← 29 Jul Thursday 30 July 2020 · to 23:59 UTC 31 Jul →
What the world's news said happened to people.
Counts of coverage, not of suffering
30,763 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 Minsk, storm surge in Bangladesh and protests in Harare (Zimbabwe). Zimbabwe's coverage was about one and a half times as angry as the world's. Over the whole world, the tone was softer than usual.

Part of lifeHealth 62 in 100 of the stories about harm · about as usual Country that rose mostBahamas 57 in 100 of its 149 stories, usually 29
RegionCentral Asia 50 in 100 of its stories, usually 45
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 →
Conflict & violence

Belarus

68 of its 106 stories (64%) were about people being harmed, usually 34%. Minsk accounted for 49 of Belarus' 68 stories about harm, carried by 39 outlets. Reports of arrests ran at about three times the usual rate (44 stories). Its coverage was about one and a half times as fearful as the world's.

Belarus over 30 days → its stories → Minsk stories →
Health

Bangladesh

162 of its 244 stories (66%) were about people being harmed, usually 52%. Dhaka accounted for 59 of Bangladesh's 162 stories about harm, carried by 75 outlets. Reports of people injured ran at about twice the usual rate (12 stories). Storm surge was named in 33 of its stories about harm, more than ten times usual, with poisoning.

Bangladesh over 30 days → its stories → Dhaka stories →
Protests & strikes

Zimbabwe

42 of Harare's 69 stories were about protests or strikes. Reports of abductions ran at about twice the usual rate (6 stories). Drought was named in 20 of its stories about harm, about 4 times usual. Its coverage was about one and a half times as angry as the world's. Grief in its coverage rose to about one and a half times its own usual.

Zimbabwe over 30 days → its stories → Harare stories →
Disasters & accidents

Bahamas

85 of its 149 stories (57%) were about people being harmed, usually 29%. Reports of people affected ran at about three times the usual rate (11 stories). Flooding was named in 36 of its stories about harm, more than ten times usual.

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

Libya

46 of its 76 stories (61%) were about people being harmed, usually 38%. Reports of refugees ran at about three times the usual rate (9 stories). Its coverage was about twice as angry as the world's. Grief in its coverage rose to about one and a half times its own usual.

its stories →
Health

Vietnam

137 of its 288 stories (48%) were about people being harmed, usually 34%. da Nang accounted for 73 of Vietnam's 137 stories about harm, carried by 175 outlets. Outbreaks were named in 82 of its stories about harm, about three times usual.

its stories →
Protests & strikes

Iraq

21 of Baghdad's 30 stories were about protests or strikes. Reports of abductions ran at about twice the usual rate (5 stories). Its coverage was about twice as angry as the world's.

its stories →
Disasters & accidents

Puerto Rico

72 of its 89 stories (81%) were about people being harmed, usually 55%. Flooding was named in 41 of its stories about harm, more than ten times usual, with power cuts.

its stories →
Health

Uganda

73 of its 150 stories (49%) were about people being harmed, usually 37%. Reports of arrests ran at about three times the usual rate (27 stories).

its stories →
Health

Norway

27 of its 73 stories (37%) were about people being harmed, usually 23%. Its coverage was about one and a half times as fearful as the world's.

its stories →

Also named far more than usual: outbreaks in Vietnam (82 of its stories, about three times its usual); flooding in Puerto Rico (41 of its stories, more than ten times its usual); respiratory illness in Taiwan (12 of its stories, more than ten times its usual); outbreaks in Poland (10 of its stories, about 4 times its usual); malaria in Ghana (10 of its stories, about three times its usual).

28 in 100 stories were about harm

usually 30; 28 the day before
34 in 10028 in 1001 Jul8 Jul15 Jul22 Jul30 Jul1 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 10021 Jul: 30 in 10022 Jul: 30 in 10023 Jul: 29 in 10024 Jul: 29 in 10025 Jul: 31 in 10026 Jul: 33 in 10027 Jul: 29 in 10028 Jul: 29 in 10029 Jul: 28 in 10030 Jul: 28 in 100 · this day

Stories about people being harmed, in every 100 stories, the 30 days to 30 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 30,763 stories about harm among 109,033 counted on 30 Jul.

Read the day's briefing

The share of stories about people being harmed was the lowest since 10 March 2020. 28 in every 100 of the day's 109,033 news stories were about people being harmed, below the usual 30. For the second day running, the news turned to Belarus. On 31 July 2019, a year earlier, the share was 20 in every 100, against 28 today. Belarus' news was 64% about people being harmed, against a usual 34%.

Written by code from the day's numbers.

