← 17 Feb Tuesday 18 February 2020 · to 23:59 UTC 19 Feb →
What the world's news said happened to people.
Counts of coverage, not of suffering
22,925 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 illness in Phnom Penh, people displaced in Diffa and protests in Istanbul (Türkiye). Burkina Faso's coverage was about twice as angry as the world's. Taken together, the world's news read much softer than usual.

Part of lifeHealth 41 in 100 of the stories about harm · more than usual Country that rose mostUkraine 33 in 100 of its 331 stories, usually 11
RegionEurope 20 in 100 of its stories, usually 17
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 →
Health

Cambodia

73 of its 120 stories (61%) were about people being harmed, usually 36%. Phnom Penh accounted for 57 of Cambodia's 73 stories about harm, carried by 129 outlets. Reports of people killed ran at about twice the usual rate (31 stories). Respiratory illness was named in 11 of its stories about harm, about 5 times usual.

Displacement

Niger

34 of its 42 stories (81%) were about people being harmed, usually 43%. Diffa accounted for 30 of Niger's 34 stories about harm, carried by 65 outlets. Reports of people injured ran at about 5 times the usual rate (18 stories). Its coverage was about one and a half times as grief-stricken as the world's.

Protests & strikes

Türkiye

173 of its 351 stories (49%) were about people being harmed, usually 39%. 19 of Istanbul's 35 stories were about protests or strikes. Reports of arrests ran at about 5 times the usual rate (65 stories). Its coverage was about one and a half times as fearful as the world's.

Conflict & violence

Burkina Faso

31 of its 36 stories (86%) were about people being harmed, usually 73%. Sebba accounted for 26 of Burkina Faso's 31 stories about harm, carried by 30 outlets. Reports of abductions ran at about three times the usual rate (11 stories). Its coverage was about twice as angry as the world's.

6 more places the news pointed at
Conflict & violence

Ukraine

108 of its 331 stories (33%) were about people being harmed, usually 11%. Reports of people injured ran at more than ten times the usual rate (61 stories). Its coverage was about three times as angry as the world's.

Rights & justice

Cameroon

49 of its 83 stories (59%) were about people being harmed, usually 37%. Reports of arrests ran at about three times the usual rate (5 stories). Its coverage was about twice as grief-stricken as the world's.

Conflict & violence

Lesotho

26 of its 70 stories (37%) were about people being harmed, usually 22%. Reports of people killed ran at about three times the usual rate (14 stories). Its coverage was about one and a half times as grief-stricken as the world's.

Health

Sweden

53 of its 189 stories (28%) were about people being harmed, usually 17%. Reports of people killed ran at about three times the usual rate (18 stories). Its coverage was about one and a half times as fearful as the world's.

Health

Japan

387 of its 1,282 stories (30%) were about people being harmed, usually 21%. Reports of evacuations ran at about 5 times the usual rate (84 stories). HIV was named in 21 of its stories about harm, more than ten times usual.

Conflict & violence

Pakistan

355 of its 904 stories (39%) were about people being harmed, usually 31%. Reports of people falling ill ran at more than ten times the usual rate (11 stories). 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.

Also named far more than usual: extreme cold in Syria (48 of its stories, more than ten times its usual); natural hazards in South Sudan (12 of its stories, more than ten times its usual); covid in Israel (39 of its stories, about 4 times its usual); covid in Chile (11 of its stories, about 5 times its usual); respiratory illness in New Zealand (26 of its stories, about 5 times its usual).

20 in 100 stories were about harm

usually 21; 21 the day before
23 in 10018 in 10020 Jan27 Jan3 Feb10 Feb18 Feb20 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 10018 Feb: 20 in 100 · this day

Stories about people being harmed, in every 100 stories, the 30 days to 18 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 22,925 stories about harm among 113,117 counted on 18 Feb.

