← 29 Dec Sunday 30 December 2018 · to 23:59 UTC 31 Dec →
What the world's news said happened to people.
Counts of coverage, not of suffering
19,839 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 →

Protests in Dhaka (Bangladesh), violence in Valledupar and landslides in the Philippines drew the news. Guatemala's coverage was about three times as grief-stricken as the world's. Across the world, the tone of the words was much harsher than usual.

Part of lifeRights & justice 29 in 100 of the stories about harm · about as usual Country that rose mostMorocco 93 in 100 of its 226 stories, usually 48
RegionSub-Saharan Africa 42 in 100 of its stories, usually 28
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 →
Protests & strikes

Bangladesh

1,135 of its 1,527 stories (74%) were about people being harmed, usually 37%. Dhaka accounted for 835 of Bangladesh's 1,135 stories about harm, carried by 577 outlets. 613 of Dhaka's 835 stories were about protests or strikes. Reports of people killed ran at about 4 times the usual rate (1,008 stories). Landslides were named in 71 of its stories about harm, about 4 times usual.

Bangladesh over 30 days → its stories → Dhaka stories →
Conflict & violence

Colombia

99 of its 139 stories (71%) were about people being harmed, usually 31%. Valledupar accounted for 77 of Colombia's 99 stories about harm, carried by 95 outlets. Reports of arrests ran at about 8 times the usual rate (90 stories). Its coverage was about one and a half times as angry as the world's.

Colombia over 30 days → its stories → Valledupar stories →
Disasters & accidents

Philippines

251 of its 497 stories (51%) were about people being harmed, usually 31%. Reports of evacuations ran at about 7 times the usual rate (8 stories). Landslides were named in 111 of its stories about harm, more than ten times usual, with typhoon, cyclone and drownings. Its coverage was about one and a half times as grief-stricken as the world's.

Philippines over 30 days → its stories →
Rights & justice

Guatemala

71 of its 115 stories (62%) were about people being harmed, usually 42%. Reports of people killed ran at about twice the usual rate (65 stories). Its coverage was about three times as grief-stricken as the world's.

Guatemala over 30 days → its stories →
6 more places the news pointed at
Conflict & violence

Egypt

219 of its 342 stories (64%) were about people being harmed, usually 34%. Giza accounted for 155 of Egypt's 219 stories about harm, carried by 167 outlets. Reports of people injured ran at about 4 times the usual rate (115 stories). Its coverage was about 4 times as fearful as the world's.

its stories →
Protests & strikes

Peru

17 of its 41 stories (41%) were about people being harmed, usually 21%. 9 of Lima's 13 stories were about protests or strikes. Reports of arrests ran at about 5 times the usual rate (9 stories). Its coverage was about twice as grief-stricken as the world's.

its stories →
Protests & strikes

China

62 of Beijing's 108 stories were about protests or strikes. Reports of people affected ran at about 4 times the usual rate (68 stories). HIV was named in 57 of its stories about harm, about 9 times usual. Its coverage was about one and a half times as warm as the world's.

its stories →
Conflict & violence

Morocco

210 of its 226 stories (93%) were about people being harmed, usually 48%. Reports of people killed ran at about twice the usual rate (197 stories). Its coverage was about three times as fearful as the world's.

its stories →
Disasters & accidents

Dominican Republic

125 of its 162 stories (77%) were about people being harmed, usually 32%. Punta Cana accounted for 120 of the Dominican Republic's 125 stories about harm, carried by 125 outlets. Reports of people injured ran at about three times the usual rate (121 stories).

its stories →
Conflict & violence

Niger

22 of its 22 stories (100%) were about people being harmed, usually 42%. Reports of people killed ran at about twice the usual rate (22 stories). Its coverage was about one and a half times as angry as the world's.

its stories →

Also named far more than usual: hiv in China (57 of its stories, about 9 times its usual); flu in US (1007 of its stories, about 9 times its usual); cyclone in Fiji (10 of its stories, about 5 times its usual); drought in Iran (19 of its stories, more than ten times its usual); extreme cold in Japan (13 of its stories, more than ten times its usual).

23 in 100 stories were about harm

usually 19; 22 the day before
23 in 10017 in 1001 Dec8 Dec15 Dec22 Dec30 Dec1 Dec: 23 in 1002 Dec: 19 in 1003 Dec: 17 in 1004 Dec: 18 in 1005 Dec: 18 in 1006 Dec: 19 in 1007 Dec: 18 in 1008 Dec: 19 in 1009 Dec: 19 in 10010 Dec: 18 in 10011 Dec: 19 in 10012 Dec: 18 in 10013 Dec: 18 in 10014 Dec: 19 in 10015 Dec: 20 in 10016 Dec: 19 in 10017 Dec: 18 in 10018 Dec: 18 in 10019 Dec: 17 in 10020 Dec: 18 in 10021 Dec: 19 in 10022 Dec: 21 in 10023 Dec: 21 in 10024 Dec: 20 in 10025 Dec: 20 in 10026 Dec: 22 in 10027 Dec: 20 in 10028 Dec: 19 in 10029 Dec: 22 in 10030 Dec: 23 in 100 · this day

Stories about people being harmed, in every 100 stories, the 30 days to 30 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 19,839 stories about harm among 87,953 counted on 30 Dec.

Read the day's briefing

It was the highest share of stories about people being harmed since 18 November 2018. In the Philippines' news, mentions of landslides ran more than ten times their usual. Stories about people being harmed made up 23 in every 100 of the day's 87,953 stories, above the usual 19. Bangladesh's news was 74% about people being harmed, against a usual 37%. This week the news turned most often to Indonesia, on 4 of 7 days; help rose on 2 of them.

