← 17 May Monday 18 May 2020 · to 23:59 UTC 19 May →
What the world's news said happened to people.
Counts of coverage, not of suffering
33,446 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 people displaced in Jenin, illness in Tokyo and violence in Kabuga. Rwanda's coverage was about three times as grief-stricken as the world's. Worldwide, the words used were about as usual.

Part of lifeHealth 73 in 100 of the stories about harm · less than usual Country that rose mostPalestine 64 in 100 of its 220 stories, usually 50
RegionLatin America & Caribbean 42 in 100 of its stories, usually 40
Tone of the words About as usual across the world's stories about harm

What the world's news was about today

how these are picked →
Displacement

Palestine

140 of its 220 stories (64%) were about people being harmed, usually 50%. Jenin accounted for 101 of Palestine's 140 stories about harm, carried by 11 outlets. Reports of people displaced ran at more than ten times the usual rate (77 stories). Illness was named in 77 of its stories about harm, about 4 times usual.

Palestine over 30 days → its stories → Jenin stories →
Health

Japan

416 of its 985 stories (42%) were about people being harmed, usually 34%. Tokyo accounted for 254 of Japan's 416 stories about harm, carried by 516 outlets. Typhoon was named in 22 of its stories about harm, about 8 times usual.

Japan over 30 days → its stories → Tokyo stories →
Conflict & violence

Rwanda

Kabuga accounted for 29 of Rwanda's 38 stories about harm, carried by 33 outlets. Reports of arrests ran at about three times the usual rate (18 stories). Its coverage was about three times as grief-stricken as the world's.

Rwanda over 30 days → its stories → Kabuga stories →
6 more places the news pointed at
Health

Israel

Jerusalem accounted for 182 of Israel's 318 stories about harm, carried by 259 outlets. Heatwave was named in 38 of its stories about harm, more than ten times usual. Its coverage was about one and a half times as fearful as the world's. Anger in its coverage rose to about one and a half times its own usual.

its stories →
Conflict & violence

Libya

Tripoli accounted for 33 of Libya's 42 stories about harm, carried by 53 outlets. Reports of people displaced ran at about twice the usual rate (9 stories). Its coverage was about three times as angry as the world's.

its stories →
Health

Mexico

175 of its 345 stories (51%) were about people being harmed, usually 39%. Poisoning was named in 12 of its stories about harm, about 7 times usual.

its stories →
Health

Zimbabwe

Reports of abductions ran at about 10 times the usual rate (17 stories). Its coverage was about one and a half times as fearful as the world's. Anger in its coverage rose to about one and a half times its own usual.

its stories →
Protests & strikes

Albania

5 of Tirana's 10 stories were about protests or strikes. Reports of arrests ran at about three times the usual rate (5 stories).

its stories →
Health

Canada

Reports of evacuations ran at about 5 times the usual rate (25 stories). Plane crash was named in 27 of its stories about harm, more than ten times usual.

its stories →

Also named far more than usual: cyclone in Bangladesh (70 of its stories, more than ten times its usual); heatwave in Israel (38 of its stories, more than ten times its usual); cyclone in India (190 of its stories, more than ten times its usual); flu in South Korea (13 of its stories, about 4 times its usual); poisoning in Mexico (12 of its stories, about 7 times its usual).

34 in 100 stories were about harm

usually 36; 37 the day before
42 in 10033 in 10019 Apr26 Apr3 May10 May18 May19 Apr: 42 in 10020 Apr: 38 in 10021 Apr: 37 in 10022 Apr: 37 in 10023 Apr: 37 in 10024 Apr: 36 in 10025 Apr: 37 in 10026 Apr: 39 in 10027 Apr: 37 in 10028 Apr: 37 in 10029 Apr: 36 in 10030 Apr: 35 in 1001 May: 35 in 1002 May: 37 in 1003 May: 38 in 1004 May: 36 in 1005 May: 35 in 1006 May: 35 in 1007 May: 34 in 1008 May: 33 in 1009 May: 36 in 10010 May: 38 in 10011 May: 34 in 10012 May: 34 in 10013 May: 34 in 10014 May: 33 in 10015 May: 33 in 10016 May: 36 in 10017 May: 37 in 10018 May: 34 in 100 · this day

Stories about people being harmed, in every 100 stories, the 30 days to 18 May. 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 33,446 stories about harm among 99,301 counted on 18 May.