Read the day's briefing

Of the day's 113,117 news stories, 20 in every 100 were about people being harmed, as usual. A year earlier, on 18 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

feelings in full →
Feelings Events Harm Warmth
Zambia: near the world's share or lessVenezuela: near the world's share or lessVanuatu: near the world's share or lessUzbekistan: near the world's share or lessUruguay: near the world's share or lessMicronesia: near the world's share or lessU.S. Virgin Islands: near the world's share or lessGuam: near the world's share or lessPuerto Rico: near the world's share or lessUnited States: near the world's share or lessSouth Georgia & South Sandwich Islands: no storiesFalkland Islands: no storiesCayman Islands: near the world's share or lessIsle of Man: no storiesUnited Kingdom: near the world's share or lessUnited Arab Emirates: near the world's share or lessTurkmenistan: near the world's share or lessTunisia: near the world's share or lessTrinidad & Tobago: near the world's share or lessTonga: near the world's share or lessTimor-Leste: near the world's share or lessTanzania: near the world's share or lessTajikistan: near the world's share or lessSwitzerland: near the world's share or lessEswatini: near the world's share or lessSuriname: no storiesSri Lanka: near the world's share or lessSpain: near the world's share or lessSouth Korea: near the world's share or lessSouth Africa: near the world's share or lessSomaliland: no storiesSolomon Islands: near the world's share or lessSlovakia: near the world's share or lessSlovenia: near the world's share or lessSierra Leone: near the world's share or lessSeychelles: near the world's share or lessSerbia: no storiesSenegal: near the world's share or lessSaudi Arabia: near the world's share or lessSão Tomé: near the world's share or lessSt Vincent: near the world's share or lessSt. Lucia: near the world's share or lessRussia: near the world's share or lessRomania: near the world's share or lessQatar: near the world's share or lessPortugal: near the world's share or lessPoland: near the world's share or lessPeru: near the world's share or lessPapua New Guinea: near the world's share or lessPanama: near the world's share or lessPalau: near the world's share or lessOman: near the world's share or lessNorway: near the world's share or lessNorth Korea: near the world's share or lessNicaragua: near the world's share or lessNew Zealand: near the world's share or lessNiue: no storiesNetherlands: near the world's share or lessCuraçao: no storiesNamibia: near the world's share or lessMozambique: near the world's share or lessMorocco: near the world's share or lessWestern Sahara: near the world's share or lessMontenegro: near the world's share or lessMongolia: near the world's share or lessMoldova: near the world's share or lessMexico: near the world's share or lessMauritius: near the world's share or lessMauritania: near the world's share or lessMalta: near the world's share or lessMalaysia: near the world's share or lessMalawi: near the world's share or lessMadagascar: near the world's share or lessNorth Macedonia: near the world's share or lessLuxembourg: near the world's share or lessLithuania: near the world's share or lessLiberia: near the world's share or lessLebanon: near the world's share or lessLaos: near the world's share or lessKyrgyzstan: near the world's share or lessKuwait: near the world's share or lessKosovo: no storiesKiribati: near the world's share or lessKenya: near the world's share or lessKazakhstan: near the world's share or lessJordan: near the world's share or lessJamaica: near the world's share or lessItaly: near the world's share or lessIreland: near the world's share or lessIndia: near the world's share or lessIceland: near the world's share or lessHungary: near the world's share or lessHonduras: near the world's share or lessGuyana: near the world's share or lessGuinea-Bissau: no storiesGuinea: near the world's share or lessGuatemala: near the world's share or lessGrenada: near the world's share or lessGreece: near the world's share or lessGhana: near the world's share or lessGermany: near the world's share or lessGeorgia: near the world's share or lessGambia: near the world's share or lessGabon: near the world's share or lessFrance: near the world's share or lessSt Pierre & Miquelon: near the world's share or lessFrench