← 20 Oct Sunday 21 October 2018 · to 23:59 UTC 22 Oct →
What the world's news said happened to people.
Counts of coverage, not of suffering
21,772 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 train derailment in Taiwan and Sri Lanka and deaths in Naranjito. Congo's coverage was about three times as angry as the world's. Across the world, the tone of the words was much harsher than usual.

Reports of people injured ran at about twice the usual rate, most often about the US and Taiwan → Reports of abductions ran at about twice the usual rate, most often about Congo and Syria →
Part of lifeRights & justice 27 in 100 of the stories about harm · less than usual Country that rose mostTaiwan 88 in 100 of its 741 stories, usually 18
RegionEast Asia 30 in 100 of its stories, usually 16
Tone of the words Much harsher than usual across the world's stories about harm

What the world's news was about today

how these are picked →
Disasters & accidents

Taiwan

650 of its 741 stories (88%) were about people being harmed, usually 18%. Taipei accounted for 482 of Taiwan's 650 stories about harm, carried by 688 outlets. Reports of people injured ran at more than ten times the usual rate (627 stories). Train derailment was named in 605 of its stories about harm, more than ten times usual. Its coverage was about twice as grief-stricken as the world's.

Taiwan over 30 days → its stories → Taipei stories →
Deaths & injuries, cause not given

Costa Rica

105 of its 159 stories (66%) were about people being harmed, usually 23%. Naranjito accounted for 97 of Costa Rica's 105 stories about harm, carried by 113 outlets. Reports of people killed ran at more than ten times the usual rate (100 stories). Its coverage was about twice as grief-stricken as the world's. Anger in its coverage rose to about three times its own usual.

Costa Rica over 30 days → its stories → Naranjito stories →
Conflict & violence

Sri Lanka

88 of its 221 stories (40%) were about people being harmed, usually 22%. Reports of people killed ran at about 5 times the usual rate (57 stories). Train derailment was named in 19 of its stories about harm, more than ten times usual. Its coverage was about twice as grief-stricken as the world's. Anger in its coverage rose to about twice its own usual.

Sri Lanka over 30 days → its stories →
Health

Congo

384 of its 395 stories (97%) were about people being harmed, usually 76%. Reports of abductions ran at more than ten times the usual rate (223 stories). Its coverage was about three times as angry as the world's.

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

Spain

344 of its 761 stories (45%) were about people being harmed, usually 18%. Reports of people injured ran at about 6 times the usual rate (139 stories). Dengue was named in 10 of its stories about harm, more than ten times usual, with ebola. Its coverage was about twice as grief-stricken as the world's.

its stories →
Disasters & accidents

China

375 of its 1,866 stories (20%) were about people being harmed, usually 13%. Reports of evacuations ran at about 6 times the usual rate (7 stories). Earthquake was named in 63 of its stories about harm, about 10 times usual, with drought. Grief in its coverage rose to about three times its own usual.

its stories →
Conflict & violence

Ukraine

113 of its 198 stories (57%) were about people being harmed, usually 32%. Kiev accounted for 101 of Ukraine's 113 stories about harm, carried by 143 outlets. Reports of people killed ran at about three times the usual rate (98 stories).

its stories →
Conflict & violence

Afghanistan

787 of its 918 stories (86%) were about people being harmed, usually 65%. Kabul accounted for 565 of Afghanistan's 787 stories about harm, carried by 570 outlets. Its coverage was about twice as angry as the world's.

its stories →
Rights & justice

Saudi Arabia

1,336 of its 2,529 stories (53%) were about people being harmed, usually 36%. Reports of arrests ran at about 4 times the usual rate (870 stories). Its coverage was about twice as grief-stricken as the world's.

its stories →
Conflict & violence

Kashmir

297 of its 409 stories (73%) were about people being harmed, usually 54%. Reports of people injured ran at about 4 times the usual rate (94 stories). Its coverage was about twice as fearful as the world's.

its stories →

Also named far more than usual: landslides in Malaysia (22 of its stories, more than ten times its usual); earthquake in China (63 of its stories, about 10 times its usual); cyclone in Yemen (11 of its stories, about 10 times its usual); outbreaks in Nigeria (40 of its stories, about three times its usual); storms in Germany (15 of its stories, more than ten times its usual).

