Dominican Republic
48 of its 96 stories (50%) were about people being harmed, usually 22%. Reports of people killed ran at about three times the usual rate (24 stories). Road crashes were named in 25 of its stories about harm, about 6 times usual.
What the world's news said happened to people.
Counts of coverage, not of suffering
We measure how the world's news covered people being harmed — and the help and hope within it.
The news turned to road crashes in the Dominican Republic, rights and justice in Skopje and people injured in Tanzania. North Korea's coverage was about one and a half times as fearful as the world's. Over the whole world, the tone was much softer than usual.
Part of lifeRights & justice
33 in 100 of the stories about harm · more than usual
Country that rose mostSweden
41 in 100 of its 373 stories, usually 14
RegionEvery region
about as usual
Tone of the words
Much softer than usual
across the world's stories about harm
What the world's news was about today
how these are picked →North Macedonia
43 of its 103 stories (42%) were about people being harmed, usually 16%. Skopje accounted for 42 of North Macedonia's 43 stories about harm, carried by 43 outlets. Reports of arrests ran at about 5 times the usual rate (33 stories).
Tanzania
44 of its 99 stories (44%) were about people being harmed, usually 19%. Reports of people injured ran at more than ten times the usual rate (19 stories). Dengue was named in 21 of its stories about harm, more than ten times usual.
North Korea
109 of its 533 stories (20%) were about people being harmed, usually 13%. Train derailment was named in 67 of its stories about harm, more than ten times usual. Its coverage was about one and a half times as fearful as the world's.
6 more places the news pointed at
Ecuador
248 of its 548 stories (45%) were about people being harmed, usually 28%. Quito accounted for 162 of Ecuador's 248 stories about harm, carried by 146 outlets. Reports of arrests ran at about 4 times the usual rate (17 stories).
Iran
200 of its 335 stories (60%) were about people being harmed, usually 52%. Reports of abductions ran at about 4 times the usual rate (10 stories). Its coverage was about three times as fearful as the world's.
Sudan
Khartoum accounted for 942 of Sudan's 1,376 stories about harm, carried by 691 outlets. 862 of Khartoum's 942 stories were about protests or strikes. Storms were named in 45 of its stories about harm, about 7 times usual.
Libya
Tripoli accounted for 189 of Libya's 203 stories about harm, carried by 121 outlets. Reports of refugees ran at about three times the usual rate (39 stories). Its coverage was about twice as angry as the world's.
Afghanistan
Kabul accounted for 91 of Afghanistan's 161 stories about harm, carried by 84 outlets. Reports of abductions ran at about three times the usual rate (9 stories). Polio was named in 28 of its stories about harm, more than ten times usual.
Sweden
152 of its 373 stories (41%) were about people being harmed, usually 14%. Reports of arrests ran at about 9 times the usual rate (25 stories).
Also named far more than usual: road crashes in Argentina (22 of its stories, more than ten times its usual); plane crash in Poland (25 of its stories, more than ten times its usual); measles in Chad (12 of its stories, more than ten times its usual); polio in Afghanistan (28 of its stories, more than ten times its usual); flooding in Iraq (19 of its stories, about 4 times its usual).
19 in 100 stories were about harm
usually 20; 19 the day beforeStories about people being harmed, in every 100 stories, the 30 days to 11 Apr. 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 38,458 stories about harm among 204,942 counted on 11 Apr.
Read the day's briefing
Mentions of train derailment ran more than ten times their usual in North Korea's news. of the day's 204,942 news stories, 19 in every 100 were about people being harmed, below the usual 20. the news turned to the Dominican Republic for the second day running. the Dominican Republic's news was 50% about people being harmed, against a usual 22%. A year earlier, on 11 April 2018, 20 in every 100 stories were about people being harmed, against 19 today.
- 19 in every 100 of the day's 204,942 news stories were about people being harmed (usually 20).
- Dominican Republic: 48 of its 96 stories (50%) were about people being harmed, usually 22%.
- North Macedonia: 43 of its 103 stories (42%) were about people being harmed, usually 16%.
- Tanzania: 44 of its 99 stories (44%) were about people being harmed, usually 19%.
- North Korea: 109 of its 533 stories (20%) were about people being harmed, usually 13%.
- Mentions of train derailment ran more than ten times their usual in North Korea's news.
- Mentions of road crashes ran more than ten times their usual in Argentina's news.
- Across the world, the words of the day's news were much softer than usual.
- It was the second day running that the news turned to the Dominican Republic.
- A year earlier, on 11 April 2018, 20 in every 100 stories were about people being harmed, against 19 today.
Written by code from the day's numbers.
Where harm was most of the news all →
Mozambique71 in 100 of its 97 stories · usually 89 · mostly disasters & accidents Sudan71 in 100 of its 1,944 stories · usually 66 · mostly rights & justice Syria69 in 100 of its 168 stories · usually 65 · mostly conflict & violence Rwanda65 in 100 of its 79 stories · usually 59 · mostly conflict & violence Iran60 in 100 of its 335 stories · usually 52 · mostly conflict & violenceCountries with at least 50 stories that day.
Where people protested
Khartoum Sudan862 stories about protests or strikes, of its 942 Washington US496 stories about protests or strikes, of its 1916 London UK402 stories about protests or strikes, of its 1771 Darfur Sudan287 stories about protests or strikes, of its 332 Seoul South Korea166 stories about protests or strikes, of its 195Stories, not people.
Where it happened
feelings in full →
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.
Biggest events
● Khartoum Sudan protests & strikes · 942 stories, 691 outlets ● Denver US accidents & disasters · 509 stories, 689 outlets ● Opelousas US accidents & disasters · 488 stories, 602 outlets ● Darfur Sudan protests & strikes · 332 stories, 302 outlets ● Seoul South Korea protests & strikes · 195 stories, 201 outlets ● Wellington New Zealand attacks & violence · 222 stories, 197 outlets ● Sussex UK accidents & disasters · 124 stories, 273 outlets ● Canberra Australia accidents & disasters · 106 stories, 105 outletsThe day in three measures
Parts of life 30 days →
Rights & justice33% 12,649 stories · more than usual (usually 29%) Health21% 8,047 stories · about as usual Disasters & accidents17% 6,312 stories · about as usual Conflict & violence14% 5,156 stories · much less than usual (usually 19%) Deaths & injuries, cause not given6% 2,112 stories · about as usual Shelter & services4% 1,624 stories · about as usual Displacement3% 1,152 stories · about as usual Food & livelihood2% 766 stories · about as usualOf the stories about people being harmed, what part of life each was about. The mark is usual.
Harm reported 30 days →
Stories reporting people killed9,521 at about two-thirds of the usual rate · most about the US and Sudan Stories reporting arrests5,001 at about the usual rate Stories reporting people affected3,569 at about the usual rate Stories reporting people injured2,160 at about two-thirds of the usual rate · most about the US and New Zealand Stories reporting refugees550 at about the usual rate Stories reporting evacuations413 at about the usual rate Stories reporting abductions378 at about the usual rate Stories reporting people displaced277 at about two-thirds of the usual rate · most about the US and Sudan Stories reporting people falling ill36 at about half the usual rate · most about the US and the United Arab EmiratesStories 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 softer than usual. Filled dot: today. Ring: usual.
● Angera little less than usual
● Warmthabout as usual
● Griefabout two-thirds of 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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These are counts of stories, not counts of suffering. Most of what happens to people is never reported at all.