan: warmth about one and a half times its own usualPalestine: warmth about its own usualPalestine: warmth about its own usualUkraine: warmth about its own usualPalestine: warmth about its own usualBuhari, Nigeria -- conflict & violence: 11 stories, carried by 10 outletsJanesville, US -- health: 22 stories, carried by 22 outletsWausau, US -- health: 24 stories, carried by 64 outletsCanberra, Australia -- conflict & violence: 101 stories, carried by 152 outletsZhanjiang, China -- displacement: 15 stories, carried by 15 outletsLeicester, UK -- health: 32 stories, carried by 88 outletsNagpur, India -- rights & justice: 12 stories, carried by 10 outletsBlackrock, UK -- disasters & accidents: 27 stories, carried by 18 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

● Sri Lanka warmth about one and a half times usual ● Somalia warmth about one and a half times usual ● Mali warmth about one and a half times usual ● Tanzania warmth about one and a half times usual ● Azerbaijan warmth about one and a half times usual ● Spain warmth about one and a half times usual

Warmest events

● Buhari Nigeria about twice as warm as the day's news · conflict & violence · 11 stories ● Janesville US about twice as warm as the day's news · health · 22 stories ● Wausau US about twice as warm as the day's news · health · 24 stories ● Canberra Australia about one and a half times as warm as the day's news · conflict & violence · 101 stories ● Zhanjiang China about one and a half times as warm as the day's news · displacement · 15 stories

The day in three measures

Parts of life 30 days →

Rights & justice32% 11,149 stories · more than usual (usually 30%) Health23% 8,146 stories · more than usual (usually 20%) Disasters & accidents15% 5,252 stories · much less than usual (usually 21%) Conflict & violence15% 5,161 stories · about as usual Deaths & injuries, cause not given7% 2,324 stories · about as usual Shelter & services3% 1,167 stories · about as usual Displacement2% 787 stories · about as usual Food & livelihood2% 768 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 killed9,855 at about the usual rate Stories reporting arrests3,868 at about the usual rate Stories reporting people affected3,611 at about two-thirds of the usual rate · most about the US and Mexico Stories reporting people injured2,828 at about the usual rate Stories reporting refugees738 at about the usual rate Stories reporting abductions638 at about one and a half times the usual rate · most about Afghanistan and Syria Stories reporting evacuations310 at about half the usual rate · most about the US and Afghanistan Stories reporting people displaced262 at about two-thirds of the usual rate · most about Syria and the US Stories reporting people falling ill30 at about a third of the usual rate · most about the US and the UK

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 about as 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.