Polynesia: near the world's share or lessNew Caledonia: near the world's share or lessFrench Southern Territories: no storiesÅland Islands: no storiesFinland: near the world's share or lessFiji: near the world's share or lessEstonia: near the world's share or lessEritrea: near the world's share or lessEquatorial Guinea: near the world's share or lessEl Salvador: near the world's share or lessEgypt: near the world's share or lessEcuador: near the world's share or lessDominican Republic: near the world's share or lessDjibouti: near the world's share or lessGreenland: near the world's share or lessFaroe Islands: near the world's share or lessDenmark: near the world's share or lessCzech Republic: near the world's share or lessN. Cyprus: no storiesCyprus: near the world's share or lessCuba: near the world's share or lessCroatia: near the world's share or lessCôte d'Ivoire: near the world's share or lessCosta Rica: near the world's share or lessComoros: no storiesColombia: near the world's share or lessChad: near the world's share or lessCape Verde: no storiesCanada: near the world's share or lessMyanmar: near the world's share or lessBulgaria: near the world's share or lessBrunei: near the world's share or lessBrazil: near the world's share or lessBotswana: near the world's share or lessBosnia and Herzegovina: near the world's share or lessBolivia: near the world's share or lessBhutan: near the world's share or lessBenin: near the world's share or lessBelize: near the world's share or lessBelgium: near the world's share or lessBelarus: near the world's share or lessBarbados: near the world's share or lessBahrain: near the world's share or lessBahamas: near the world's share or lessAzerbaijan: near the world's share or lessAustria: near the world's share or lessAustralia: near the world's share or lessHeard & McDonald Islands: no storiesArmenia: near the world's share or lessArgentina: near the world's share or lessAntigua & Barbuda: near the world's share or lessAngola: near the world's share or lessAndorra: no storiesAlgeria: near the world's share or lessJammu & Kashmir: near the world's share or lessWestern Sahara (Moroccan-controlled): near the world's share or lessWestern Sahara (Free Zone): near the world's share or lessAzad Kashmir & Gilgit-Baltistan: near the world's share or lessSiachen Glacier: near the world's share or lessAzad Kashmir & Gilgit-Baltistan: near the world's share or lessVatican City: near the world's share or lessMarshall Islands: near the world's share or lessNorthern Mariana Islands: near the world's share or lessAmerican Samoa: near the world's share or lessChagos Islands: no storiesSt. Helena: no storiesPitcairn: no storiesAnguilla: near the world's share or lessBermuda: near the world's share or lessBritish Virgin Islands: no storiesTurks & Caicos Islands: no storiesMontserrat: near the world's share or lessJersey: near the world's share or lessGuernsey: near the world's share or lessSan Marino: no storiesSt Kitts & Nevis: near the world's share or lessCook Islands: near the world's share or lessAruba: near the world's share or lessNauru: no storiesMonaco: near the world's share or lessMaldives: near the world's share or lessLiechtenstein: near the world's share or lessWallis & Futuna: no storiesSt. Martin: no storiesSt. Barthélemy: no storiesNorfolk Island: no storiesSint Maarten: no storiesChristmas Island: near the world's share or lessGibraltar: near the world's share or lessMayotte: near the world's share or lessZimbabwe: 35 in 100 of its 305 stories were about people being harmed (the world's: 20)Yemen: 61 in 100 of its 56 stories were about people being harmed (the world's: 20)Vietnam: 40 in 100 of its 268 stories were about people being harmed (the world's: 20)Ukraine: 33 in 100 of its 331 stories were about people being harmed (the world's: 20)Uganda: 38 in 100 of its 141 stories were about people being harmed (the world's: 20)Türkiye: 49 in 100 of its 351 stories were about people being harmed (the world's: 20)Togo: 73 in 100 of its 15 stories were about people being harmed (the world's: 20)Thailand: 37 in 100 of its 284 stories were about people being harmed (the world's: 20)Taiwan: 36 in 100 of its 133 stories were about people being harmed (the world's: 20)Syria: 70 in 100 of its 308 stories were about people being harmed (the world's: 20)Sweden: 28 in 100 of its 189 stories were