← 22 May Thursday 23 May 2019 · to 23:59 UTC 24 May →
What the world's news said happened to people.
Counts of coverage, not of suffering
37,278 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 Jakarta (Indonesia) and violence in Tehran and Gaza drew the news. Chile's coverage was about twice as grief-stricken as the world's. Over the whole world, the tone was softer than usual.

Help and hope: reports of people freed or reunited ran at about one and a half times the usual rate →
Part of lifeRights & justice 27 in 100 of the stories about harm · about as usual Country that rose mostIndonesia 66 in 100 of its 613 stories, usually 38
RegionNorth America 25 in 100 of its stories, usually 23
Tone of the words Softer than usual across the world's stories about harm

What the world's news was about today

how these are picked →
Protests & strikes

Indonesia

402 of its 613 stories (66%) were about people being harmed, usually 38%. Jakarta accounted for 365 of Indonesia's 402 stories about harm, carried by 299 outlets. 340 of Jakarta's 365 stories were about protests or strikes. Reports of people injured ran at about 6 times the usual rate (129 stories).

Indonesia over 30 days → its stories → Jakarta stories →
Conflict & violence

Iran

694 of its 1,501 stories (46%) were about people being harmed, usually 31%. Tehran accounted for 614 of Iran's 694 stories about harm, carried by 581 outlets. Reports of evacuations ran at more than ten times the usual rate (90 stories). Its coverage was about one and a half times as angry as the world's.

Iran over 30 days → its stories → Tehran stories →
Rights & justice

Palestine

493 of its 857 stories (58%) were about people being harmed, usually 42%. Gaza accounted for 329 of Palestine's 493 stories about harm, carried by 142 outlets. Reports of refugees ran at about 4 times the usual rate (139 stories). Warmth in its coverage rose to about one and a half times its own usual.

Palestine over 30 days → its stories → Gaza stories →
Health

Chile

55 of its 165 stories (33%) were about people being harmed, usually 18%. Reports of people killed ran at about 6 times the usual rate (48 stories). Its coverage was about twice as grief-stricken as the world's.

Chile over 30 days → its stories →
6 more places the news pointed at
Protests & strikes

El Salvador

21 of its 27 stories (78%) were about people being harmed, usually 28%. 6 of el Mozote's 7 stories were about protests or strikes. Reports of arrests ran at about three times the usual rate (7 stories). Its coverage was about one and a half times as grief-stricken as the world's.

its stories →
Protests & strikes

Belarus

29 of its 138 stories (21%) were about people being harmed, usually 9%. 3 of Minsk's 4 stories were about protests or strikes. Reports of people killed ran at about 6 times the usual rate (25 stories). Its coverage was about three times as grief-stricken as the world's.

its stories →
Conflict & violence

Syria

248 of its 317 stories (78%) were about people being harmed, usually 71%. Idlib accounted for 162 of Syria's 248 stories about harm, carried by 157 outlets. Reports of abductions ran at about twice the usual rate (7 stories). Its coverage was about twice as angry as the world's.

its stories →
Conflict & violence

Central African Republic

57 of its 64 stories (89%) were about people being harmed, usually 48%. Reports of people killed ran at about three times the usual rate (52 stories). Its coverage was about twice as angry as the world's.

its stories →
Conflict & violence

Somalia

137 of its 177 stories (77%) were about people being harmed, usually 50%. Reports of people injured ran at about three times the usual rate (51 stories). Its coverage was about one and a half times as angry as the world's.

its stories →
Rights & justice

Botswana

115 of its 283 stories (41%) were about people being harmed, usually 12%. Reports of people killed ran at about 9 times the usual rate (93 stories).

its stories →

Also named far more than usual: malaria in Algeria (21 of its stories, more than ten times its usual); wildfires in Puerto Rico (21 of its stories, about 4 times its usual); hiv in Kenya (37 of its stories, about 6 times its usual); tuberculosis in Bulgaria (11 of its stories, more than ten times its usual); tornadoes in US (2758 of its stories, about 8 times its usual).

