← 4 Feb Wednesday 5 February 2020 · to 23:59 UTC 6 Feb →
What the world's news said happened to people.
Counts of coverage, not of suffering
25,640 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 the avalanche in Türkiye, illness in Wuhan and violence in Idlib. Syria's coverage was about three times as angry as the world's. Language across the world's news ran much softer than usual.

Help and hope: reports of vaccination ran at about one and a half times the usual rate →
Part of lifeHealth 44 in 100 of the stories about harm · much more than usual Country that rose mostTürkiye 69 in 100 of its 678 stories, usually 34
RegionEast Asia 58 in 100 of its stories, usually 42
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 →
Disasters & accidents

Türkiye

465 of its 678 stories (69%) were about people being harmed, usually 34%. Istanbul accounted for 222 of Türkiye's 465 stories about harm, carried by 557 outlets. Reports of evacuations ran at about 9 times the usual rate (27 stories). Avalanche was named in 163 of its stories about harm, more than ten times usual, with storms, snowstorms and heavy rain. Its coverage was about twice as grief-stricken as the world's.

Türkiye over 30 days → its stories → Istanbul stories →
Health

China

3,879 of its 5,706 stories (68%) were about people being harmed, usually 52%. Wuhan accounted for 1,899 of China's 3,879 stories about harm, carried by 1,595 outlets. Reports of refugees ran at about twice the usual rate (6 stories). Malaria was named in 19 of its stories about harm, about 4 times usual, with norovirus.

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

Syria

197 of its 257 stories (77%) were about people being harmed, usually 67%. Idlib accounted for 155 of Syria's 197 stories about harm, carried by 148 outlets. Reports of abductions ran at about three times the usual rate (5 stories). Its coverage was about three times as angry as the world's.

Syria over 30 days → its stories → Idlib stories →
Rights & justice

El Salvador

37 of its 48 stories (77%) were about people being harmed, usually 43%. Reports of refugees ran at more than ten times the usual rate (19 stories). Its coverage was about twice as grief-stricken as the world's. Fear in its coverage rose to about one and a half times its own usual.

El Salvador over 30 days → its stories →
6 more places the news pointed at
Health

Vietnam

114 of its 263 stories (43%) were about people being harmed, usually 20%. Reports of people killed ran at about twice the usual rate (44 stories). Natural hazards were named in 12 of its stories about harm, about 6 times usual.

its stories →
Health

Japan

354 of its 1,269 stories (28%) were about people being harmed, usually 15%. Reports of people displaced ran at about 9 times the usual rate (7 stories). Hurricane was named in 13 of its stories about harm, about 6 times usual.

its stories →
Conflict & violence

Afghanistan

103 of its 169 stories (61%) were about people being harmed, usually 52%. Kabul accounted for 52 of Afghanistan's 103 stories about harm, carried by 75 outlets. Its coverage was about twice as grief-stricken as the world's.

its stories →
Protests & strikes

Algeria

15 of its 36 stories (42%) were about people being harmed, usually 26%. 3 of Algiers' 6 stories were about protests or strikes. Reports of people injured ran at about twice the usual rate (5 stories).

its stories →
Disasters & accidents

New Zealand

200 of its 771 stories (26%) were about people being harmed, usually 20%. Reports of evacuations ran at about 10 times the usual rate (26 stories). Flooding was named in 55 of its stories about harm, about 7 times usual.

its stories →
Protests & strikes

Iraq

Baghdad accounted for 76 of Iraq's 117 stories about harm, carried by 182 outlets. 46 of Baghdad's 76 stories were about protests or strikes. Its coverage was about twice as angry as the world's.

its stories →

Also named far more than usual: illness in Philippines (98 of its stories, about 4 times its usual); flooding in New Zealand (55 of its stories, about 7 times its usual); bird flu in Saudi Arabia (13 of its stories, more than ten times its usual); natural hazards in Vietnam (12 of its stories, about 6 times its usual); hurricane in Japan (13 of its stories, about 6 times its usual).

20 in 100 stories were about harm

usually 20; 21 the day before
23 in 10017 in 1007 Jan14 Jan21 Jan28 Jan5 Feb7 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 10029 Jan: 20 in 10030 Jan: 20 in 10031 Jan: 21 in 1001 Feb: 21 in 1002 Feb: 23 in 1003 Feb: 21 in 1004 Feb: 21 in 1005 Feb: 20 in 100 · this day

Stories about people being harmed, in every 100 stories, the 30 days to 5 Feb. 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 25,640 stories about harm among 125,220 counted on 5 Feb.

Read the day's briefing

Mentions of the avalanche ran more than ten times their usual in Türkiye's news. of the day's 125,220 news stories, 20 in every 100 were about people being harmed, as usual. Reports of vaccination, a sign of help, ran at about one and a half times the usual rate. Türkiye's news was 69% about people being harmed, against a usual 34%. A year earlier, on 5 February 2019, 19 in every 100 stories were about people being harmed, against 20 today.

