← 3 Mar Wednesday 4 March 2020 · to 23:59 UTC 5 Mar →
What the world's news said happened to people.
Counts of coverage, not of suffering
30,641 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 violence in Kabul, illness in Seoul and protests in Lesbos (Greece). Afghanistan's coverage was about one and a half times as warm 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 59 in 100 of the stories about harm · much more than usual Country that rose mostItaly 47 in 100 of its 1,236 stories, usually 31
RegionSouth Asia 34 in 100 of its stories, usually 27
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 →
Conflict & violence

Afghanistan

338 of its 523 stories (65%) were about people being harmed, usually 57%. Kabul accounted for 152 of Afghanistan's 338 stories about harm, carried by 351 outlets. Reports of arrests ran at about three times the usual rate (64 stories). Its coverage was about one and a half times as warm as the world's. Anger in its coverage rose to about one and a half times its own usual.

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

Türkiye

213 of its 422 stories (50%) were about people being harmed, usually 45%. Reports of refugees ran at about three times the usual rate (91 stories). Drownings were named in 10 of its stories about harm, about 7 times usual. Its coverage was about twice as angry as the world's.

its stories →
Health

Iran

424 of its 663 stories (64%) were about people being harmed, usually 54%. Tehran accounted for 234 of Iran's 424 stories about harm, carried by 345 outlets. Its coverage was about twice as grief-stricken as the world's.

its stories →
Conflict & violence

Guatemala

11 of its 20 stories (55%) were about people being harmed, usually 27%. Reports of people killed ran at about three times the usual rate (8 stories). Its coverage was about one and a half times as grief-stricken as the world's.

its stories →
Health

Romania

37 of its 105 stories (35%) were about people being harmed, usually 13%. Reports of people killed ran at about 4 times the usual rate (17 stories).

its stories →
Health

Indonesia

143 of its 297 stories (48%) were about people being harmed, usually 38%. Jakarta accounted for 75 of Indonesia's 143 stories about harm, carried by 48 outlets.

its stories →
Health

India

1,837 of its 5,767 stories (32%) were about people being harmed, usually 24%. Fear in its coverage rose to about one and a half times its own usual.

its stories →

Also named far more than usual: hunger in Ethiopia (13 of its stories, more than ten times its usual); heavy rain in Brazil (20 of its stories, more than ten times its usual); ebola in Nigeria (77 of its stories, about 4 times its usual); tornadoes in US (699 of its stories, about 5 times its usual); drownings in Türkiye (10 of its stories, about 7 times its usual).

25 in 100 stories were about harm

usually 22; 25 the day before
26 in 10020 in 1004 Feb11 Feb18 Feb25 Feb4 Mar4 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 10022 Feb: 21 in 10023 Feb: 21 in 10024 Feb: 21 in 10025 Feb: 22 in 10026 Feb: 22 in 10027 Feb: 23 in 10028 Feb: 24 in 10029 Feb: 26 in 1001 Mar: 25 in 1002 Mar: 24 in 1003 Mar: 25 in 1004 Mar: 25 in 100 · this day

Stories about people being harmed, in every 100 stories, the 30 days to 4 Mar. 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 30,641 stories about harm among 124,427 counted on 4 Mar.

Read the day's briefing

On the side of help, reports of vaccination ran at about one and a half times the usual rate. Ethiopia's news mentioned the hunger more than ten times as often as usual. It was the second day running that the news turned to Afghanistan. of the day's 124,427 news stories, 25 in every 100 were about people being harmed, above the usual 22.

Written by code from the day's numbers.

Where harm was most of the news all →

Syria71 in 100 of its 341 stories · usually 75 · mostly conflict & violence Afghanistan65 in 100 of its 523 stories · usually 57 · mostly conflict & violence Iran64 in 100 of its 663 stories · usually 54 · mostly health China59 in 100 of its 4,131 stories · usually 65 · mostly health Hong Kong57 in 100 of its 204 stories · usually 54 · mostly health

Countries with at least 50 stories that day.

