← 27 Jan Tuesday 28 January 2020 · to 23:59 UTC 29 Jan →
What the world's news said happened to people.
Counts of coverage, not of suffering
24,116 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 →

The news turned to protests in Sanaa (Yemen), illness in Wuhan and plane crash in Afghanistan. Yemen's coverage was about twice as angry as the world's. Taken together, the world's news read softer than usual.

Help and hope: reports of vaccination ran at about one and a half times the usual rate →
Part of lifeHealth 43 in 100 of the stories about harm · much more than usual Country that rose mostCayman Islands 92 in 100 of its 52 stories, usually 12
RegionEast Asia 62 in 100 of its stories, usually 28
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

Yemen

62 of its 79 stories (78%) were about people being harmed, usually 64%. Sanaa accounted for 43 of Yemen's 62 stories about harm, carried by 94 outlets. 26 of Sanaa's 43 stories were about protests or strikes. Heavy rain was named in 24 of its stories about harm, more than ten times usual. Its coverage was about twice as angry as the world's.

Yemen over 30 days → its stories → Sanaa stories →
Health

China

4,454 of its 6,207 stories (72%) were about people being harmed, usually 34%. Wuhan accounted for 3,005 of China's 4,454 stories about harm, carried by 2,298 outlets. Reports of evacuations ran at more than ten times the usual rate (219 stories). Norovirus was named in 11 of its stories about harm, about 4 times usual.

China over 30 days → its stories → Wuhan stories →
Conflict & violence

Afghanistan

223 of its 357 stories (62%) were about people being harmed, usually 51%. Ghazni accounted for 128 of Afghanistan's 223 stories about harm, carried by 380 outlets. Plane crash was named in 43 of its stories about harm, more than ten times usual. Its coverage was about twice as angry as the world's.

Afghanistan over 30 days → its stories → Ghazni stories →
Disasters & accidents

Jamaica

107 of its 255 stories (42%) were about people being harmed, usually 18%. Reports of people injured ran at about 6 times the usual rate (8 stories). Its coverage was about one and a half times as fearful as the world's.

Jamaica over 30 days → its stories →
6 more places the news pointed at
Rights & justice

Poland

109 of its 243 stories (45%) were about people being harmed, usually 27%. Reports of people affected ran at about 4 times the usual rate (47 stories). Its coverage was about three times as grief-stricken as the world's.

its stories →
Conflict & violence

Mali

26 of its 33 stories (79%) were about people being harmed, usually 48%. Hunger was named in 14 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.

its stories →
Rights & justice

Armenia

35 of its 118 stories (30%) were about people being harmed, usually 13%. Reports of people killed ran at about twice the usual rate (8 stories). Its coverage was about one and a half times as fearful as the world's.

its stories →
Rights & justice

Pakistan

279 of its 753 stories (37%) were about people being harmed, usually 30%. Reports of people displaced ran at about 6 times the usual rate (6 stories). Natural hazards were named in 17 of its stories about harm, about 6 times usual.

its stories →
Conflict & violence

Burkina Faso

34 of its 40 stories (85%) were about people being harmed, usually 70%. Reports of people displaced ran at about twice the usual rate (14 stories). Its coverage was about twice as angry as the world's.

its stories →
Protests & strikes

Ethiopia

31 of its 61 stories (51%) were about people being harmed, usually 40%. 3 of Amhara's 4 stories were about protests or strikes. Reports of abductions ran at about 6 times the usual rate (6 stories).

its stories →

Also named far more than usual: heavy rain in Brazil (27 of its stories, more than ten times its usual); hunger in Mali (14 of its stories, more than ten times its usual); natural hazards in Pakistan (17 of its stories, about 6 times its usual); respiratory illness in Canada (19 of its stories, about three times its usual); flu in India (21 of its stories, about 5 times its usual).

20 in 100 stories were about harm

usually 20; 20 the day before
24 in 10017 in 10030 Dec6 Jan13 Jan20 Jan28 Jan30 Dec: 21 in 10031 Dec: 20 in 1001 Jan: 21 in 1002 Jan: 19 in 1003 Jan: 21 in 1004 Jan: 23 in 1005 Jan: 24 in 1006 Jan: 20 in 1007 Jan: 20 in 1008 Jan: 21 in 1009 Jan: 20 in 10010 Jan: 21 in 10011 Jan: 23 in 10012 Jan: 22 in 10013 Jan: 19 in 10014 Jan: 19 in 10015 Jan: 18 in 10016 Jan: 17 in 10017 Jan: 18 in 10018 Jan: 20 in 10019 Jan: 20 in 10020 Jan: 18 in 10021 Jan: 19 in 10022 Jan: 18 in 10023 Jan: 19 in 10024 Jan: 20 in 10025 Jan: 21 in 10026 Jan: 22 in 10027 Jan: 20 in 10028 Jan: 20 in 100 · this day

Stories about people being harmed, in every 100 stories, the 30 days to 28 Jan. 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 24,116 stories about harm among 118,166 counted on 28 Jan.