Written by code from the day's numbers.

Where harm was most of the news all →

Syria77 in 100 of its 257 stories · usually 67 · mostly conflict & violence Puerto Rico72 in 100 of its 101 stories · usually 80 · mostly disasters & accidents Türkiye69 in 100 of its 678 stories · usually 34 · mostly disasters & accidents China68 in 100 of its 5,706 stories · usually 52 · mostly health Afghanistan61 in 100 of its 169 stories · usually 52 · mostly conflict & violence

Countries with at least 50 stories that day.

Where people protested

Washington US234 stories about protests or strikes, of its 889 Delhi India179 stories about protests or strikes, of its 400 Wuhan China166 stories about protests or strikes, of its 1899 London UK59 stories about protests or strikes, of its 400 Baghdad Iraq46 stories about protests or strikes, of its 76

Stories, not people.

Where the news was warmest

feelings in full →
Feelings Events Harm Warmth
Zambia: 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: 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: 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 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: about as warm as its own usual or lessThailand: 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: too little coverage to readSuriname: 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: too little coverage to readSouth 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: 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: 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 lessPalau: too little coverage to readOman: too little coverage to readNorway: 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 readNew Zealand: too little coverage to readNiue: 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: 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: about as warm as its own usual or lessNorth Macedonia: about as warm as its own usual or lessLuxembourg: too little coverage to readLithuania: 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: too little coverage to readLaos: too little coverage to readKyrgyzstan: 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 readKazakhstan: 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: too little coverage to readIsrael: 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 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: about as warm as its own usual or lessGuatemala: 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: 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: about as warm as its own usual or lessEl 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: about as warm as its own usual or lessGreenland: 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: too little coverage to readCosta 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 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: too little coverage to readBosnia and Herzegovina: too little coverage to readBolivia: 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: 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: too little coverage to readAustralia: 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: 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 lessJammu & Kashmir: 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: about as warm as its own usual or lessSiachen Glacier: about as warm as its own usual or lessEast Jerusalem: 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: 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: 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: too little coverage to readNauru: too little coverage to readMonaco: about as warm as its own usual or lessMaldives: 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: about as warm as its own usual or lessNorfolk Island: too little coverage to readSint Maarten: too little coverage to readChristmas Island: about as warm as its own usual or lessGibraltar: about as warm as its own usual or lessMayotte: too little coverage to readZimbabwe: warmth about its own usualUkraine: warmth about its own usualSri Lanka: warmth about its own usualPanama: warmth about its own usualPakistan: warmth about its own usualKenya: warmth about its own usualIraq: warmth about its own usualIran: warmth about its own usualChina: warmth about its own usualAfghanistan: warmth about its own usualChina: warmth about its own usualUkraine: warmth about its own usualDoha, Qatar -- rights & justice: 10 stories, carried by 17 outletsTshwane, South Africa -- rights & justice: 12 stories, carried by 30 outletsKaduna, Nigeria -- conflict & violence: 41 stories, carried by 21 outletsEdinburgh, UK -- rights & justice: 27 stories, carried by 23 outletsRedbridge, UK -- rights & justice: 12 stories, carried by 13 outletsShalteng, Kashmir -- conflict & violence: 15 stories, carried by 15 outletsSouth Carolina, US -- health: 29 stories, carried by 30 outletsOregon, US -- health: 17 stories, carried by 20 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

● Doha Qatar about one and a half times as warm as the day's news · rights & justice · 10 stories ● Tshwane South Africa about one and a half times as warm as the day's news · rights & justice · 12 stories ● Kaduna Nigeria about one and a half times as warm as the day's news · conflict & violence · 41 stories ● Edinburgh UK about one and a half times as warm as the day's news · rights & justice · 27 stories ● Redbridge UK about one and a half times as warm as the day's news · rights & justice · 12 stories

The day in three measures

Parts of life 30 days →

Health44% 11,017 stories · much more than usual (usually 31%) Rights & justice22% 5,537 stories · less than usual (usually 24%) Disasters & accidents14% 3,530 stories · less than usual (usually 19%) Conflict & violence9% 2,385 stories · less than usual (usually 13%) Deaths & injuries, cause not given4% 913 stories · about as usual Shelter & services3% 728 stories · about as usual Displacement3% 669 stories · about as usual Food & livelihood2% 496 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 killed7,159 at about the usual rate Stories reporting people affected2,768 at about the usual rate Stories reporting arrests2,484 at about the usual rate Stories reporting people injured1,120 at about the usual rate Stories reporting evacuations500 at about one and a half times the usual rate · most about China and the US Stories reporting refugees231 at about the usual rate Stories reporting people displaced190 at about the usual rate Stories reporting abductions166 at about two-thirds of the usual rate · most about Nigeria and the US Stories reporting people falling ill144 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 softer than usual. Filled dot: today. Ring: usual.

● Angera little less than 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.