19 in 100 stories were about harm

usually 19; 18 the day before
23 in 10018 in 10024 Apr1 May8 May15 May23 May24 Apr: 20 in 10025 Apr: 20 in 10026 Apr: 19 in 10027 Apr: 20 in 10028 Apr: 23 in 10029 Apr: 21 in 10030 Apr: 20 in 1001 May: 20 in 1002 May: 19 in 1003 May: 21 in 1004 May: 21 in 1005 May: 21 in 1006 May: 20 in 1007 May: 19 in 1008 May: 19 in 1009 May: 18 in 10010 May: 18 in 10011 May: 19 in 10012 May: 20 in 10013 May: 18 in 10014 May: 19 in 10015 May: 18 in 10016 May: 19 in 10017 May: 19 in 10018 May: 18 in 10019 May: 18 in 10020 May: 18 in 10021 May: 18 in 10022 May: 18 in 10023 May: 19 in 100 · this day

Stories about people being harmed, in every 100 stories, the 30 days to 23 May. 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 37,278 stories about harm among 197,939 counted on 23 May.

Read the day's briefing

It was the third day running that the news turned to Indonesia. of the day's 197,939 news stories, 19 in every 100 were about people being harmed, as usual. Reports of people freed or reunited, a sign of help, ran at about one and a half times the usual rate. Indonesia's news was 66% about people being harmed, against a usual 38%. A year earlier, on 23 May 2018, 19 in every 100 stories were about people being harmed, the same as today.

Written by code from the day's numbers.

Where harm was most of the news all →

Central African Republic89 in 100 of its 64 stories · usually 48 · mostly conflict & violence Congo82 in 100 of its 74 stories · usually 70 · mostly health Syria78 in 100 of its 317 stories · usually 71 · mostly conflict & violence Somalia77 in 100 of its 177 stories · usually 50 · mostly conflict & violence Indonesia66 in 100 of its 613 stories · usually 38 · mostly rights & justice

Countries with at least 50 stories that day.

Where people protested

Jakarta Indonesia340 stories about protests or strikes, of its 365 Washington US267 stories about protests or strikes, of its 1942 New Delhi India188 stories about protests or strikes, of its 510 Delaware US163 stories about protests or strikes, of its 174 Gaza Palestine108 stories about protests or strikes, of its 329