Read the day's briefing

On the side of help, reports of vaccination ran at about one and a half times the usual rate. Stories about people being harmed made up 20 in every 100 of the day's 118,166 stories, as usual. Mentions of heavy rain ran more than ten times their usual in Brazil's news. In Yemen, 78% of the news was about people being harmed, where 64% is usual. A year earlier, on 28 January 2019, 20 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 →

Cayman Islands92 in 100 of its 52 stories · usually 12 · mostly disasters & accidents Yemen78 in 100 of its 79 stories · usually 64 · mostly conflict & violence China72 in 100 of its 6,207 stories · usually 34 · mostly health Puerto Rico65 in 100 of its 110 stories · usually 80 · mostly disasters & accidents Syria64 in 100 of its 177 stories · usually 64 · mostly conflict & violence

Countries with at least 50 stories that day.

Where people protested

Delhi India217 stories about protests or strikes, of its 396 Washington US95 stories about protests or strikes, of its 511 Wuhan China82 stories about protests or strikes, of its 3005 Jerusalem Israel62 stories about protests or strikes, of its 176 Baghdad Iraq57 stories about protests or strikes, of its 92

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 lessVietnam: about as warm as its own usual or lessVenezuela: about as warm as its own usual or lessVanuatu: too little coverage to readUzbekistan: 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: about as warm as its own usual or lessGuam: about as warm as its own usual or lessPuerto Rico: too little coverage to readUnited 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 lessTurkey: 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: 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: 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: too little coverage to readSouth Sudan: about as warm as its own usual or lessSudan: 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 lessSomaliland: too little coverage to readSolomon Islands: about as warm as its own usual or lessSlovakia: 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: 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 lessPanama: about as warm as its own usual or lessPalau: 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: too little coverage to readNiue: about as warm as its own usual or lessNetherlands: 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: too little coverage to readMongolia: about as warm as its own usual or lessMoldova: 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: about as warm as its own usual or lessNorth Macedonia: about as warm as its own usual or lessLuxembourg: 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: about as warm as its own usual or lessKyrgyzstan: about as warm as its own usual or lessKuwait: 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 lessJapan: too little coverage to readJamaica: 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 lessIran: 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: 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 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 lessFrance: 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: too little coverage to readDjibouti: 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: too little coverage to readN. 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: 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 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: 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 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: 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 lessAksai Chin: 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 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: about as warm as its own usual or lessJersey: 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: about as warm as its own usual or lessCook Islands: too little coverage to readAruba: too little coverage to readNauru: 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: 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: too little coverage to readYemen: warmth about its own usualSri Lanka: warmth about its own usualSomalia: warmth about its own usualNew Zealand: warmth about its own usualMexico: warmth about its own usualIsrael: warmth about one and a half times its own usualPalestine: warmth about its own usualIraq: warmth about its own usualIndonesia: warmth about its own usualPalestine: warmth about its own usualPalestine: warmth about its own usualPalestine: warmth about its own usualSouth Dakota, US -- deaths & injuries, cause not given: 19 stories, carried by 22 outletsWellington, New Zealand -- disasters & accidents: 31 stories, carried by 49 outletsWhite Island, New Zealand -- disasters & accidents: 12 stories, carried by 30 outletsNorth Carolina, US -- rights & justice: 10 stories, carried by 11 outletsGaza, Palestine -- conflict & violence: 21 stories, carried by 63 outletsManipur, India -- conflict & violence: 21 stories, carried by 17 outletsDarfur, Sudan -- displacement: 14 stories, carried by 37 outletsJerusalem, Israel -- conflict & violence: 176 stories, carried by 235 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

● Israel warmth about one and a half times usual

Warmest events

● South Dakota US about three times as warm as the day's news · deaths & injuries, cause not given · 19 stories ● Wellington New Zealand about twice as warm as the day's news · disasters & accidents · 31 stories ● White Island New Zealand about one and a half times as warm as the day's news · disasters & accidents · 12 stories ● North Carolina US about one and a half times as warm as the day's news · rights & justice · 10 stories ● Gaza Palestine about one and a half times as warm as the day's news · conflict & violence · 21 stories

The day in three measures

Parts of life 30 days →

Health43% 10,093 stories · much more than usual (usually 24%) Rights & justice23% 5,374 stories · less than usual (usually 25%) Disasters & accidents14% 3,277 stories · much less than usual (usually 21%) Conflict & violence10% 2,271 stories · much less than usual (usually 16%) Deaths & injuries, cause not given5% 1,122 stories · about as usual Shelter & services3% 771 stories · about as usual Displacement2% 472 stories · about as usual Food & livelihood1% 343 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 killed8,072 at about the usual rate Stories reporting people affected2,572 at about the usual rate Stories reporting arrests2,436 at about the usual rate Stories reporting people injured921 at about two-thirds of the usual rate · most about the US and Iraq Stories reporting evacuations336 at about one and a half times the usual rate · most about China and Australia Stories reporting refugees217 at about the usual rate Stories reporting people displaced173 at about the usual rate Stories reporting abductions158 at about two-thirds of the usual rate · most about Nigeria and the US Stories reporting people falling ill146 at about one and a half times the usual rate · most about China 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 softer than usual. Filled dot: today. Ring: usual.

● Angerabout two-thirds of usual
● Warmthabout as usual
● Griefa little less 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.