← 16 Feb Monday 17 February 2020 · to 23:59 UTC 18 Feb →
What the world's news said happened to people.
Counts of coverage, not of suffering
19,384 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 people falling ill in Pakistan, illness in Tokyo and the earthquake in Albania. Iraq's coverage was about one and a half times as angry as the world's. Worldwide, the words used were softer than usual.

Part of lifeHealth 39 in 100 of the stories about harm · about as usual Country that rose mostCameroon 69 in 100 of its 71 stories, usually 34
RegionEurope 21 in 100 of its stories, usually 17
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 →
Conflict & violence

Pakistan

429 of its 851 stories (50%) were about people being harmed, usually 30%. Reports of people falling ill ran at more than ten times the usual rate (10 stories). Tsunami was named in 13 of its stories about harm, about 6 times usual. Its coverage was about one and a half times as fearful as the world's. Grief in its coverage rose to about one and a half times its own usual.

Pakistan over 30 days → its stories →
Health

Japan

419 of its 1,155 stories (36%) were about people being harmed, usually 21%. Tokyo accounted for 279 of Japan's 419 stories about harm, carried by 534 outlets. Reports of evacuations ran at about 7 times the usual rate (75 stories). Typhoon was named in 22 of its stories about harm, about 5 times usual.

Japan over 30 days → its stories → Tokyo stories →
Disasters & accidents

Albania

13 of its 27 stories (48%) were about people being harmed, usually 22%. Reports of people killed ran at about twice the usual rate (9 stories). Earthquake was named in 12 of its stories about harm, about three times usual.

Albania over 30 days → its stories →
6 more places the news pointed at
Conflict & violence

Burkina Faso

55 of its 61 stories (90%) were about people being harmed, usually 71%. Pansi accounted for 48 of Burkina Faso's 55 stories about harm, carried by 129 outlets. Reports of abductions ran at more than ten times the usual rate (26 stories). Its coverage was about three times as angry as the world's.

its stories →
Conflict & violence

Cameroon

49 of its 71 stories (69%) were about people being harmed, usually 34%. Reports of refugees ran at about 4 times the usual rate (6 stories). Its coverage was about twice as grief-stricken as the world's.

its stories →
Health

Cambodia

74 of its 133 stories (56%) were about people being harmed, usually 34%. Phnom Penh accounted for 63 of Cambodia's 74 stories about harm, carried by 168 outlets. Reports of people killed ran at about three times the usual rate (41 stories).

its stories →
Health

Taiwan

61 of its 108 stories (56%) were about people being harmed, usually 38%. Taipei accounted for 39 of Taiwan's 61 stories about harm, carried by 15 outlets. Its coverage was about one and a half times as grief-stricken as the world's.

its stories →
Conflict & violence

Yemen

56 of its 69 stories (81%) were about people being harmed, usually 68%. Reports of arrests ran at about 6 times the usual rate (13 stories). Its coverage was about twice as angry as the world's.

its stories →
Disasters & accidents

UK

1,778 of its 7,389 stories (24%) were about people being harmed, usually 18%. Reports of evacuations ran at about three times the usual rate (44 stories). Flooding was named in 497 of its stories about harm, about 4 times usual, with landslides.

its stories →

Also named far more than usual: flooding in UK (497 of its stories, about 4 times its usual); covid in Israel (29 of its stories, about 5 times its usual); extreme cold in Syria (19 of its stories, about 7 times its usual); polio in Philippines (14 of its stories, about 8 times its usual); power cuts in South Africa (15 of its stories, about three times its usual).

21 in 100 stories were about harm

usually 21; 23 the day before
23 in 10018 in 10019 Jan26 Jan2 Feb9 Feb17 Feb19 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 1006 Feb: 21 in 1007 Feb: 21 in 1008 Feb: 22 in 1009 Feb: 23 in 10010 Feb: 21 in 10011 Feb: 20 in 10012 Feb: 20 in 10013 Feb: 20 in 10014 Feb: 20 in 10015 Feb: 22 in 10016 Feb: 23 in 10017 Feb: 21 in 100 · this day

Stories about people being harmed, in every 100 stories, the 30 days to 17 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 19,384 stories about harm among 91,174 counted on 17 Feb.

Read the day's briefing

It was the second day running that the news turned to Pakistan. of the day's 91,174 news stories, 21 in every 100 were about people being harmed, as usual. Pakistan stood out: 50% of its news was about people being harmed, usually 30%. On 17 February 2019, a year earlier, the share was 21 in every 100, the same as today.

Written by code from the day's numbers.

Where harm was most of the news all →

Burkina Faso90 in 100 of its 61 stories · usually 71 · mostly conflict & violence Yemen81 in 100 of its 69 stories · usually 68 · mostly conflict & violence Cameroon69 in 100 of its 71 stories · usually 34 · mostly conflict & violence Somalia67 in 100 of its 76 stories · usually 57 · mostly conflict & violence Syria67 in 100 of its 331 stories · usually 73 · mostly conflict & violence

Countries with at least 50 stories that day.

