← 30 Mar Tuesday 31 March 2020 · to 23:59 UTC 1 Apr →
What the world's news said happened to people.
Counts of coverage, not of suffering
52,359 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 Jerusalem, the heatwave in Antarctica and violence in Kabul. Afghanistan's coverage was about three times as angry as the world's. Taken together, the world's news read softer than usual.

Part of lifeHealth 85 in 100 of the stories about harm · much more than usual Country that rose mostNigeria 65 in 100 of its 1,712 stories, usually 42
RegionSub-Saharan Africa 55 in 100 of its stories, usually 41
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 →
Health

Israel

391 of its 677 stories (58%) were about people being harmed, usually 46%. Jerusalem accounted for 237 of Israel's 391 stories about harm, carried by 174 outlets. Reports of arrests ran at about twice the usual rate (41 stories). Plague was named in 39 of its stories about harm, about three times usual, with ebola.

Israel over 30 days → its stories → Jerusalem stories →
6 more places the news pointed at
Health

Belgium

125 of its 215 stories (58%) were about people being harmed, usually 39%. Reports of people injured ran at about 6 times the usual rate (6 stories). Its coverage was about three times as grief-stricken as the world's.

its stories →
Health

Azerbaijan

87 of its 158 stories (55%) were about people being harmed, usually 35%. Reports of people injured ran at about 7 times the usual rate (7 stories). Its coverage was about twice as grief-stricken as the world's.

its stories →
Health

India

2,978 of its 5,996 stories (50%) were about people being harmed, usually 42%. Reports of evacuations ran at about three times the usual rate (98 stories). Hunger was named in 35 of its stories about harm, about three times usual.

its stories →
Health

Nigeria

1,121 of its 1,712 stories (65%) were about people being harmed, usually 42%. Reports of refugees ran at about three times the usual rate (9 stories).

its stories →
Health

Guam

50 of its 81 stories (62%) were about people being harmed, usually 34%. Reports of people injured ran at about three times the usual rate (6 stories).

its stories →
Health

Palau

19 of its 20 stories (95%) were about people being harmed, usually 38%. Its coverage was about one and a half times as fearful as the world's.

its stories →

Also named far more than usual: respiratory illness in Belarus (11 of its stories, about 5 times its usual); natural hazards in Malaysia (18 of its stories, about three times its usual); hunger in Thailand (11 of its stories, more than ten times its usual); ebola in Italy (17 of its stories, about 4 times its usual); malaria in Pakistan (10 of its stories, more than ten times its usual).

40 in 100 stories were about harm

usually 35; 41 the day before
44 in 10024 in 1002 Mar9 Mar16 Mar23 Mar31 Mar2 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 10028 Mar: 43 in 10029 Mar: 44 in 10030 Mar: 41 in 10031 Mar: 40 in 100 · this day

Stories about people being harmed, in every 100 stories, the 30 days to 31 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 52,359 stories about harm among 129,331 counted on 31 Mar.

Read the day's briefing

Of the day's 129,331 news stories, 40 in every 100 were about people being harmed, above the usual 35. Antarctica's news mentioned the heatwave about 9 times as often as usual. On 1 April 2019, a year earlier, the share was 18 in every 100, against 40 today. In Israel, 58% of the news was about people being harmed, where 46% is usual.

Written by code from the day's numbers.

Where harm was most of the news all →

Somalia74 in 100 of its 66 stories · usually 55 · mostly health Syria74 in 100 of its 159 stories · usually 71 · mostly health Indonesia70 in 100 of its 311 stories · usually 54 · mostly health Sierra Leone70 in 100 of its 53 stories · usually 49 · mostly health Liberia67 in 100 of its 89 stories · usually 42 · mostly health

Countries with at least 50 stories that day.

