Netherlands
110 of its 284 stories (39%) were about people being harmed, usually 27%. Reports of people injured ran at about 4 times the usual rate (7 stories). Grief in its coverage rose to about one and a half times its own usual.
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.
People injured in the Netherlands, protests in Kabul (Afghanistan) and rights and justice in Harare drew the news. Sudan's coverage was about one and a half times as angry as the world's. Worldwide, the words used were softer than usual.
Part of lifeHealth
62 in 100 of the stories about harm · more than usual
Country that rose mostNorth Korea
59 in 100 of its 64 stories, usually 26
RegionEvery region
about as usual
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 →Afghanistan
128 of its 169 stories (76%) were about people being harmed, usually 64%. Kabul accounted for 86 of Afghanistan's 128 stories about harm, carried by 124 outlets. 54 of Kabul's 86 stories were about protests or strikes.
Zimbabwe
114 of its 243 stories (47%) were about people being harmed, usually 37%. Harare accounted for 67 of Zimbabwe's 114 stories about harm, carried by 102 outlets. Reports of arrests ran at about three times the usual rate (44 stories).
Sudan
38 of its 55 stories (69%) were about people being harmed, usually 56%. Reports of people displaced ran at about three times the usual rate (11 stories). Its coverage was about one and a half times as angry as the world's.
6 more places the news pointed at
Iran
168 of its 304 stories (55%) were about people being harmed, usually 48%. Reports of arrests ran at about twice the usual rate (31 stories). Its coverage was about twice as grief-stricken as the world's.
North Korea
38 of its 64 stories (59%) were about people being harmed, usually 26%. Pyongyang accounted for 33 of North Korea's 38 stories about harm, carried by 137 outlets.
Papua New Guinea
21 of its 34 stories (62%) were about people being harmed, usually 42%. Its coverage was about one and a half times as fearful as the world's.
Peru
33 of its 68 stories (49%) were about people being harmed, usually 37%. Its coverage was about one and a half times as grief-stricken as the world's.
Hong Kong
Reports of people killed ran at about twice the usual rate (27 stories). Its coverage was about one and a half times as fearful as the world's. Grief in its coverage rose to about one and a half times its own usual.
Belgium
Brussels accounted for 43 of Belgium's 47 stories about harm, carried by 58 outlets. Reports of arrests ran at about 5 times the usual rate (5 stories).
Also named far more than usual: polio in Pakistan (41 of its stories, more than ten times its usual); volcanic eruption in Switzerland (10 of its stories, more than ten times its usual); volcanic eruption in New Zealand (16 of its stories, about 7 times its usual); avalanche in South Africa (13 of its stories, more than ten times its usual); polio in Philippines (11 of its stories, more than ten times its usual).
30 in 100 stories were about harm
usually 31; 33 the day beforeStories about people being harmed, in every 100 stories, the 30 days to 20 Jul. 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 28,393 stories about harm among 94,484 counted on 20 Jul.
Read the day's briefing
On the side of help, reports of vaccination ran at about one and a half times the usual rate. Stories about people being harmed made up 30 in every 100 of the day's 94,484 stories, below the usual 31. A year earlier, on 21 July 2019, 21 in every 100 stories were about people being harmed, against 30 today. In the Netherlands, 39% of the news was about people being harmed, where 27% is usual.
- 30 in every 100 of the day's 94,484 news stories were about people being harmed (usually 31).
- Netherlands: 110 of its 284 stories (39%) were about people being harmed, usually 27%.
- Afghanistan: 128 of its 169 stories (76%) were about people being harmed, usually 64%.
- Zimbabwe: 114 of its 243 stories (47%) were about people being harmed, usually 37%.
- Sudan: 38 of its 55 stories (69%) were about people being harmed, usually 56%.
- Help and hope: reports of vaccination ran at about one and a half times the usual rate.
- Mentions of the polio ran more than ten times their usual in Pakistan's news.
- Mentions of volcanic eruption ran more than ten times their usual in Switzerland's news.
- Across the world, the words of the day's news were softer than usual.
- A year earlier, on 21 July 2019, 21 in every 100 stories were about people being harmed, against 30 today.
Written by code from the day's numbers.
Where harm was most of the news all →
Afghanistan76 in 100 of its 169 stories · usually 64 · mostly rights & justice Mali70 in 100 of its 50 stories · usually 65 · mostly conflict & violence Sudan69 in 100 of its 55 stories · usually 56 · mostly conflict & violence North Korea59 in 100 of its 64 stories · usually 26 · mostly health Syria59 in 100 of its 153 stories · usually 63 · mostly conflict & violenceCountries with at least 50 stories that day.
Where people protested
Portland US325 stories about protests or strikes, of its 356 Washington US272 stories about protests or strikes, of its 1343 Newark US111 stories about protests or strikes, of its 340 Chicago US103 stories about protests or strikes, of its 316 Beijing China77 stories about protests or strikes, of its 294Stories, 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
● Portland US protests & strikes · 356 stories, 712 outlets ● New Jersey US attacks & violence · 41 stories, 347 outlets ● Kabul Afghanistan protests & strikes · 86 stories, 124 outlets ● Yangtze China accidents & disasters · 35 stories, 64 outlets ● Isfahan Iran accidents & disasters · 10 stories, 98 outlets ● Damascus Syria attacks & violence · 41 stories, 75 outlets ● Kaziranga India accidents & disasters · 33 stories, 44 outlets ● Behbahan Iran protests & strikes · 16 stories, 31 outletsThe day in three measures
Parts of life 30 days →
Health62% 17,354 stories · more than usual (usually 59%) Rights & justice18% 5,079 stories · about as usual Disasters & accidents7% 2,080 stories · about as usual Conflict & violence5% 1,526 stories · about as usual Deaths & injuries, cause not given4% 1,085 stories · about as usual Shelter & services2% 542 stories · about as usual Food & livelihood1% 269 stories · about as usual Displacement1% 204 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 killed7,627 at about the usual rate Stories reporting people affected1,881 at about the usual rate Stories reporting arrests1,881 at about the usual rate Stories reporting people injured1,376 at about the usual rate Stories reporting refugees144 at about the usual rate Stories reporting people displaced134 at about the usual rate Stories reporting abductions112 at about the usual rate Stories reporting evacuations95 at about the usual rate Stories reporting people falling ill29 at about half the usual rate · most about the US and CanadaStories 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.
● 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
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These are counts of stories, not counts of suffering. Most of what happens to people is never reported at all.