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: too little coverage to readVanuatu: about as warm as its own usual or lessUzbekistan: about as warm as its own usual or lessUruguay: about as warm as its own usual or lessMicronesia: too little coverage to readU.S. Virgin Islands: too little coverage to readGuam: too little coverage to readPuerto 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: 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 lessUkraine: 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 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 readTanzania: about as warm as its own usual or lessTajikistan: about as warm as its own usual or lessTaiwan: 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 lessEswatini: about as warm as its own usual or lessSuriname: too little coverage to readSudan: 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 lessSaudi Arabia: about as warm as its own usual or lessSão Tomé: too little coverage to readSamoa: too little coverage to readSt Vincent: too little coverage to readSt. Lucia: about as warm as its own usual or lessRwanda: 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: about as warm as its own usual or lessPapua New Guinea: too little coverage to readPanama: 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 lessNigeria: about as warm as its own usual or lessNiger: 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 lessMorocco: too little coverage to readWestern Sahara: about as warm as its own usual or lessMontenegro: too little coverage to readMongolia: about as warm as its own usual or lessMoldova: about as warm as its own usual or lessMexico: 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 lessMali: about as warm as its own usual or lessMalaysia: too little coverage to readMalawi: too little coverage to readMadagascar: about as warm as its own usual or lessNorth Macedonia: too little coverage to readLuxembourg: about as warm as its own usual or lessLithuania: 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: about as warm as its own usual or lessLatvia: about as warm as its own usual or lessLaos: too little coverage to readKyrgyzstan: about as warm as its own usual or lessKuwait: too little coverage to readKosovo: too little coverage to readKiribati: too little coverage to readJordan: 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 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 lessGhana: about as warm as its own usual or lessGeorgia: too little coverage to readGambia: about as warm as its own usual or lessGabon: about as warm as its own usual or lessFrance: 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 lessEgypt: 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: about as warm as its own usual or lessGreenland: about as warm as its own usual or lessFaroe Islands: too little coverage to readCzech 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: too little coverage to readCroatia: 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 lessChina: too little coverage to readHong 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: about as warm as its own usual or lessCape Verde: about as warm as its own usual or lessCanada: about as warm as its own usual or lessCameroon: about as warm as its own usual or lessCambodia: too little coverage to readMyanmar: 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: about as warm as its own usual or lessBrazil: 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: too little coverage to readBenin: too little coverage to readBelize: 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 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: too little coverage to readAndorra: 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 lessAksai Chin: too little coverage to readWestern Sahara (Moroccan-controlled): about as warm as its own usual or lessWestern Sahara (Free Zone): about as warm as its own usual or lessAzad 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 lessAzad Kashmir & Gilgit-Baltistan: about as warm as its own usual or lessVatican City: too little coverage to readMarshall 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: 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: about as warm as its own usual or lessSan 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: too little coverage to readMonaco: about as warm as its own usual or lessMaldives: too little coverage to readLiechtenstein: 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: too little coverage to readMayotte: about as warm as its own usual or lessTürkiye: warmth about its own usualTunisia: warmth about its own usualThailand: warmth about its own usualSweden: warmth about its own usualSouth Sudan: warmth about its own usualRussia: warmth about its own usualNorth Korea: warmth about one and a half times its own usualNicaragua: warmth about its own usualNetherlands: warmth about one and a half times its own usualMozambique: warmth about its own usualKenya: warmth about its own usualKazakhstan: warmth about its own usualJapan: warmth about its own usualIsrael: warmth about its own usualPalestine: warmth about one and a half times its own usualIndonesia: warmth about its own usualIndia: warmth about one and a half times its own usualGreece: warmth about its own usualGermany: warmth about one and a half times its own usualDenmark: warmth about its own usualCongo: warmth about one and a half times its own usualPalestine: warmth about one and a half times its own usualPalestine: warmth about one and a half times its own usualPalestine: warmth about one and a half times its own usualCharlottesville, US -- rights & justice: 69 stories, carried by 90 outletsSierra Nevada, US -- disasters & accidents: 90 stories, carried by 91 outletsManagua, Nicaragua -- rights & justice: 11 stories, carried by 10 outletsWirral, UK -- health: 28 stories, carried by 19 outletsYorkshire, UK -- health: 16 stories, carried by 17 outletsPalais, France -- disasters & accidents: 26 stories, carried by 29 outletsSao Paulo, Brazil -- rights & justice: 19 stories, carried by 17 outletsNew Delhi, India -- conflict & violence: 510 stories, carried by 367 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

● India warmth about one and a half times usual ● Netherlands warmth about one and a half times usual ● Palestine warmth about one and a half times usual ● Germany warmth about one and a half times usual ● Congo warmth about one and a half times usual ● North Korea warmth about one and a half times usual

Warmest events

● Charlottesville US about twice as warm as the day's news · rights & justice · 69 stories ● Sierra Nevada US about one and a half times as warm as the day's news · disasters & accidents · 90 stories ● Managua Nicaragua about one and a half times as warm as the day's news · rights & justice · 11 stories ● Wirral UK about one and a half times as warm as the day's news · health · 28 stories ● Yorkshire UK about one and a half times as warm as the day's news · health · 16 stories

The day in three measures

Parts of life 30 days →

Rights & justice27% 10,108 stories · about as usual Disasters & accidents21% 7,854 stories · much more than usual (usually 16%) Health20% 7,368 stories · about as usual Conflict & violence18% 6,477 stories · less than usual (usually 20%) Deaths & injuries, cause not given6% 2,372 stories · about as usual Shelter & services3% 1,048 stories · about as usual Displacement2% 893 stories · about as usual Food & livelihood2% 656 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 killed12,513 at about the usual rate Stories reporting arrests4,257 at about the usual rate Stories reporting people affected3,943 at about the usual rate Stories reporting people injured2,772 at about two-thirds of the usual rate · most about the US and Indonesia Stories reporting evacuations751 at about twice the usual rate · most about the US and Iran Stories reporting refugees522 at about the usual rate Stories reporting abductions294 at about two-thirds of the usual rate · most about the US and Nigeria Stories reporting people displaced208 at about two-thirds of the usual rate · most about Syria and Iraq Stories reporting people falling ill26 at about a third of the usual rate · most about the US and Ethiopia

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 softer than 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

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.