← 8 Dec Monday 9 December 2019 · to 23:59 UTC 10 Dec →
What the world's news said happened to people.
Counts of coverage, not of suffering
18,583 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 →

Landslides in New Zealand, protests in Baghdad (Iraq) and people injured in Saudi Arabia drew the news. Samoa's coverage was about twice as grief-stricken as the world's. Worldwide, the words used were softer than usual.

Part of lifeRights & justice 29 in 100 of the stories about harm · about as usual Country that rose mostNew Zealand 58 in 100 of its 1,626 stories, usually 18
RegionOceania 36 in 100 of its stories, usually 22
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 →
Disasters & accidents

New Zealand

949 of its 1,626 stories (58%) were about people being harmed, usually 18%. White Island accounted for 680 of New Zealand's 949 stories about harm, carried by 1,431 outlets. Reports of evacuations ran at more than ten times the usual rate (41 stories). Landslides were named in 125 of its stories about harm, more than ten times usual.

New Zealand over 30 days → its stories → White Island stories →
Protests & strikes

Iraq

146 of its 196 stories (74%) were about people being harmed, usually 66%. Baghdad accounted for 105 of Iraq's 146 stories about harm, carried by 153 outlets. 59 of Baghdad's 105 stories were about protests or strikes. Its coverage was about twice as angry as the world's.

Iraq over 30 days → its stories → Baghdad stories →
Conflict & violence

Saudi Arabia

249 of its 611 stories (41%) were about people being harmed, usually 20%. Reports of people injured ran at about 4 times the usual rate (106 stories). Its coverage was about one and a half times as angry as the world's.

Saudi Arabia over 30 days → its stories →
Health

Samoa

65 of its 71 stories (92%) were about people being harmed, usually 76%. Reports of people affected ran at about twice the usual rate (23 stories). Its coverage was about twice as grief-stricken as the world's.

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

Uganda

54 of its 134 stories (40%) were about people being harmed, usually 33%. Reports of people displaced ran at about 4 times the usual rate (9 stories). Heavy rain was named in 16 of its stories about harm, about 6 times usual, with landslides.

its stories →
Rights & justice

India

Reports of refugees ran at about 9 times the usual rate (43 stories). Nipah virus was named in 12 of its stories about harm, more than ten times usual. Its coverage was about one and a half times as angry as the world's.

its stories →
Protests & strikes

Hong Kong

Hong Kong Island accounted for 73 of Hong Kong's 113 stories about harm, carried by 99 outlets. 68 of Hong Kong Island's 73 stories were about protests or strikes. Its coverage was about one and a half times as angry as the world's.

its stories →
Conflict & violence

Afghanistan

Kabul accounted for 66 of Afghanistan's 186 stories about harm, carried by 104 outlets. Reports of people affected ran at about twice the usual rate (22 stories). Its coverage was about twice as grief-stricken as the world's.

its stories →
Disasters & accidents

Guernsey

21 of its 39 stories (54%) were about people being harmed, usually 9%. Train derailment was named in 16 of its stories about harm, more than ten times usual.

its stories →
Disasters & accidents

Madagascar

11 of its 16 stories (69%) were about people being harmed, usually 17%. Cyclone was named in 11 of its stories about harm, more than ten times usual.

its stories →

Also named far more than usual: polio in Malaysia (47 of its stories, more than ten times its usual); train derailment in Guernsey (16 of its stories, more than ten times its usual); ebola in Rwanda (16 of its stories, about 5 times its usual); cyclone in Madagascar (11 of its stories, more than ten times its usual); heavy rain in Uganda (16 of its stories, about 6 times its usual).

18 in 100 stories were about harm

usually 18; 19 the day before
21 in 10016 in 10010 Nov17 Nov24 Nov1 Dec9 Dec10 Nov: 18 in 10011 Nov: 17 in 10012 Nov: 17 in 10013 Nov: 17 in 10014 Nov: 17 in 10015 Nov: 17 in 10016 Nov: 18 in 10017 Nov: 18 in 10018 Nov: 17 in 10019 Nov: 17 in 10020 Nov: 16 in 10021 Nov: 16 in 10022 Nov: 16 in 10023 Nov: 17 in 10024 Nov: 19 in 10025 Nov: 17 in 10026 Nov: 18 in 10027 Nov: 18 in 10028 Nov: 18 in 10029 Nov: 17 in 10030 Nov: 20 in 1001 Dec: 21 in 1002 Dec: 18 in 1003 Dec: 17 in 1004 Dec: 16 in 1005 Dec: 17 in 1006 Dec: 18 in 1007 Dec: 20 in 1008 Dec: 19 in 1009 Dec: 18 in 100 · this day

Stories about people being harmed, in every 100 stories, the 30 days to 9 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 18,583 stories about harm among 104,879 counted on 9 Dec.

Read the day's briefing

New Zealand stood out: 58% of its news was about people being harmed, usually 18%. 18 in every 100 of the day's 104,879 news stories were about people being harmed, as usual. A year earlier, on 9 December 2018, 19 in every 100 stories were about people being harmed, against 18 today.

Written by code from the day's numbers.

Where harm was most of the news all →

Samoa92 in 100 of its 71 stories · usually 76 · mostly health Iraq74 in 100 of its 196 stories · usually 66 · mostly conflict & violence Syria59 in 100 of its 128 stories · usually 62 · mostly conflict & violence New Zealand58 in 100 of its 1,626 stories · usually 18 · mostly disasters & accidents Sudan55 in 100 of its 80 stories · usually 53 · mostly conflict & violence

Countries with at least 50 stories that day.

