← 20 Feb Friday 21 February 2020 · to 23:59 UTC 22 Feb →
What the world's news said happened to people.
Counts of coverage, not of suffering
22,958 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 Novi Sanzhary (Ukraine), illness in Seoul and refugees in Germany. Germany's coverage was about twice as angry as the world's. In the world's news as a whole, the wording was softer than usual.

Part of lifeHealth 39 in 100 of the stories about harm · about as usual Country that rose mostUkraine 44 in 100 of its 310 stories, usually 11
RegionMiddle East & North Africa 40 in 100 of its stories, usually 34
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

Ukraine

135 of its 310 stories (44%) were about people being harmed, usually 11%. 59 of Novi Sanzhary's 65 stories were about protests or strikes. Reports of evacuations ran at more than ten times the usual rate (25 stories). Its coverage was about one and a half times as angry as the world's. Fear in its coverage rose to about one and a half times its own usual.

Ukraine over 30 days → its stories → Novi Sanzhary stories →
Health

South Korea

333 of its 716 stories (47%) were about people being harmed, usually 23%. Seoul accounted for 198 of South Korea's 333 stories about harm, carried by 538 outlets. Reports of people killed ran at about twice the usual rate (110 stories). Road crashes were named in 23 of its stories about harm, about 6 times usual.

South Korea over 30 days → its stories → Seoul stories →
Rights & justice

Germany

363 of its 1,096 stories (33%) were about people being harmed, usually 22%. Reports of refugees ran at about 5 times the usual rate (28 stories). Its coverage was about twice as angry as the world's.

Germany over 30 days → its stories →
Conflict & violence

Saudi Arabia

80 of its 233 stories (34%) were about people being harmed, usually 22%. Reports of people affected ran at about twice the usual rate (6 stories). Its coverage was about one and a half times as angry as the world's.

Saudi Arabia over 30 days → its stories →
6 more places the news pointed at
Health

Iran

301 of its 515 stories (58%) were about people being harmed, usually 44%. Tehran accounted for 190 of Iran's 301 stories about harm, carried by 459 outlets. Reports of evacuations ran at about 8 times the usual rate (11 stories). Its coverage was about one and a half times as grief-stricken as the world's.

its stories →
Conflict & violence

Libya

57 of its 106 stories (54%) were about people being harmed, usually 40%. Tripoli accounted for 47 of Libya's 57 stories about harm, carried by 67 outlets. Its coverage was about one and a half times as fearful as the world's.

its stories →
Conflict & violence

South Sudan

48 of its 81 stories (59%) were about people being harmed, usually 47%. Reports of refugees ran at about twice the usual rate (6 stories). Its coverage was about one and a half times as fearful as the world's.

its stories →
Health

Australia

Reports of evacuations ran at about twice the usual rate (48 stories). Train derailment was named in 44 of its stories about harm, more than ten times usual. Grief in its coverage rose to about one and a half times its own usual.

its stories →
Health

Vietnam

124 of its 262 stories (47%) were about people being harmed, usually 33%. Reports of arrests ran at about 4 times the usual rate (13 stories).

its stories →
Rights & justice

Myanmar

18 of its 35 stories (51%) were about people being harmed, usually 35%. Reports of arrests ran at about 4 times the usual rate (5 stories).

its stories →

Also named far more than usual: flooding in Indonesia (15 of its stories, about three times its usual); dengue in Singapore (10 of its stories, about 9 times its usual); hiv in Kenya (10 of its stories, about three times its usual); train derailment in Australia (44 of its stories, more than ten times its usual); poisoning in Japan (12 of its stories, more than ten times its usual).

20 in 100 stories were about harm

usually 21; 20 the day before
23 in 10019 in 10023 Jan30 Jan6 Feb13 Feb21 Feb23 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 10019 Feb: 20 in 10020 Feb: 20 in 10021 Feb: 20 in 100 · this day

Stories about people being harmed, in every 100 stories, the 30 days to 21 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 22,958 stories about harm among 114,541 counted on 21 Feb.

Read the day's briefing

In Ukraine, 44% of the news was about people being harmed, where 11% is usual. Stories about people being harmed made up 20 in every 100 of the day's 114,541 stories, as usual. It was the second day running that the news turned to Ukraine. In Indonesia's news, mentions of flooding ran about three times their usual. A year earlier, on 21 February 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 →

Syria74 in 100 of its 331 stories · usually 72 · mostly conflict & violence China63 in 100 of its 3,953 stories · usually 67 · mostly health South Sudan59 in 100 of its 81 stories · usually 47 · mostly conflict & violence Sudan59 in 100 of its 66 stories · usually 50 · mostly conflict & violence Iran58 in 100 of its 515 stories · usually 44 · mostly health

Countries with at least 50 stories that day.