about people being harmed (the world's: 20)South Sudan: 60 in 100 of its 42 stories were about people being harmed (the world's: 20)Sudan: 47 in 100 of its 64 stories were about people being harmed (the world's: 20)Somalia: 52 in 100 of its 67 stories were about people being harmed (the world's: 20)Singapore: 38 in 100 of its 476 stories were about people being harmed (the world's: 20)Samoa: 58 in 100 of its 12 stories were about people being harmed (the world's: 20)Rwanda: 53 in 100 of its 51 stories were about people being harmed (the world's: 20)Philippines: 32 in 100 of its 654 stories were about people being harmed (the world's: 20)Paraguay: 100 in 100 of its 5 stories were about people being harmed (the world's: 20)Pakistan: 39 in 100 of its 904 stories were about people being harmed (the world's: 20)Nigeria: 28 in 100 of its 1,546 stories were about people being harmed (the world's: 20)Niger: 81 in 100 of its 42 stories were about people being harmed (the world's: 20)Nepal: 29 in 100 of its 95 stories were about people being harmed (the world's: 20)Mali: 41 in 100 of its 17 stories were about people being harmed (the world's: 20)Libya: 37 in 100 of its 164 stories were about people being harmed (the world's: 20)Lesotho: 37 in 100 of its 70 stories were about people being harmed (the world's: 20)Latvia: 44 in 100 of its 34 stories were about people being harmed (the world's: 20)Japan: 30 in 100 of its 1,282 stories were about people being harmed (the world's: 20)Israel: 28 in 100 of its 700 stories were about people being harmed (the world's: 20)Palestine: 35 in 100 of its 95 stories were about people being harmed (the world's: 20)Iraq: 50 in 100 of its 143 stories were about people being harmed (the world's: 20)Iran: 42 in 100 of its 316 stories were about people being harmed (the world's: 20)Indonesia: 33 in 100 of its 255 stories were about people being harmed (the world's: 20)Haiti: 39 in 100 of its 28 stories were about people being harmed (the world's: 20)Ethiopia: 35 in 100 of its 99 stories were about people being harmed (the world's: 20)Dominica: 71 in 100 of its 7 stories were about people being harmed (the world's: 20)DR Congo: 67 in 100 of its 18 stories were about people being harmed (the world's: 20)Congo: 61 in 100 of its 23 stories were about people being harmed (the world's: 20)China: 64 in 100 of its 4,784 stories were about people being harmed (the world's: 20)Hong Kong: 57 in 100 of its 175 stories were about people being harmed (the world's: 20)Chile: 31 in 100 of its 94 stories were about people being harmed (the world's: 20)Central African Republic: 77 in 100 of its 13 stories were about people being harmed (the world's: 20)Cameroon: 59 in 100 of its 83 stories were about people being harmed (the world's: 20)Cambodia: 61 in 100 of its 120 stories were about people being harmed (the world's: 20)Burundi: 82 in 100 of its 11 stories were about people being harmed (the world's: 20)Burkina Faso: 86 in 100 of its 36 stories were about people being harmed (the world's: 20)Bangladesh: 30 in 100 of its 221 stories were about people being harmed (the world's: 20)Albania: 38 in 100 of its 118 stories were about people being harmed (the world's: 20)Afghanistan: 51 in 100 of its 318 stories were about people being harmed (the world's: 20)China: 64 in 100 of its 4,784 stories were about people being harmed (the world's: 20)Palestine: 35 in 100 of its 95 stories were about people being harmed (the world's: 20)Palestine: 35 in 100 of its 95 stories were about people being harmed (the world's: 20)Ukraine: 33 in 100 of its 331 stories were about people being harmed (the world's: 20)Palestine: 35 in 100 of its 95 stories were about people being harmed (the world's: 20)Macao: 48 in 100 of its 23 stories were about people being harmed (the world's: 20)
A quarter or more above the world's share Near the world's or lessNo stories

Each country shaded by how much of its news was about people being harmed, against the world's 20 in 100 that day. Stronger colour: further above. A country with few stories is drawn closer to the world's. Click a country.

The day in three measures

How it felt 30 days →

harshwarm

The words in the day's stories were much 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

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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.