← 27 Dec Saturday 28 December 2019 · to 23:59 UTC 29 Dec →
What the world's news said happened to people.
Counts of coverage, not of suffering
11,441 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 →

Most of the day's attention went to violence in Mogadishu, the cyclone in Fiji and protests in Baghdad (Iraq). Somalia's coverage was about three times as grief-stricken as the world's. Everywhere we counted, the words were much harsher than usual.

Help and hope: reports of volunteers ran at about one and a half times the usual rate →
Part of lifeRights & justice 27 in 100 of the stories about harm · less than usual Country that rose mostKazakhstan 84 in 100 of its 136 stories, usually 29
RegionCentral Asia 72 in 100 of its stories, usually 23
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 →
Conflict & violence

Somalia

414 of its 428 stories (97%) were about people being harmed, usually 54%. Mogadishu accounted for 406 of Somalia's 414 stories about harm, carried by 1,083 outlets. Reports of people injured ran at about 6 times the usual rate (318 stories). Hunger was named in 39 of its stories about harm, about three times usual. Its coverage was about three times as grief-stricken as the world's.

Somalia over 30 days → its stories → Mogadishu stories →
Disasters & accidents

Fiji

93 of its 122 stories (76%) were about people being harmed, usually 29%. Nadi accounted for 36 of Fiji's 93 stories about harm, carried by 42 outlets. Reports of evacuations ran at more than ten times the usual rate (42 stories). Cyclone was named in 77 of its stories about harm, about three times usual, with heavy rain, flooding and storms.

Fiji over 30 days → its stories → Nadi stories →
Protests & strikes

Iraq

Baghdad accounted for 37 of Iraq's 104 stories about harm, carried by 81 outlets. 28 of Baghdad's 37 stories were about protests or strikes. Reports of abductions ran at about three times the usual rate (6 stories). Its coverage was about twice as angry as the world's.

Iraq over 30 days → its stories → Baghdad stories →
Deaths & injuries, cause not given

Egypt

43 of its 104 stories (41%) were about people being harmed, usually 20%. Reports of people injured ran at more than ten times the usual rate (23 stories). Its coverage was about one and a half times as grief-stricken as the world's.

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

Kazakhstan

114 of its 136 stories (84%) were about people being harmed, usually 29%. Almaty accounted for 109 of Kazakhstan's 114 stories about harm, carried by 342 outlets. Reports of people injured ran at about 5 times the usual rate (74 stories).

its stories →
Health

Ecuador

14 of its 18 stories (78%) were about people being harmed, usually 36%. Food poisoning was named in 10 of its stories about harm, more than ten times usual, with poisoning. Its coverage was about one and a half times as fearful as the world's.

its stories →
Rights & justice

Nigeria

274 of its 824 stories (33%) were about people being harmed, usually 26%. Reports of people killed ran at about twice the usual rate (111 stories). Its coverage was about one and a half times as fearful as the world's.

its stories →
Protests & strikes

Chile

32 of its 68 stories (47%) were about people being harmed, usually 36%. Santiago accounted for 22 of Chile's 32 stories about harm, carried by 75 outlets. 19 of Santiago's 22 stories were about protests or strikes.

its stories →
Conflict & violence

Afghanistan

103 of its 169 stories (61%) were about people being harmed, usually 54%. Reports of refugees ran at about 4 times the usual rate (8 stories). Its coverage was about twice as angry as the world's.

its stories →
Conflict & violence

Syria

Idlib accounted for 70 of Syria's 95 stories about harm, carried by 111 outlets. Flooding was named in 11 of its stories about harm, about 4 times usual. Its coverage was about twice as angry as the world's.

its stories →

Also named far more than usual: drownings in Spain (39 of its stories, more than ten times its usual); food poisoning in Ecuador (10 of its stories, more than ten times its usual); flooding in Syria (11 of its stories, about 4 times its usual); extreme cold in India (56 of its stories, more than ten times its usual); power cuts in Canada (13 of its stories, about 5 times its usual).

21 in 100 stories were about harm

usually 18; 20 the day before
21 in 10016 in 10029 Nov6 Dec13 Dec20 Dec28 Dec29 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 10010 Dec: 18 in 10011 Dec: 18 in 10012 Dec: 17 in 10013 Dec: 16 in 10014 Dec: 18 in 10015 Dec: 19 in 10016 Dec: 17 in 10017 Dec: 17 in 10018 Dec: 17 in 10019 Dec: 17 in 10020 Dec: 17 in 10021 Dec: 19 in 10022 Dec: 20 in 10023 Dec: 19 in 10024 Dec: 18 in 10025 Dec: 19 in 10026 Dec: 19 in 10027 Dec: 20 in 10028 Dec: 21 in 100 · this day

Stories about people being harmed, in every 100 stories, the 30 days to 28 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 11,441 stories about harm among 53,383 counted on 28 Dec.

Read the day's briefing

It was the highest share of stories about people being harmed since 21 September 2019. On the side of help, reports of volunteers ran at about one and a half times the usual rate. Stories about people being harmed made up 21 in every 100 of the day's 53,383 stories, above the usual 18. Somalia's news was 97% about people being harmed, against a usual 54%.