Where people protested

Delhi India94 stories about protests or strikes, of its 274 Washington US81 stories about protests or strikes, of its 379 Wuhan China49 stories about protests or strikes, of its 777 London UK40 stories about protests or strikes, of its 428 Idlib Syria34 stories about protests or strikes, of its 175

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: about as warm as its own usual or lessUruguay: too little coverage to readMicronesia: about as warm as its own usual or lessU.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 lessUkraine: about as warm as its own usual or lessTurkmenistan: about as warm as its own usual or lessTunisia: too little coverage to readTrinidad & Tobago: about as warm as its own usual or lessTonga: too little coverage to readTogo: too little coverage to readTimor-Leste: too little coverage to readThailand: 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 lessSweden: about as warm as its own usual or lessEswatini: too little coverage to readSuriname: 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 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: about as warm as its own usual or lessSamoa: about as warm as its own usual or lessSt Vincent: too little coverage to readSt. 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: about as warm as its own usual or lessPapua New Guinea: about as warm as its own usual or lessPanama: about as warm as its own usual or lessPalau: too little coverage to readOman: 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: about as warm as its own usual or lessMoldova: 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: about as warm as its own usual or lessNorth Macedonia: too little coverage to readLuxembourg: 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: too little coverage to readLebanon: about as warm as its own usual or lessLatvia: too little coverage to readLaos: 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: too little coverage to readKenya: about as warm as its own usual or lessKazakhstan: 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: about as warm as its own usual or lessGuatemala: too little coverage to readGrenada: 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 readSt 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 readEthiopia: about as warm as its own usual or lessEstonia: about as warm as its own usual or lessEritrea: too little coverage to readEquatorial 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: 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: 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: 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: too little coverage to readCongo: 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: too little coverage to readChad: 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: too little coverage to readBhutan: 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: too little coverage to readBelarus: 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 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 readAndorra: 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 lessAksai 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: 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 lessEast Jerusalem: about as warm as its own usual or lessAzad Kashmir & Gilgit-Baltistan: about as warm as its own usual or lessVatican City: about as warm as its own usual or lessMarshall 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: about as warm as its own usual or lessMontserrat: 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 readPuerto Rico: warmth about its own usualUganda: warmth about one and a half times its own usualTürkiye: warmth about its own usualSomalia: warmth about its own usualPakistan: warmth about its own usualJordan: warmth about its own usualGreece: warmth about its own usualFrance: warmth about its own usualAustralia: warmth about its own usualAngola: warmth about its own usualAfghanistan: warmth about one and a half times its own usualKabul, Afghanistan -- conflict & violence: 59 stories, carried by 136 outletsKatwe, Uganda -- health: 43 stories, carried by 113 outletsBeverly Hills, US -- rights & justice: 12 stories, carried by 146 outletsSouth Bend, US -- rights & justice: 33 stories, carried by 140 outletsDoha, Qatar -- rights & justice: 11 stories, carried by 11 outletsIslamabad, Pakistan -- conflict & violence: 135 stories, carried by 103 outletsMunich, Germany -- health: 35 stories, carried by 49 outletsAuckland, New Zealand -- health: 45 stories, carried by 265 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

● Uganda warmth about one and a half times usual ● Afghanistan warmth about one and a half times usual

Warmest events

● Kabul Afghanistan about twice as warm as the day's news · conflict & violence · 59 stories ● Katwe Uganda about twice as warm as the day's news · health · 43 stories ● Beverly Hills US about one and a half times as warm as the day's news · rights & justice · 12 stories ● South Bend US about one and a half times as warm as the day's news · rights & justice · 33 stories ● Doha Qatar about one and a half times as warm as the day's news · rights & justice · 11 stories

The day in three measures

Parts of life 30 days →

Health39% 7,485 stories · about as usual Rights & justice22% 4,154 stories · about as usual Disasters & accidents16% 3,067 stories · about as usual Conflict & violence10% 1,994 stories · about as usual Deaths & injuries, cause not given5% 912 stories · about as usual Displacement3% 659 stories · about as usual Shelter & services3% 547 stories · about as usual Food & livelihood2% 291 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 killed5,330 at about the usual rate Stories reporting people affected2,171 at about the usual rate Stories reporting arrests1,824 at about the usual rate Stories reporting people injured951 at about the usual rate Stories reporting evacuations497 at about one and a half times the usual rate · most about China and the US Stories reporting refugees270 at about one and a half times the usual rate · most about Pakistan and Syria Stories reporting abductions162 at about the usual rate Stories reporting people displaced148 at about the usual rate Stories reporting people falling ill90 at about half 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 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.