21 in 100 stories were about harm

usually 20; 22 the day before
24 in 10017 in 10022 Sep29 Sep6 Oct13 Oct21 Oct22 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 10020 Oct: 22 in 10021 Oct: 21 in 100 · this day

Stories about people being harmed, in every 100 stories, the 30 days to 21 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 21,772 stories about harm among 103,208 counted on 21 Oct.

Read the day's briefing

Taiwan stood out: 88% of its news was about people being harmed, usually 18%. 21 in every 100 of the day's 103,208 news stories were about people being harmed, as usual. In Taiwan's news, mentions of train derailment ran more than ten times their usual. People injured were reported at about twice the usual rate, most often about the US and Taiwan. A year earlier, on 21 October 2017, 27 in every 100 stories were about people being harmed, against 21 today.

Written by code from the day's numbers.

Where harm was most of the news all →

Congo97 in 100 of its 395 stories · usually 76 · mostly health Taiwan88 in 100 of its 741 stories · usually 18 · mostly disasters & accidents Syria88 in 100 of its 372 stories · usually 70 · mostly conflict & violence Afghanistan86 in 100 of its 918 stories · usually 65 · mostly conflict & violence Kashmir73 in 100 of its 409 stories · usually 54 · mostly conflict & violence

Countries with at least 50 stories that day.

Where people protested

Ciudad Hidalgo Mexico243 stories about protests or strikes, of its 540 Riyadh Saudi Arabia206 stories about protests or strikes, of its 700 Jerusalem Israel121 stories about protests or strikes, of its 237 Amritsar India90 stories about protests or strikes, of its 244 Washington US63 stories about protests or strikes, of its 325

