← 19 Jul Monday 20 July 2020 · to 23:59 UTC 21 Jul →
What the world's news said happened to people.
Counts of coverage, not of suffering
28,393 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 →

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.

Help and hope: reports of vaccination ran at about one and a half times the usual rate →
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 →
Health

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.

Netherlands over 30 days → its stories →
Conflict & violence

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.

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

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.

its stories →
Health

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.

its stories →
Health

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.

its stories →
Health

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.

its stories →
Health

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.

its stories →
Health

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).

its 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 before
34 in 10029 in 10021 Jun28 Jun5 Jul12 Jul20 Jul21 Jun: 34 in 10022 Jun: 31 in 10023 Jun: 31 in 10024 Jun: 30 in 10025 Jun: 31 in 10026 Jun: 30 in 10027 Jun: 33 in 10028 Jun: 34 in 10029 Jun: 31 in 10030 Jun: 30 in 1001 Jul: 30 in 1002 Jul: 30 in 1003 Jul: 30 in 1004 Jul: 32 in 1005 Jul: 34 in 1006 Jul: 31 in 1007 Jul: 31 in 1008 Jul: 30 in 1009 Jul: 30 in 10010 Jul: 30 in 10011 Jul: 32 in 10012 Jul: 33 in 10013 Jul: 31 in 10014 Jul: 30 in 10015 Jul: 29 in 10016 Jul: 29 in 10017 Jul: 30 in 10018 Jul: 32 in 10019 Jul: 33 in 10020 Jul: 30 in 100 · this day

Stories 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.

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 & violence

Countries 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 294

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: too little coverage to readVenezuela: about as warm as its own usual or lessVanuatu: too little coverage to readUzbekistan: about as warm as its own usual or lessUruguay: too little coverage to readMicronesia: too little coverage to readU.S. Virgin Islands: about as warm as its own usual or lessGuam: too little coverage to readPuerto 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 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: 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 lessSweden: about as warm as its own usual or lessEswatini: too little coverage to readSuriname: too little coverage to readSouth Sudan: about as warm as its own usual or lessSudan: 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 lessSouth Korea: too little coverage to readSomalia: 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: too little coverage to readSão Tomé: too little coverage to readSamoa: too little coverage to readSt 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 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: 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 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: 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: 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: too little coverage to readKenya: 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 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 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: too little coverage to readGuatemala: too little coverage to readGrenada: too little coverage to readGreece: about as warm as its own usual or lessGhana: 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: too little coverage to readFrench 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: too little coverage to readEquatorial 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: about as warm as its own usual or lessDenmark: about as warm as its own usual or lessCzech 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: 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 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: 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: 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: too little coverage to readAustria: 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 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 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 lessAzad Kashmir & Gilgit-Baltistan: 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: 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: too little coverage to readGuernsey: 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: 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: too little coverage to readNorfolk 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: about as warm as its own usual or lessSwitzerland: warmth about its own usualSouth Africa: warmth about its own usualNicaragua: warmth about its own usualLibya: warmth about its own usualPalestine: warmth about its own usualIreland: warmth about its own usualGermany: warmth about its own usualBrazil: warmth about its own usualAzerbaijan: warmth about its own usualPalestine: warmth about its own usualPalestine: warmth about its own usualPalestine: warmth about its own usualMaldives: warmth about its own usualGiyani, South Africa -- health: 12 stories, carried by 14 outletsSirte, Libya -- conflict & violence: 22 stories, carried by 20 outletsColorado, US -- health: 24 stories, carried by 22 outletsMadiba, South Africa -- rights & justice: 12 stories, carried by 12 outletsSouthwold, UK -- health: 15 stories, carried by 11 outletsNorthern Ireland, UK -- health: 122 stories, carried by 183 outletsOregon, US -- health: 21 stories, carried by 25 outletsPrince Edward Island, Canada -- health: 10 stories, carried by 38 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

● Giyani South Africa about one and a half times as warm as the day's news · health · 12 stories ● Sirte Libya about one and a half times as warm as the day's news · conflict & violence · 22 stories ● Colorado US about one and a half times as warm as the day's news · health · 24 stories ● Madiba South Africa about one and a half times as warm as the day's news · rights & justice · 12 stories ● Southwold UK about one and a half times as warm as the day's news · health · 15 stories

The 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 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 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 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 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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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.