← 26 Mar Friday 27 March 2020 · to 23:59 UTC 28 Mar →
What the world's news said happened to people.
Counts of coverage, not of suffering
50,343 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 day's news pointed at illness in Tehran, violence in Kabul and refugees in Burkina Faso. Afghanistan's coverage was about 4 times as angry as the world's. In the world's news as a whole, the wording was much softer than usual.

Help and hope: reports of volunteers ran at about one and a half times the usual rate →
Part of lifeHealth 87 in 100 of the stories about harm · much more than usual Country that rose mostBangladesh 72 in 100 of its 170 stories, usually 44
RegionCentral Asia 47 in 100 of its stories, usually 29
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

Iran

265 of its 351 stories (75%) were about people being harmed, usually 67%. Tehran accounted for 144 of Iran's 265 stories about harm, carried by 250 outlets. Reports of people falling ill ran at more than ten times the usual rate (33 stories). Poisoning was named in 44 of its stories about harm, more than ten times usual. 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.

Iran over 30 days → its stories → Tehran stories →
Conflict & violence

Afghanistan

155 of its 193 stories (80%) were about people being harmed, usually 60%. Kabul accounted for 116 of Afghanistan's 155 stories about harm, carried by 139 outlets. Reports of abductions ran at about 4 times the usual rate (6 stories). Its coverage was about 4 times as angry as the world's. Fear 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
Health

South Africa

548 of its 1,129 stories (49%) were about people being harmed, usually 37%. Reports of people killed ran at about three times the usual rate (234 stories). Respiratory illness was named in 25 of its stories about harm, about three times usual, with ebola. Its coverage was about one and a half times as grief-stricken as the world's.

its stories →
Health

Sri Lanka

94 of its 176 stories (53%) were about people being harmed, usually 31%. Reports of people displaced ran at more than ten times the usual rate (5 stories). Its coverage was about twice as angry as the world's.

its stories →
Health

Nepal

73 of its 108 stories (68%) were about people being harmed, usually 46%. Kathmandu accounted for 48 of Nepal's 73 stories about harm, carried by 87 outlets. Reports of evacuations ran at about 9 times the usual rate (7 stories).

its stories →
Health

Saudi Arabia

151 of its 250 stories (60%) were about people being harmed, usually 45%. Reports of evacuations ran at about 5 times the usual rate (5 stories). Its coverage was about twice as angry as the world's.

its stories →
Health

Venezuela

76 of its 139 stories (55%) were about people being harmed, usually 40%. Reports of arrests ran at about three times the usual rate (29 stories). Flooding was named in 19 of its stories about harm, about 8 times usual.

its stories →
Health

Spain

412 of its 910 stories (45%) were about people being harmed, usually 35%. Reports of people injured ran at about twice the usual rate (9 stories). Its coverage was about three times as grief-stricken as the world's.

its stories →

Also named far more than usual: covid in Syria (56 of its stories, about 4 times its usual); flooding in Venezuela (19 of its stories, about 8 times its usual); volcanic eruption in Indonesia (19 of its stories, about 5 times its usual); respiratory illness in South Africa (25 of its stories, about three times its usual); flooding in Japan (15 of its stories, about 5 times its usual).

41 in 100 stories were about harm

usually 32; 41 the day before
43 in 10023 in 10027 Feb5 Mar12 Mar19 Mar27 Mar27 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 1005 Mar: 25 in 1006 Mar: 26 in 1007 Mar: 27 in 1008 Mar: 28 in 1009 Mar: 27 in 10010 Mar: 28 in 10011 Mar: 29 in 10012 Mar: 31 in 10013 Mar: 33 in 10014 Mar: 36 in 10015 Mar: 37 in 10016 Mar: 37 in 10017 Mar: 38 in 10018 Mar: 39 in 10019 Mar: 40 in 10020 Mar: 40 in 10021 Mar: 41 in 10022 Mar: 43 in 10023 Mar: 40 in 10024 Mar: 40 in 10025 Mar: 41 in 10026 Mar: 41 in 10027 Mar: 41 in 100 · this day

Stories about people being harmed, in every 100 stories, the 30 days to 27 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 50,343 stories about harm among 123,090 counted on 27 Mar.

Read the day's briefing

41 in every 100 of the day's 123,090 news stories were about people being harmed, above the usual 32. On the side of help, reports of volunteers ran at about one and a half times the usual rate. Syria's news mentioned Covid about 4 times as often as usual. A year earlier, on 28 March 2019, 20 in every 100 stories were about people being harmed, against 41 today.

Written by code from the day's numbers.

Where harm was most of the news all →

Afghanistan80 in 100 of its 193 stories · usually 60 · mostly conflict & violence Syria77 in 100 of its 111 stories · usually 73 · mostly health Iran75 in 100 of its 351 stories · usually 67 · mostly health Bangladesh72 in 100 of its 170 stories · usually 44 · mostly health Yemen72 in 100 of its 60 stories · usually 65 · mostly health

Countries with at least 50 stories that day.

