← 20 Apr Tuesday 21 April 2020 · to 23:59 UTC 22 Apr →
What the world's news said happened to people.
Counts of coverage, not of suffering
43,804 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 Colombo, refugees in Germany and illness in Myanmar. Myanmar's coverage was about twice as angry as the world's. Taken together, the world's news read harsher than usual.

Part of lifeHealth 80 in 100 of the stories about harm · less than usual Country that rose mostSri Lanka 61 in 100 of its 274 stories, usually 44
RegionEvery region about as usual
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 →
Conflict & violence

Sri Lanka

168 of its 274 stories (61%) were about people being harmed, usually 44%. Colombo accounted for 104 of Sri Lanka's 168 stories about harm, carried by 79 outlets. Reports of people injured ran at about 4 times the usual rate (42 stories). Its coverage was about one and a half times as fearful as the world's.

Sri Lanka over 30 days → its stories → Colombo stories →
Health

Germany

391 of its 812 stories (48%) were about people being harmed, usually 42%. Reports of refugees ran at more than ten times the usual rate (46 stories). Cholera was named in 30 of its stories about harm, more than ten times usual.

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

Burkina Faso

21 of its 21 stories (100%) were about people being harmed, usually 69%. Its coverage was about twice as angry as the world's.

its stories →
Health

Jersey

59 of its 118 stories (50%) were about people being harmed, usually 39%. Its coverage was about one and a half times as warm as the world's.

its stories →
Health

Benin

11 of its 13 stories (85%) were about people being harmed, usually 49%. Reports of people affected ran at about twice the usual rate (5 stories).

its stories →
Health

Armenia

73 of its 164 stories (45%) were about people being harmed, usually 37%. Its coverage was about twice as grief-stricken as the world's.

its stories →
Health

Haiti

14 of its 18 stories (78%) were about people being harmed, usually 57%. Its coverage was about one and a half times as fearful as the world's.

its stories →
Health

Japan

Reports of abductions ran at more than ten times the usual rate (6 stories). Hurricane was named in 17 of its stories about harm, more than ten times usual.

its stories →

Also named far more than usual: malaria in Brazil (24 of its stories, about 5 times its usual); natural hazards in Malaysia (24 of its stories, about 5 times its usual); flooding in Kenya (20 of its stories, about 7 times its usual); flooding in Bangladesh (10 of its stories, more than ten times its usual); hurricane in Japan (17 of its stories, more than ten times its usual).

37 in 100 stories were about harm

usually 41; 38 the day before
44 in 10037 in 10023 Mar30 Mar6 Apr13 Apr21 Apr23 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 1001 Apr: 40 in 1002 Apr: 41 in 1003 Apr: 40 in 1004 Apr: 42 in 1005 Apr: 44 in 1006 Apr: 41 in 1007 Apr: 40 in 1008 Apr: 40 in 1009 Apr: 39 in 10010 Apr: 41 in 10011 Apr: 43 in 10012 Apr: 44 in 10013 Apr: 42 in 10014 Apr: 40 in 10015 Apr: 39 in 10016 Apr: 38 in 10017 Apr: 38 in 10018 Apr: 40 in 10019 Apr: 42 in 10020 Apr: 38 in 10021 Apr: 37 in 100 · this day

Stories about people being harmed, in every 100 stories, the 30 days to 21 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 43,804 stories about harm among 117,326 counted on 21 Apr.

Read the day's briefing

No day had a lower share of stories about people being harmed since 16 March 2020. Madagascar's news mentioned the malaria more than ten times as often as usual. 37 in every 100 of the day's 117,326 news stories were about people being harmed, below the usual 41. On 22 April 2019, a year earlier, the share was 21 in every 100, against 37 today.

Written by code from the day's numbers.

Where harm was most of the news all →

Yemen75 in 100 of its 61 stories · usually 74 · mostly health Syria72 in 100 of its 169 stories · usually 70 · mostly conflict & violence Cuba66 in 100 of its 58 stories · usually 57 · mostly health Afghanistan65 in 100 of its 150 stories · usually 68 · mostly health Philippines65 in 100 of its 739 stories · usually 65 · mostly health

Countries with at least 50 stories that day.

