Hong Kong
72 of its 95 stories (76%) were about people being harmed, usually 48%. Reports of arrests ran at more than ten times the usual rate (44 stories). Its coverage was about twice as angry as the world's.
What the world's news said happened to people.
Counts of coverage, not of suffering
We measure how the world's news covered people being harmed — and the help and hope within it.
Most of the day's attention went to arrests in Hong Kong and Chad and people affected in Colombia. Hong Kong's coverage was about twice as angry as the world's. Everywhere we counted, the words were harsher than usual.
Part of lifeHealth
81 in 100 of the stories about harm · less than usual
Country that rose mostHong Kong
76 in 100 of its 95 stories, usually 48
RegionCentral Asia
49 in 100 of its stories, usually 41
Tone of the words
Harsher than usual
across the world's stories about harm
What the world's news was about today
how these are picked →Colombia
33 of its 43 stories (77%) were about people being harmed, usually 47%. Reports of people affected ran at about 4 times the usual rate (12 stories). Hunger was named in 10 of its stories about harm, more than ten times usual.
Chad
18 of its 26 stories (69%) were about people being harmed, usually 48%. Reports of arrests ran at about 4 times the usual rate (8 stories). Its coverage was about one and a half times as grief-stricken as the world's.
Malawi
28 of its 41 stories (68%) were about people being harmed, usually 48%. 7 of Lilongwe's 9 stories were about protests or strikes.
6 more places the news pointed at
Switzerland
91 of its 160 stories (57%) were about people being harmed, usually 41%. HIV was named in 11 of its stories about harm, more than ten times usual. Anger in its coverage rose to about one and a half times its own usual.
Syria
58 of its 72 stories (81%) were about people being harmed, usually 70%. Reports of people injured ran at about twice the usual rate (7 stories). Its coverage was about one and a half times as fearful as the world's.
Japan
178 of its 486 stories (37%) were about people being harmed, usually 30%. Tsunami was named in 22 of its stories about harm, about 5 times usual, with earthquake. Anger in its coverage rose to about one and a half times its own usual.
Libya
Tripoli accounted for 23 of Libya's 25 stories about harm, carried by 31 outlets. Reports of people injured ran at about twice the usual rate (10 stories). Its coverage was about twice as angry as the world's.
Bulgaria
15 of its 29 stories (52%) were about people being harmed, usually 26%. Reports of people injured ran at about 5 times the usual rate (7 stories).
Malta
31 of its 58 stories (53%) were about people being harmed, usually 38%. Reports of people affected ran at about twice the usual rate (8 stories).
Also named far more than usual: wildfires in Ukraine (14 of its stories, about three times its usual); tsunami in Japan (22 of its stories, about 5 times its usual); hiv in Switzerland (11 of its stories, more than ten times its usual); flu in Germany (11 of its stories, about 4 times its usual); natural hazards in Pakistan (12 of its stories, about 9 times its usual).
40 in 100 stories were about harm
usually 41; 38 the day beforeStories about people being harmed, in every 100 stories, the 30 days to 18 Apr. 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 26,693 stories about harm among 66,765 counted on 18 Apr.
Read the day's briefing
In Colombia's news, mentions of the hunger ran more than ten times their usual. Stories about people being harmed made up 40 in every 100 of the day's 66,765 stories, below the usual 41. On 19 April 2019, a year earlier, the share was 19 in every 100, against 40 today. In Hong Kong, 76% of the news was about people being harmed, where 48% is usual.
- 40 in every 100 of the day's 66,765 news stories were about people being harmed (usually 41).
- Hong Kong: 72 of its 95 stories (76%) were about people being harmed, usually 48%.
- Colombia: 33 of its 43 stories (77%) were about people being harmed, usually 47%.
- Chad: 18 of its 26 stories (69%) were about people being harmed, usually 48%.
- Malawi: 28 of its 41 stories (68%) were about people being harmed, usually 48%.
- Mentions of the hunger ran more than ten times their usual in Colombia's news.
- Mentions of wildfires ran about three times their usual in Ukraine's news.
- Across the world, the words of the day's news were harsher than usual.
- A year earlier, on 19 April 2019, 19 in every 100 stories were about people being harmed, against 40 today.
Written by code from the day's numbers.
Where harm was most of the news all →
Syria81 in 100 of its 72 stories · usually 70 · mostly health Hong Kong76 in 100 of its 95 stories · usually 48 · mostly rights & justice Afghanistan74 in 100 of its 103 stories · usually 67 · mostly health Philippines67 in 100 of its 522 stories · usually 66 · mostly health Kashmir67 in 100 of its 142 stories · usually 60 · mostly healthCountries with at least 50 stories that day.
Where people protested
Washington US311 stories about protests or strikes, of its 1276 Beijing China53 stories about protests or strikes, of its 207 Wuhan China40 stories about protests or strikes, of its 561 Delhi India37 stories about protests or strikes, of its 486 San Francisco US32 stories about protests or strikes, of its 199Stories, not people.
Where it happened
feelings in full →
Attacks & violenceAccidents & disastersPeople displacedDeaths, cause not givenProtests & strikesDisease & outbreaks
The day's biggest events: attacks, accidents and disasters, people displaced, protests, outbreaks. Bigger dot: more stories. Ranked by the share of the day's outlets that reported it and how clearly it was about one thing, the same way for every place and year; the news data does not say who attacked whom, so both sides of a war appear where the news put them. Click a dot for its stories.
Biggest events
● Gulf of Mexico US accidents & disasters · 10 stories, 157 outlets ● Joliette Canada protests & strikes · 5 stories, 44 outlets ● Mississippi US accidents & disasters · 19 stories, 86 outlets ● Zermatt Switzerland disease & outbreaks · 33 stories, 65 outlets ● Kyiv Ukraine accidents & disasters · 42 stories, 66 outlets ● Cartagena Colombia disease & outbreaks · 8 stories, 28 outlets ● Ngala Nigeria people displaced · 14 stories, 22 outlets ● Sopore Kashmir attacks & violence · 34 stories, 24 outletsThe day in three measures
Parts of life 30 days →
Health81% 21,559 stories · less than usual (usually 84%) Rights & justice6% 1,647 stories · about as usual Disasters & accidents4% 1,101 stories · about as usual Conflict & violence3% 712 stories · about as usual Deaths & injuries, cause not given3% 698 stories · about as usual Shelter & services2% 411 stories · about as usual Food & livelihood1% 217 stories · about as usual Displacement1% 208 stories · about as usualOf the stories about people being harmed, what part of life each was about. The mark is usual.
Harm reported 30 days →
Stories reporting people killed8,981 at about one and a half times the usual rate · most about the US and India Stories reporting people affected1,829 at about the usual rate Stories reporting arrests1,261 at about the usual rate Stories reporting people injured1,130 at about one and a half times the usual rate · most about the US and Canada Stories reporting refugees122 at about the usual rate Stories reporting evacuations107 at about the usual rate Stories reporting people displaced95 at about one and a half times the usual rate · most about Nigeria and the US Stories reporting people falling ill77 at about the usual rate Stories reporting abductions64 at about one and a half times the usual rate · most about the US and NigeriaStories 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 harsher than usual. Filled dot: today. Ring: usual.
● Angerabout as usual
● Warmthabout as usual
● Griefabout one and a half times 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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These are counts of stories, not counts of suffering. Most of what happens to people is never reported at all.