Where harm was most of the news all →

Puerto Rico81 in 100 of its 89 stories · usually 55 · mostly disasters & accidents Afghanistan69 in 100 of its 122 stories · usually 66 · mostly conflict & violence Bangladesh66 in 100 of its 244 stories · usually 52 · mostly health Belarus64 in 100 of its 106 stories · usually 34 · mostly conflict & violence Iraq62 in 100 of its 114 stories · usually 55 · mostly rights & justice

Countries with at least 50 stories that day.

Where people protested

Washington US250 stories about protests or strikes, of its 1633 Portland US248 stories about protests or strikes, of its 289 Beijing China79 stories about protests or strikes, of its 261 Chicago US71 stories about protests or strikes, of its 273 Atlanta US69 stories about protests or strikes, of its 154

Stories, not people.

Where the news was warmest

feelings in full →
Feelings Events Harm Warmth
Zambia: 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: about as warm as its own usual or lessMicronesia: about as warm as its own usual or lessU.S. Virgin Islands: about as warm as its own usual or lessGuam: 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: too little coverage to readIsle 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 lessTunisia: about as warm as its own usual or lessTrinidad & Tobago: about as warm as its own usual or lessTonga: too little coverage to readTogo: too little coverage to readTimor-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: 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 lessSri Lanka: 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: too little coverage to readSamoa: about as warm as its own usual or lessSt Vincent: about as warm as its own usual or lessSt. Lucia: too little coverage to readRwanda: 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: 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 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 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: too little coverage to readLuxembourg: 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 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 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 lessHaiti: about as warm as its own usual or lessGuyana: about as warm as its own usual or lessGuinea-Bissau: too little coverage to readGuinea: about as warm as its own usual or lessGuatemala: about as warm as its own usual or lessGrenada: too little coverage to readGreece: 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: too little coverage to readNew 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: 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: too little coverage to readDjibouti: too little coverage to readGreenland: 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: too little coverage to readCuba: 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: too little coverage to readBulgaria: 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: too little coverage to readBenin: 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: about as warm as its own usual or lessBahrain: too little coverage to readBahamas: 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: 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 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: 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: too little coverage to readBermuda: about as warm as its own usual or lessBritish Virgin Islands: too little coverage to readTurks & Caicos Islands: too little coverage to readMontserrat: about as warm as its own usual or lessJersey: about as warm as its own usual or lessGuernsey: too little coverage to readSan Marino: too little coverage to readSt Kitts & Nevis: too little coverage to readCook Islands: about as warm as its own usual or lessAruba: too little coverage to readNauru: 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: too little coverage to readNorfolk Island: about as warm as its own usual or lessSint 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 readZimbabwe: warmth about its own usualTürkiye: warmth about its own usualSwitzerland: warmth about its own usualOman: warmth about its own usualKyrgyzstan: warmth about its own usualBangladesh: warmth about its own usualDouglas County, US -- rights & justice: 11 stories, carried by 10 outletsNevada, US -- health: 18 stories, carried by 16 outletsDarfur, Sudan -- health: 17 stories, carried by 16 outletsYorkshire, UK -- health: 38 stories, carried by 115 outletsIbadan, Nigeria -- health: 27 stories, carried by 31 outletsDubai, United Arab Emirates -- health: 35 stories, carried by 23 outletsGlasgow, UK -- health: 51 stories, carried by 162 outletsTuen Mun, Hong Kong -- health: 33 stories, carried by 27 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

● Douglas County US about one and a half times as warm as the day's news · rights & justice · 11 stories ● Nevada US about one and a half times as warm as the day's news · health · 18 stories ● Darfur Sudan about one and a half times as warm as the day's news · health · 17 stories ● Yorkshire UK about one and a half times as warm as the day's news · health · 38 stories ● Ibadan Nigeria about one and a half times as warm as the day's news · health · 27 stories

The day in three measures

Parts of life 30 days →

Health62% 18,949 stories · about as usual Rights & justice18% 5,411 stories · about as usual Disasters & accidents8% 2,456 stories · about as usual Conflict & violence5% 1,512 stories · about as usual Deaths & injuries, cause not given3% 1,019 stories · about as usual Shelter & services2% 589 stories · about as usual Food & livelihood1% 336 stories · about as usual Displacement1% 257 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 killed7,358 at about the usual rate Stories reporting arrests2,067 at about the usual rate Stories reporting people affected2,008 at about the usual rate Stories reporting people injured1,269 at about the usual rate Stories reporting refugees135 at about two-thirds of the usual rate · most about the US and Palestine Stories reporting abductions124 at about the usual rate Stories reporting people displaced114 at about the usual rate Stories reporting evacuations111 at about the usual rate Stories reporting people falling ill38 at about two-thirds of the usual rate · most about the US and Jordan

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

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.