Where people protested

Washington US87 stories about protests or strikes, of its 507 Hong Kong Island Hong Kong68 stories about protests or strikes, of its 73 Delhi India63 stories about protests or strikes, of its 342 Baghdad Iraq59 stories about protests or strikes, of its 105 Beijing China43 stories about protests or strikes, of its 104

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: about as warm as its own usual or lessMicronesia: too little coverage to readU.S. Virgin Islands: too little coverage to readGuam: 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: 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 lessTanzania: 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 lessSweden: about as warm as its own usual or lessEswatini: about as warm as its own usual or lessSuriname: about as warm as its own usual or lessSouth 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 lessSomalia: about as warm as its own usual or lessSomaliland: too little coverage to readSolomon Islands: too little coverage to readSlovakia: about as warm as its own usual or lessSlovenia: 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: 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: too little coverage to readPoland: 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: about as warm as its own usual or lessPanama: too little coverage to readPalau: 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 lessNigeria: about as warm as its own usual or lessNiger: too little coverage to readNicaragua: 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: 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: too little coverage to readMauritania: about as warm as its own usual or lessMalta: 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: 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: too little coverage to readLebanon: too little coverage to readLatvia: about as warm as its own usual or lessLaos: about as warm as its own usual or lessKyrgyzstan: too little coverage to readKuwait: 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 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: about as warm as its own usual or lessIndia: 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: too little coverage to readGuatemala: 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: 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: too little coverage to readEstonia: 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: too little coverage to readDominican Republic: about as warm as its own usual or lessDominica: about as warm as its own usual or lessDjibouti: too little coverage to readGreenland: 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 readCuba: about as warm as its own usual or lessCroatia: 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: too little coverage to readColombia: about as warm as its own usual or lessChina: 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 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 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: 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 lessAfghanistan: about as warm as its own usual or lessJammu & Kashmir: too little coverage to readAksai Chin: 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): about as warm as its own usual or lessWestern Sahara (Free Zone): about as warm as its own usual or lessAzad Kashmir & Gilgit-Baltistan: too little coverage to readSiachen Glacier: too little coverage to readEast Jerusalem: about as warm as its own usual or lessAzad Kashmir & Gilgit-Baltistan: too little coverage to readVatican City: about as warm as its own usual or lessMarshall Islands: too little coverage to readNorthern Mariana Islands: about as warm as its own usual or lessAmerican Samoa: about as warm as its own usual or lessChagos Islands: too little coverage to readSt. Helena: too little coverage to readPitcairn: 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: about as warm as its own usual or lessMontserrat: too little coverage to readJersey: too little coverage to readGuernsey: too little coverage to readSan Marino: too little coverage to readSt Kitts & Nevis: about as warm as its own usual or lessCook Islands: about as warm as its own usual or lessAruba: about as warm as its own usual or lessNauru: too little coverage to readMonaco: too little coverage to readMaldives: 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: 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: about as warm as its own usual or lessPuerto Rico: warmth about its own usualUkraine: warmth about its own usualSouth Africa: warmth about its own usualPhilippines: warmth about its own usualNorth Korea: warmth about its own usualFrance: warmth about its own usualEthiopia: warmth about its own usualHong Kong: warmth about its own usualBangladesh: warmth about its own usualAlbania: warmth about its own usualUkraine: warmth about its own usualTsolo, South Africa -- rights & justice: 21 stories, carried by 21 outletsArizona, US -- health: 24 stories, carried by 21 outletsYangdok, North Korea -- health: 10 stories, carried by 65 outletsWisconsin, US -- disasters & accidents: 21 stories, carried by 31 outletsKabul, Afghanistan -- conflict & violence: 66 stories, carried by 104 outletsCairo, Egypt -- rights & justice: 11 stories, carried by 25 outletsCanberra, Australia -- disasters & accidents: 20 stories, carried by 48 outletsVancouver, Canada -- health: 31 stories, carried by 59 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

No country's news was much warmer than its usual (a quarter or more).

Warmest events

● Tsolo South Africa about twice as warm as the day's news · rights & justice · 21 stories ● Arizona US about one and a half times as warm as the day's news · health · 24 stories ● Yangdok North Korea about one and a half times as warm as the day's news · health · 10 stories ● Wisconsin US about one and a half times as warm as the day's news · disasters & accidents · 21 stories ● Kabul Afghanistan about one and a half times as warm as the day's news · conflict & violence · 66 stories

The day in three measures

Parts of life 30 days →

Rights & justice29% 5,307 stories · about as usual Health23% 4,270 stories · about as usual Disasters & accidents21% 3,907 stories · more than usual (usually 18%) Conflict & violence12% 2,269 stories · about as usual Deaths & injuries, cause not given5% 948 stories · about as usual Shelter & services4% 694 stories · about as usual Food & livelihood3% 513 stories · about as usual Displacement2% 385 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 killed5,602 at about the usual rate Stories reporting people affected2,169 at about the usual rate Stories reporting arrests1,932 at about the usual rate Stories reporting people injured1,526 at about the usual rate Stories reporting refugees238 at about the usual rate Stories reporting abductions186 at about the usual rate Stories reporting people displaced163 at about the usual rate Stories reporting evacuations122 at about the usual rate Stories reporting people falling ill25 at about half 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 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.