Where people protested

Washington US98 stories about protests or strikes, of its 482 Bengaluru India89 stories about protests or strikes, of its 127 Chicago US64 stories about protests or strikes, of its 201 Novi Sanzhary Ukraine59 stories about protests or strikes, of its 65 London UK46 stories about protests or strikes, of its 388

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: about as warm as its own usual or lessUzbekistan: too little coverage to readUruguay: 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 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: about as warm as its own usual or lessTimor-Leste: 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 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 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 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: 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: too little coverage to readSaudi 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: too little coverage to readSt. Lucia: too little coverage to readRwanda: 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: too little coverage to readParaguay: about as warm as its own usual or lessPapua 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 lessNiger: about as warm as its own usual or lessNicaragua: 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 readNamibia: 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: too little coverage to readMexico: about as warm as its own usual or lessMauritius: too little coverage to readMauritania: too little coverage to readMalta: 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: 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 lessKyrgyzstan: too little coverage to readKuwait: about as warm as its own usual or lessKosovo: too little coverage to readKiribati: about as warm as its own usual or lessKenya: 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 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: too little coverage to readHonduras: 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 lessGreece: too little coverage to readGhana: 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: too little coverage to readEquatorial Guinea: about as warm as its own usual or lessEl Salvador: too little coverage to readEgypt: 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: about as warm as its own usual or lessCuba: about as warm as its own usual or lessCroatia: too little coverage to readCôte 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 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: too little coverage to readBhutan: too little coverage to readBenin: 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 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: 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 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: about as warm as its own usual or lessNorthern Mariana Islands: about as warm as its own usual or lessAmerican 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: about as warm as its own usual or lessTurks & 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: too little coverage to readCook Islands: about as warm as its own usual or lessAruba: about as warm as its own usual or lessNauru: too little coverage to readMonaco: about as warm as its own usual or lessMaldives: 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: 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 readZimbabwe: warmth about its own usualUnited Arab Emirates: warmth about its own usualThailand: warmth about its own usualSyria: warmth about its own usualNigeria: warmth about its own usualNew Zealand: warmth about its own usualNepal: warmth about its own usualMali: warmth about its own usualLaos: warmth about its own usualChina: warmth about its own usualBangladesh: warmth about its own usualAfghanistan: warmth about one and a half times its own usualChina: warmth about its own usualKabul, Afghanistan -- conflict & violence: 134 stories, carried by 461 outletsLancang, China -- health: 11 stories, carried by 11 outletsWaseca, US -- rights & justice: 10 stories, carried by 13 outletsBuhari, Nigeria -- conflict & violence: 21 stories, carried by 12 outletsDamascus, Syria -- conflict & violence: 13 stories, carried by 16 outletsGrand Rapids, US -- health: 11 stories, carried by 10 outletsSunshine Coast, Australia -- health: 13 stories, carried by 27 outletsStockholm, Sweden -- health: 14 stories, carried by 15 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

● Afghanistan warmth about one and a half times usual

Warmest events

● Kabul Afghanistan about twice as warm as the day's news · conflict & violence · 134 stories ● Lancang China about twice as warm as the day's news · health · 11 stories ● Waseca US about twice as warm as the day's news · rights & justice · 10 stories ● Buhari Nigeria about twice as warm as the day's news · conflict & violence · 21 stories ● Damascus Syria about one and a half times as warm as the day's news · conflict & violence · 13 stories

The day in three measures

Parts of life 30 days →

Health39% 8,760 stories · about as usual Rights & justice26% 5,979 stories · more than usual (usually 23%) Disasters & accidents13% 2,964 stories · about as usual Conflict & violence10% 2,250 stories · about as usual Deaths & injuries, cause not given4% 973 stories · about as usual Shelter & services3% 733 stories · about as usual Displacement3% 574 stories · about as usual Food & livelihood2% 381 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 killed6,204 at about the usual rate Stories reporting arrests2,524 at about the usual rate Stories reporting people affected2,469 at about the usual rate Stories reporting people injured901 at about the usual rate Stories reporting evacuations462 at about the usual rate Stories reporting refugees266 at about the usual rate Stories reporting people displaced220 at about the usual rate Stories reporting abductions152 at about the usual rate Stories reporting people falling ill108 at about half the usual rate · most about China and Japan

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

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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.