Written by code from the day's numbers.

Where harm was most of the news all →

Morocco93 in 100 of its 226 stories · usually 48 · mostly conflict & violence DR Congo83 in 100 of its 58 stories · usually 57 · mostly conflict & violence Dominican Republic77 in 100 of its 162 stories · usually 32 · mostly disasters & accidents Indonesia76 in 100 of its 320 stories · usually 66 · mostly disasters & accidents Congo75 in 100 of its 1,057 stories · usually 71 · mostly health

Countries with at least 50 stories that day.

Where people protested

Dhaka Bangladesh613 stories about protests or strikes, of its 835 Washington US171 stories about protests or strikes, of its 1343 Paris France147 stories about protests or strikes, of its 164 Jerusalem Israel120 stories about protests or strikes, of its 216 New York US105 stories about protests or strikes, of its 169

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: too little coverage to readUruguay: 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: 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 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 readTunisia: 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: 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: too little coverage to readTaiwan: 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: too little coverage to readSouth Sudan: about as warm as its own usual or lessSudan: about as warm as its own usual or lessSri Lanka: 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 lessSomalia: 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 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 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: too little coverage to readPapua New Guinea: about as warm as its own usual or lessPalau: about as warm as its own usual or lessPakistan: 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: too little coverage to readMozambique: 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: too little coverage to readMoldova: too little coverage to readMexico: about as warm as its own usual or lessMauritius: too little coverage to readMauritania: too little coverage to readMalta: 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: too little coverage to readNorth 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: too little coverage to readKyrgyzstan: too little coverage to readKuwait: about as warm as its own usual or lessKosovo: 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 lessJamaica: about as warm as its own usual or lessIsrael: 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 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: too little coverage to readGreece: 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: too little coverage to readGabon: 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 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 lessDominica: too little coverage to readDjibouti: about as warm as its own usual or lessGreenland: 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: about as warm as its own usual or lessCôte 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 lessComoros: too little coverage to readColombia: 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: too little coverage to readCambodia: 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: too little coverage to readBrunei: 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: too little coverage to readBarbados: too little coverage to readBangladesh: 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: too little coverage to readAngola: 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 lessGaza: about as warm as its own usual or lessWest Bank: 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 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: too little coverage to readAmerican Samoa: too little coverage to readChagos Islands: too little coverage to readSt. Helena: too little coverage to readPitcairn: too little coverage to readAnguilla: about as warm as its own usual or lessBermuda: about as warm as its own usual or lessBritish Virgin Islands: too little coverage to readTurks & 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: 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: too little coverage to readMayotte: too little coverage to readUK: warmth about one and a half times its own usualTürkiye: warmth about its own usualSaudi Arabia: warmth about its own usualPanama: warmth about its own usualJapan: warmth about its own usualItaly: warmth about its own usualFrance: warmth about its own usualEgypt: warmth about its own usualDominican Republic: warmth about twice its own usualCongo: warmth about its own usualChina: warmth about one and a half times its own usualBrazil: warmth about its own usualChina: warmth about one and a half times its own usualLondon, UK -- disasters & accidents: 144 stories, carried by 351 outletsMinya, Egypt -- conflict & violence: 11 stories, carried by 11 outletsLu Kang, China -- conflict & violence: 13 stories, carried by 11 outletsAndamans, India -- disasters & accidents: 12 stories, carried by 11 outletsEdinburgh, UK -- disasters & accidents: 63 stories, carried by 163 outletsHarahan, US -- health: 48 stories, carried by 56 outletsPortland, US -- rights & justice: 246 stories, carried by 334 outletsMonguno, Nigeria -- displacement: 18 stories, carried by 14 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

● Dominican Republic warmth about twice usual ● UK warmth about one and a half times usual ● China warmth about one and a half times usual

Warmest events

● London UK about twice as warm as the day's news · disasters & accidents · 144 stories ● Minya Egypt about twice as warm as the day's news · conflict & violence · 11 stories ● Lu Kang China about twice as warm as the day's news · conflict & violence · 13 stories ● Andamans India about twice as warm as the day's news · disasters & accidents · 12 stories ● Edinburgh UK about one and a half times as warm as the day's news · disasters & accidents · 63 stories

The day in three measures

Parts of life 30 days →

Rights & justice29% 5,637 stories · about as usual Health21% 4,067 stories · about as usual Disasters & accidents20% 3,828 stories · more than usual (usually 17%) Conflict & violence18% 3,568 stories · about as usual Deaths & injuries, cause not given5% 965 stories · about as usual Shelter & services3% 613 stories · about as usual Food & livelihood3% 556 stories · about as usual Displacement2% 333 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 killed8,246 at about one and a half times the usual rate · most about the US and Bangladesh Stories reporting arrests4,482 at about one and a half times the usual rate · most about the US and India Stories reporting people affected2,033 at about the usual rate Stories reporting people injured1,664 at about the usual rate Stories reporting refugees273 at about the usual rate Stories reporting people displaced222 at about one and a half times the usual rate · most about Indonesia and Israel Stories reporting abductions128 at about the usual rate Stories reporting evacuations99 at about two-thirds of the usual rate · most about the US and the Philippines Stories reporting people falling ill22 at about two-thirds of the usual rate · most about the UK 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.

● Angerabout as usual
● Warmthabout as usual
● Griefa little more 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.