Where people protested

Washington US213 stories about protests or strikes, of its 2736 Wuhan China57 stories about protests or strikes, of its 833 New York US39 stories about protests or strikes, of its 996 London UK31 stories about protests or strikes, of its 1020 Delhi India27 stories about protests or strikes, of its 616

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 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: too little coverage to readU.S. Virgin Islands: about as warm as its own usual or lessGuam: too little coverage to readPuerto Rico: 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 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 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: too little coverage to readTimor-Leste: about as warm as its own usual or lessThailand: about as warm as its own usual or lessTanzania: too little coverage to readTajikistan: 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 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 lessSri Lanka: about as warm as its own usual or lessSpain: 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: 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 lessSierra Leone: about as warm as its own usual or lessSeychelles: about as warm as its own usual or lessSerbia: 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: 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 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 lessPanama: about as warm as its own usual or lessPalau: 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 lessNigeria: about as warm as its own usual or lessNiger: too little coverage to readNicaragua: 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 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 lessMauritius: about as warm as its own usual or lessMauritania: too little coverage to readMalta: 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: too little coverage to readMadagascar: about as warm as its own usual or lessNorth Macedonia: about as warm as its own usual or lessLuxembourg: about as warm as its own usual or lessLithuania: too little coverage to readLibya: 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: 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 lessIsrael: about as warm as its own usual or lessIreland: 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 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: about as warm as its own usual or lessGreece: 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: 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: 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: 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 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: 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 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: about as warm as its own usual or lessBrazil: 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: about as warm as its own usual or lessBahrain: too little coverage to readBahamas: too little coverage to readAzerbaijan: too little coverage to readAustria: 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: 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 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 lessAzad Kashmir & Gilgit-Baltistan: about as warm as its own usual or lessVatican City: too little coverage to readMarshall 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: 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: too little coverage to readMontserrat: about as warm as its own usual or lessGuernsey: too little coverage to readSan Marino: about as warm as its own usual or lessSt 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: 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: about as warm as its own usual or lessNorfolk Island: too little coverage to readSint 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 readVietnam: warmth about its own usualUK: warmth about its own usualSwitzerland: warmth about its own usualSudan: warmth about its own usualSouth Korea: warmth about one and a half times its own usualSingapore: warmth about its own usualSenegal: warmth about its own usualSaudi Arabia: warmth about its own usualPhilippines: warmth about its own usualMorocco: warmth about its own usualMexico: warmth about its own usualKyrgyzstan: warmth about its own usualJamaica: warmth about its own usualItaly: warmth about its own usualPalestine: warmth about its own usualIraq: warmth about its own usualIndia: warmth about its own usualDenmark: warmth about its own usualChina: warmth about its own usualCambodia: warmth about its own usualBangladesh: warmth about its own usualChina: warmth about its own usualPalestine: warmth about its own usualPalestine: warmth about its own usualPalestine: warmth about its own usualJersey: warmth about its own usualCumbria, UK -- health: 17 stories, carried by 15 outletsWest Suffolk, UK -- health: 38 stories, carried by 16 outletsOregon, US -- health: 42 stories, carried by 30 outletsIdaho, US -- health: 19 stories, carried by 13 outletsVancouver, Canada -- health: 118 stories, carried by 142 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

● South Korea warmth about one and a half times usual

Warmest events

● Cumbria UK about one and a half times as warm as the day's news · health · 17 stories ● West Suffolk UK about one and a half times as warm as the day's news · health · 38 stories ● Oregon US about one and a half times as warm as the day's news · health · 42 stories ● Idaho US about one and a half times as warm as the day's news · health · 19 stories ● Vancouver Canada about one and a half times as warm as the day's news · health · 118 stories

The day in three measures

Parts of life 30 days →

Health87% 43,377 stories · much more than usual (usually 71%) Rights & justice4% 1,969 stories · much less than usual (usually 11%) Disasters & accidents3% 1,518 stories · less than usual (usually 6%) Conflict & violence2% 885 stories · less than usual (usually 5%) Shelter & services2% 866 stories · about as usual Deaths & injuries, cause not given1% 714 stories · about as usual Food & livelihood1% 452 stories · about as usual Displacement1% 355 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 killed11,797 at about one and a half times the usual rate · most about the US and the UK Stories reporting people affected3,289 at about the usual rate Stories reporting arrests1,630 at about the usual rate Stories reporting people injured1,436 at about the usual rate Stories reporting evacuations249 at about one and a half times the usual rate · most about Nigeria and the US Stories reporting people falling ill197 at about the usual rate Stories reporting refugees159 at about half the usual rate · most about the US and Türkiye Stories reporting people displaced127 at about two-thirds of the usual rate · most about Syria and the US Stories reporting abductions84 at about two-thirds of the usual rate · most about the US and Iraq

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.

● Angerabout two-thirds of usual
● Warmtha little more than 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.