Written by code from the day's numbers.

Where harm was most of the news all →

Somalia97 in 100 of its 428 stories · usually 54 · mostly conflict & violence Kazakhstan84 in 100 of its 136 stories · usually 29 · mostly disasters & accidents Fiji76 in 100 of its 122 stories · usually 29 · mostly disasters & accidents Syria67 in 100 of its 142 stories · usually 62 · mostly conflict & violence Iraq67 in 100 of its 156 stories · usually 64 · mostly rights & justice

Countries with at least 50 stories that day.

Where people protested

Delhi India117 stories about protests or strikes, of its 231 Washington US72 stories about protests or strikes, of its 265 Meerut India43 stories about protests or strikes, of its 46 Lucknow India34 stories about protests or strikes, of its 45 Baghdad Iraq28 stories about protests or strikes, of its 37

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: too little coverage to readVenezuela: about as warm as its own usual or lessVanuatu: too little coverage to readUzbekistan: about as warm as its own usual or lessUruguay: too little coverage to readMicronesia: 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: 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 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: 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: too little coverage to readSri 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: too little coverage to readSlovakia: about as warm as its own usual or lessSlovenia: too little coverage to readSingapore: about as warm as its own usual or lessSierra Leone: about as warm as its own usual or lessSeychelles: about as warm as its own usual or lessSerbia: 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: about as warm as its own usual or lessSt. Lucia: about as warm as its own usual or lessRwanda: 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: too little coverage to readPeru: 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: 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 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: 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: about as warm as its own usual or lessMongolia: too little coverage to readMoldova: too little coverage to readMexico: about as warm as its own usual or lessMauritius: about as warm as its own usual or lessMauritania: 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: about as warm as its own usual or lessLuxembourg: about as warm as its own usual or lessLithuania: too little coverage to readLibya: 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: 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 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 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 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: 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: 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 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: 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: 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: about as warm as its own usual or lessCosta Rica: too little coverage to readDR 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 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: about as warm as its own usual or lessCape 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: too little coverage to readBurkina Faso: about as warm as its own usual or lessBulgaria: about as warm as its own usual or lessBrunei: about as warm as its own usual or lessBrazil: about as warm as its own usual or lessBotswana: too little coverage to readBosnia 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: 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: too little coverage to readAntigua & Barbuda: too little coverage to readAngola: 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: 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): too little coverage to readWestern Sahara (Free Zone): too little coverage to readAzad Kashmir & Gilgit-Baltistan: too little coverage to readSiachen Glacier: too little coverage to readCrimea: about as warm as its own usual or lessEast Jerusalem: about as warm as its own usual or lessAzad Kashmir & Gilgit-Baltistan: too little coverage to readVatican 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: about as warm as its own usual or lessSt. 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: 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: 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 its own usualSudan: warmth about its own usualIreland: warmth about its own usualMelbourne, Australia -- health: 14 stories, carried by 58 outletsDarfur, Sudan -- conflict & violence: 11 stories, carried by 20 outletsColumbus, US -- deaths & injuries, cause not given: 10 stories, carried by 80 outletsNorthern Ireland, UK -- conflict & violence: 35 stories, carried by 175 outletsWest Midlands, UK -- rights & justice: 14 stories, carried by 16 outletsKentucky, US -- disasters & accidents: 14 stories, carried by 13 outletsVancouver, Canada -- health: 17 stories, carried by 20 outletsKuala Lumpur, Malaysia -- rights & justice: 22 stories, carried by 13 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

● Melbourne Australia about twice as warm as the day's news · health · 14 stories ● Darfur Sudan about twice as warm as the day's news · conflict & violence · 11 stories ● Columbus US about one and a half times as warm as the day's news · deaths & injuries, cause not given · 10 stories ● Northern Ireland UK about one and a half times as warm as the day's news · conflict & violence · 35 stories ● West Midlands UK about one and a half times as warm as the day's news · rights & justice · 14 stories

The day in three measures

Parts of life 30 days →

Rights & justice27% 3,021 stories · less than usual (usually 31%) Disasters & accidents22% 2,521 stories · more than usual (usually 19%) Health20% 2,297 stories · about as usual Conflict & violence15% 1,718 stories · about as usual Deaths & injuries, cause not given8% 851 stories · about as usual Shelter & services3% 376 stories · about as usual Displacement2% 231 stories · about as usual Food & livelihood2% 205 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 killed4,140 at about one and a half times the usual rate · most about the US and Somalia Stories reporting arrests1,391 at about the usual rate Stories reporting people affected1,383 at about one and a half times the usual rate · most about the US and India Stories reporting people injured1,159 at about one and a half times the usual rate · most about Somalia and the US Stories reporting people displaced155 at about one and a half times the usual rate · most about Syria and the US Stories reporting refugees151 at about the usual rate Stories reporting abductions117 at about the usual rate Stories reporting evacuations116 at about twice the usual rate · most about Fiji and the US Stories reporting people falling ill17 at about the usual rate

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

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.