Where people protested

Staten Island US157 stories about protests or strikes, of its 664 Washington US143 stories about protests or strikes, of its 2437 New York US62 stories about protests or strikes, of its 1039 Wuhan China60 stories about protests or strikes, of its 767 London UK39 stories about protests or strikes, of its 836

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: too little coverage to readYemen: 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 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 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: about as warm as its own usual or lessTimor-Leste: about as warm as its own usual or lessThailand: 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 lessSyria: 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 lessSri Lanka: about as warm as its own usual or lessSpain: 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 readSenegal: 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: too little coverage to readRussia: 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: 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: about as warm as its own usual or lessPakistan: 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: 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: 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: 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: 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 lessLatvia: about as warm as its own usual or lessLaos: too little coverage to readKyrgyzstan: 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 lessJapan: about as warm as its own usual or lessJamaica: 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 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 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: too little coverage to readGuinea: about as warm as its own usual or lessGuatemala: about as warm as its own usual or lessGrenada: too little coverage to readGreece: 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 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: about as warm as its own usual or lessNew Caledonia: about as warm as its own usual or lessFrench Southern Territories: too little coverage to readÅland Islands: too little coverage to readFinland: too little coverage to readFiji: 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 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: too little coverage to readCzech Republic: too little coverage to readN. 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: about as warm as its own usual or lessColombia: about as warm as its own usual or lessChina: 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: too little coverage to readBrunei: 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: too little coverage to readBenin: too little coverage to readBelize: 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 lessBangladesh: about as warm as its own usual or lessBahrain: about as warm as its own usual or lessBahamas: too little coverage to readAzerbaijan: 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: too little coverage to readNorthern Mariana Islands: about as warm as its own usual or lessAmerican Samoa: about as warm as its own usual or lessChagos Islands: too little coverage to readSt. Helena: too little coverage to readPitcairn: about as warm as its own usual or lessAnguilla: too little coverage to readBermuda: too little coverage to readBritish 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: about as warm as its own usual or lessSan Marino: too little coverage to readSt Kitts & Nevis: about as warm as its own usual or lessCook Islands: too little coverage to readAruba: too little coverage to readNauru: too little coverage to readMonaco: about as warm as its own usual or lessMaldives: 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 usualPuerto Rico: warmth about its own usualSwitzerland: warmth about its own usualSudan: warmth about its own usualSouth Korea: warmth about its own usualSouth Africa: warmth about its own usualSingapore: warmth about its own usualSaudi Arabia: warmth about its own usualLebanon: warmth about its own usualJordan: warmth about its own usualItaly: warmth about its own usualIraq: warmth about its own usualHungary: warmth about its own usualGambia: warmth about its own usualEgypt: warmth about its own usualHong Kong: warmth about its own usualDarfur, Sudan -- health: 11 stories, carried by 39 outletsNew London, US -- shelter & services: 23 stories, carried by 265 outletsWaldo County, US -- health: 13 stories, carried by 13 outletsSunshine Coast, Australia -- health: 17 stories, carried by 14 outletsSussex, Canada -- health: 44 stories, carried by 121 outletsNottingham, UK -- health: 81 stories, carried by 194 outletsNorthumbria, UK -- health: 21 stories, carried by 29 outletsWenzhou, China -- health: 18 stories, carried by 21 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

No country's news was much warmer than its usual (a quarter or more).

Warmest events

● Darfur Sudan about twice as warm as the day's news · health · 11 stories ● New London US about one and a half times as warm as the day's news · shelter & services · 23 stories ● Waldo County US about one and a half times as warm as the day's news · health · 13 stories ● Sunshine Coast Australia about one and a half times as warm as the day's news · health · 17 stories ● Sussex Canada about one and a half times as warm as the day's news · health · 44 stories

The day in three measures

Parts of life 30 days →

Health85% 44,309 stories · much more than usual (usually 76%) Rights & justice5% 2,483 stories · less than usual (usually 9%) Disasters & accidents3% 1,637 stories · less than usual (usually 5%) Shelter & services2% 944 stories · about as usual Conflict & violence2% 937 stories · less than usual (usually 4%) Deaths & injuries, cause not given2% 917 stories · about as usual Food & livelihood1% 511 stories · about as usual Displacement1% 383 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 killed13,610 at about one and a half times the usual rate · most about the US and the UK Stories reporting people affected3,223 at about the usual rate Stories reporting arrests2,049 at about the usual rate Stories reporting people injured1,837 at about one and a half times the usual rate · most about the US and Canada Stories reporting evacuations278 at about one and a half times the usual rate · most about India and the US Stories reporting people falling ill157 at about two-thirds of the usual rate · most about the US and China Stories reporting refugees152 at about half the usual rate · most about the US and Türkiye Stories reporting people displaced125 at about two-thirds of the usual rate · most about Syria and the US Stories reporting abductions52 at about a third of the usual rate · most about the US and Nigeria

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.

● Angera little less than 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.