Read the day's briefing

In Bangladesh's news, mentions of the cyclone ran more than ten times their usual. A year earlier, on 19 May 2019, 18 in every 100 stories were about people being harmed, against 34 today. 34 in every 100 of the day's 99,301 news stories were about people being harmed, below the usual 36. In Palestine, 64% of the news was about people being harmed, where 50% is usual.

Written by code from the day's numbers.

Where harm was most of the news all →

Somalia77 in 100 of its 87 stories · usually 70 · mostly disasters & accidents Rwanda67 in 100 of its 57 stories · usually 62 · mostly conflict & violence Afghanistan66 in 100 of its 273 stories · usually 74 · mostly conflict & violence Sudan65 in 100 of its 60 stories · usually 64 · mostly health Palestine64 in 100 of its 220 stories · usually 50 · mostly displacement

Countries with at least 50 stories that day.

Where people protested

Washington US128 stories about protests or strikes, of its 1397 Beijing China71 stories about protests or strikes, of its 551 Jerusalem Israel43 stories about protests or strikes, of its 182 London UK37 stories about protests or strikes, of its 598 New York US37 stories about protests or strikes, of its 467

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 lessVietnam: about as warm as its own usual or lessVenezuela: about as warm as its own usual or lessVanuatu: too little coverage to readUzbekistan: 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 lessGuam: 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: 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 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: too little coverage to readTimor-Leste: about as warm as its own usual or lessThailand: too little coverage to readTanzania: 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: about as warm as its own usual or lessSouth 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 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 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: 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: about as warm as its own usual or lessRussia: about as warm as its own usual or lessQatar: about as warm as its own usual or lessPortugal: too little coverage to readPoland: 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: 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: 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: too little coverage to readMexico: about as warm as its own usual or lessMauritius: too little coverage to readMauritania: 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: 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: 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: too little coverage to readJapan: 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: 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: 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: too little coverage to readFrance: 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: 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: 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: about as warm as its own usual or lessGreenland: 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: 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 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 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 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: too little coverage to readBenin: about as warm as its own usual or lessBelize: too little coverage to readBelgium: 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: 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: 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 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: too little coverage to readChagos 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: 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: about as warm as its own usual or lessNauru: 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 readU.S. Virgin Islands: warmth about its own usualPuerto Rico: warmth about its own usualSri Lanka: warmth about its own usualRomania: warmth about its own usualHaiti: warmth about its own usualBurundi: warmth about its own usualAfghanistan: warmth about its own usualOxfordshire, UK -- health: 10 stories, carried by 26 outletsMontana, US -- health: 18 stories, carried by 53 outletsGlasgow, UK -- health: 39 stories, carried by 30 outletsOcean City, US -- health: 13 stories, carried by 15 outletsKabul, Afghanistan -- conflict & violence: 87 stories, carried by 80 outletsMpumalanga, South Africa -- health: 20 stories, carried by 14 outletsWellington, New Zealand -- health: 55 stories, carried by 61 outletsGhazni, Afghanistan -- conflict & violence: 47 stories, carried by 134 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

● Oxfordshire UK about twice as warm as the day's news · health · 10 stories ● Montana US about one and a half times as warm as the day's news · health · 18 stories ● Glasgow UK about one and a half times as warm as the day's news · health · 39 stories ● Ocean City US about one and a half times as warm as the day's news · health · 13 stories ● Kabul Afghanistan about one and a half times as warm as the day's news · conflict & violence · 87 stories

The day in three measures

Parts of life 30 days →

Health73% 24,262 stories · less than usual (usually 78%) Rights & justice8% 2,515 stories · about as usual Disasters & accidents8% 2,503 stories · more than usual (usually 5%) Conflict & violence5% 1,537 stories · about as usual Deaths & injuries, cause not given3% 1,017 stories · about as usual Shelter & services2% 633 stories · about as usual Displacement1% 421 stories · about as usual Food & livelihood1% 308 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 killed9,093 at about the usual rate Stories reporting people affected2,254 at about the usual rate Stories reporting arrests1,461 at about the usual rate Stories reporting people injured1,309 at about the usual rate Stories reporting evacuations230 at about one and a half times the usual rate · most about India and Nigeria Stories reporting people displaced200 at about one and a half times the usual rate · most about Palestine and the US Stories reporting refugees134 at about two-thirds of the usual rate · most about the US and Bangladesh Stories reporting abductions91 at about the usual rate Stories reporting people falling ill66 at about two-thirds of the usual rate · most about the US and Canada

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 about as usual. Filled dot: today. Ring: usual.

● Angerabout as 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

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.