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: too little coverage to readYemen: about as warm as its own usual or lessVietnam: about as warm as its own usual or lessVenezuela: too little coverage to readVanuatu: too little coverage to readUzbekistan: too little coverage to readUruguay: too little coverage to readMicronesia: about as warm as its own usual or lessU.S. Virgin Islands: too little coverage to readGuam: about as warm as its own usual or lessPuerto Rico: 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: 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 lessUganda: about as warm as its own usual or lessTurkmenistan: about as warm as its own usual or lessTurkey: about as warm as its own usual or lessTunisia: 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: too little coverage to readTaiwan: about as warm as its own usual or lessSyria: about as warm as its own usual or lessSwitzerland: too little coverage to readSweden: too little coverage to readEswatini: too little coverage to readSuriname: too little coverage to readSouth Sudan: about as warm as its own usual or lessSudan: about as warm as its own usual or lessSpain: 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: too little coverage to readSingapore: 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: too little coverage to readSt. 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 lessPeru: about as warm as its own usual or lessParaguay: 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 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 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: too little coverage to readMexico: 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 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: too little coverage to readLebanon: about as warm as its own usual or lessLatvia: too little coverage to readLaos: 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: 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 lessJapan: about as warm as its own usual or lessJamaica: 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: too little coverage to readGuinea: 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: too little coverage to readFrance: about as warm as its own usual or lessSt Pierre & Miquelon: too little coverage to readFrench Polynesia: too little coverage to readNew Caledonia: too little coverage to readFrench 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 lessEstonia: too little coverage to readEritrea: too little coverage to readEquatorial 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: about as warm as its own usual or lessDjibouti: too little coverage to readGreenland: too little coverage to readFaroe 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: about as warm as its own usual or lessCuba: about as warm as its own usual or lessCroatia: too little coverage to readCôte d'Ivoire: too little coverage to readCosta 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 lessChile: about as warm as its own usual or lessChad: about as warm as its own usual or lessCentral African Republic: too little coverage to readCape 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: too little coverage to readBotswana: about as warm as its own usual or lessBosnia and Herzegovina: too little coverage to readBolivia: 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: too little coverage to readBarbados: 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 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 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 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 readVatican City: about as warm as its own usual or lessMarshall 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: too little coverage to readPitcairn: about as warm as its own usual or lessAnguilla: too little coverage to readBermuda: too little coverage to readBritish Virgin Islands: about as warm as its own usual or lessTurks & Caicos Islands: too little coverage to readMontserrat: about as warm as its own usual or lessJersey: 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: too little coverage to readAruba: 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: about as warm as its own usual or lessMayotte: too little coverage to readUkraine: warmth about its own usualTrinidad & Tobago: warmth about its own usualTanzania: warmth about its own usualSri Lanka: warmth about its own usualSomalia: warmth about its own usualPortugal: warmth about its own usualNetherlands: warmth about one and a half times its own usualMali: warmth about its own usualMalaysia: warmth about its own usualJordan: warmth about its own usualItaly: warmth about its own usualIsrael: warmth about its own usualPalestine: warmth about its own usualIreland: warmth about its own usualEthiopia: warmth about its own usualEgypt: warmth about one and a half times its own usualBrazil: warmth about its own usualKashmir: warmth about its own usualPalestine: warmth about its own usualPalestine: warmth about its own usualKashmir: warmth about its own usualKashmir: warmth about its own usualUkraine: warmth about its own usualPalestine: warmth about its own usualKashmir: warmth about its own usualLittle Rock, US -- deaths & injuries, cause not given: 31 stories, carried by 35 outletsKandahar, Afghanistan -- conflict & violence: 58 stories, carried by 66 outletsBaqura, Jordan -- conflict & violence: 14 stories, carried by 14 outletsNew Hampshire, US -- health: 23 stories, carried by 23 outletsGlasgow City, UK -- food & livelihood: 10 stories, carried by 50 outletsSao Paulo, Brazil -- rights & justice: 37 stories, carried by 53 outletsWellington, New Zealand -- other: 20 stories, carried by 11 outletsRajouri, Kashmir -- conflict & violence: 17 stories, carried by 12 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

● Egypt warmth about one and a half times usual ● Netherlands warmth about one and a half times usual

Warmest events

● Little Rock US about three times as warm as the day's news · deaths & injuries, cause not given · 31 stories ● Kandahar Afghanistan about three times as warm as the day's news · conflict & violence · 58 stories ● Baqura Jordan about twice as warm as the day's news · conflict & violence · 14 stories ● New Hampshire US about twice as warm as the day's news · health · 23 stories ● Glasgow City UK about twice as warm as the day's news · food & livelihood · 10 stories

The day in three measures

Parts of life 30 days →

Rights & justice27% 5,749 stories · less than usual (usually 30%) Health22% 4,802 stories · more than usual (usually 20%) Disasters & accidents19% 4,187 stories · about as usual Conflict & violence17% 3,739 stories · more than usual (usually 15%) Deaths & injuries, cause not given8% 1,616 stories · about as usual Shelter & services3% 740 stories · about as usual Displacement2% 379 stories · about as usual Food & livelihood1% 295 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 killed7,405 at about the usual rate Stories reporting arrests3,384 at about one and a half times the usual rate · most about the US and Saudi Arabia Stories reporting people injured3,361 at about twice the usual rate · most about the US and Taiwan Stories reporting people affected2,098 at about the usual rate Stories reporting refugees609 at about twice the usual rate · most about Mexico and Greece Stories reporting abductions465 at about twice the usual rate · most about Congo and Syria Stories reporting evacuations130 at about a third of the usual rate · most about the UK and the US Stories reporting people displaced126 at about two-thirds of the usual rate · most about Nigeria and the US

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 much harsher than usual. Filled dot: today. Ring: usual.

● Angera little more than usual
● Warmthabout as usual
● Griefabout one and a half times 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.