Where people protested

Delhi India164 stories about protests or strikes, of its 786 Washington US121 stories about protests or strikes, of its 1249 Kabul Afghanistan47 stories about protests or strikes, of its 152 London UK40 stories about protests or strikes, of its 540 New York US36 stories about protests or strikes, of its 261

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: about as warm as its own usual or lessMicronesia: about as warm as its own usual or lessU.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: 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 lessUganda: about as warm as its own usual or lessTurkmenistan: 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 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 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: 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: too little coverage to readSão 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: 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: 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: about as warm as its own usual or lessPakistan: about as warm as its own usual or lessOman: too little coverage to readNorway: too little coverage to readNorth 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: too little coverage to readCuraçao: too little coverage to readNepal: about as warm as its own usual or lessNamibia: too little coverage to readMozambique: 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: 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: 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 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: 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: too little coverage to readHaiti: about as warm as its own usual or lessGuyana: about as warm as its own usual or lessGuinea-Bissau: about as warm as its own usual or lessGuinea: 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: too little coverage to readGermany: 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: too little coverage to readEthiopia: 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: about as warm as its own usual or lessDjibouti: 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: 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: 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: too little coverage to readChile: 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: too little coverage to readBahrain: 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: 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 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 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: too little coverage to readAmerican Samoa: about as warm as its own usual or lessChagos 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: about as warm as its own usual or lessGuernsey: too little coverage to readSan 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: about as warm as its own usual or lessSint Maarten: too little coverage to readChristmas Island: too little coverage to readGibraltar: about as warm as its own usual or lessMayotte: too little coverage to readTürkiye: warmth about its own usualSyria: warmth about one and a half times its own usualBangladesh: warmth about its own usualHelmand, Afghanistan -- conflict & violence: 37 stories, carried by 107 outletsCharlotte, US -- health: 17 stories, carried by 17 outletsSaskatchewan, Canada -- health: 18 stories, carried by 17 outletsEssex Junction, US -- disasters & accidents: 42 stories, carried by 124 outletsKabul, Afghanistan -- conflict & violence: 152 stories, carried by 351 outletsMaiduguri, Nigeria -- conflict & violence: 12 stories, carried by 15 outletsSunshine Coast, Australia -- disasters & accidents: 10 stories, carried by 23 outletsCumbria, UK -- health: 12 stories, carried by 13 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

● Syria warmth about one and a half times usual

Warmest events

● Helmand Afghanistan about twice as warm as the day's news · conflict & violence · 37 stories ● Charlotte US about one and a half times as warm as the day's news · health · 17 stories ● Saskatchewan Canada about one and a half times as warm as the day's news · health · 18 stories ● Essex Junction US about one and a half times as warm as the day's news · disasters & accidents · 42 stories ● Kabul Afghanistan about one and a half times as warm as the day's news · conflict & violence · 152 stories

The day in three measures

Parts of life 30 days →

Health59% 17,744 stories · much more than usual (usually 43%) Rights & justice16% 4,810 stories · much less than usual (usually 22%) Disasters & accidents10% 3,077 stories · less than usual (usually 14%) Conflict & violence7% 2,179 stories · less than usual (usually 10%) Deaths & injuries, cause not given3% 878 stories · about as usual Shelter & services2% 734 stories · about as usual Displacement2% 549 stories · about as usual Food & livelihood1% 297 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 killed8,348 at about the usual rate Stories reporting people affected2,994 at about the usual rate Stories reporting arrests2,173 at about the usual rate Stories reporting people injured1,037 at about two-thirds of the usual rate · most about the US and India Stories reporting refugees400 at about one and a half times the usual rate · most about Türkiye and Syria Stories reporting people displaced222 at about the usual rate Stories reporting evacuations190 at about half the usual rate · most about the US and China Stories reporting abductions162 at about the usual rate Stories reporting people falling ill153 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.