Where people protested

Washington US436 stories about protests or strikes, of its 2270 Delhi India62 stories about protests or strikes, of its 608 Beijing China58 stories about protests or strikes, of its 254 Philadelphia US43 stories about protests or strikes, of its 232 Chicago US42 stories about protests or strikes, of its 361

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: too little coverage to readGuam: about as warm as its own usual or lessPuerto 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: 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: too little coverage to readTonga: 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 lessSyria: 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 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 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: about as warm as its own usual or lessSaudi Arabia: about as warm as its own usual or lessSão Tomé: about as warm as its own usual or lessSamoa: too little coverage to readSt 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: too little coverage to readPortugal: 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: 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: 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 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: 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: 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: 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: 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 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 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: 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: about as warm as its own usual or lessGuinea: about as warm as its own usual or lessGuatemala: too little coverage to readGrenada: 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 lessGambia: about as warm as its own usual or lessGabon: too little coverage to readFrance: about as warm as its own usual or lessSt Pierre & Miquelon: too little coverage to readFrench Polynesia: too little coverage to readNew Caledonia: about as warm as its own usual or lessFrench 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: 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: about as warm as its own usual or lessGreenland: too little coverage to readFaroe Islands: too little coverage to readDenmark: 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: 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: 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 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 readBangladesh: 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: too little coverage to readAustralia: 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: about as warm as its own usual or lessAlgeria: 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 lessAksai Chin: about as warm as its own usual or lessWestern Sahara (Moroccan-controlled): too little coverage to readWestern Sahara (Free Zone): too little coverage to readCrimea: 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: about as warm as its own usual or lessTurks & Caicos Islands: too little coverage to readMontserrat: 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 readUnited Arab Emirates: warmth about its own usualSri Lanka: warmth about its own usualSolomon Islands: warmth about its own usualMexico: warmth about its own usualPalestine: warmth about its own usualIndonesia: warmth about its own usualGeorgia: warmth about its own usualCzechia: warmth about its own usualCentral African Republic: warmth about its own usualKashmir: warmth about its own usualPalestine: warmth about its own usualPalestine: warmth about its own usualKashmir: warmth about its own usualKashmir: warmth about its own usualPalestine: warmth about its own usualKashmir: warmth about its own usualJersey: warmth about its own usualHertfordshire, UK -- health: 14 stories, carried by 13 outletsGorleston, UK -- health: 16 stories, carried by 16 outletsWaterloo, Canada -- health: 20 stories, carried by 21 outletsChester County, US -- health: 16 stories, carried by 17 outletsCity of Manteca, US -- health: 10 stories, carried by 10 outletsSunshine Coast, Australia -- health: 18 stories, carried by 28 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

● Hertfordshire UK about twice as warm as the day's news · health · 14 stories ● Gorleston UK about one and a half times as warm as the day's news · health · 16 stories ● Waterloo Canada about one and a half times as warm as the day's news · health · 20 stories ● Chester County US about one and a half times as warm as the day's news · health · 16 stories ● City of Manteca US about one and a half times as warm as the day's news · health · 10 stories

The day in three measures

Parts of life 30 days →

Health80% 34,838 stories · less than usual (usually 84%) Rights & justice7% 2,905 stories · about as usual Disasters & accidents4% 1,783 stories · about as usual Conflict & violence3% 1,387 stories · about as usual Deaths & injuries, cause not given2% 1,088 stories · about as usual Shelter & services2% 817 stories · about as usual Food & livelihood1% 420 stories · about as usual Displacement1% 291 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 killed12,309 at about the usual rate Stories reporting people affected2,911 at about the usual rate Stories reporting arrests2,053 at about the usual rate Stories reporting people injured1,410 at about the usual rate Stories reporting refugees269 at about one and a half times the usual rate · most about Germany and Greece Stories reporting people displaced172 at about one and a half times the usual rate · most about the US and Syria Stories reporting people falling ill144 at about the usual rate Stories reporting evacuations113 at about half the usual rate · most about the US and India Stories reporting abductions88 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 harsher than usual. Filled dot: today. Ring: usual.

● Angera little more than 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.