← 4 Sep Saturday 5 September 2020 · to 23:59 UTC 6 Sep →
What the world's news said happened to people.
Counts of coverage, not of suffering
16,165 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 →

Most of the day's attention went to landslides in Bangladesh, protests in Minsk (Belarus) and people injured in Iran. Kashmir's coverage was about twice as fearful as the world's. Everywhere we counted, the words were much harsher than usual.

Part of lifeHealth 52 in 100 of the stories about harm · less than usual Country that rose mostMalaysia 48 in 100 of its 281 stories, usually 26
RegionSoutheast Asia 43 in 100 of its stories, usually 37
Tone of the words Much harsher than usual across the world's stories about harm

What the world's news was about today

how these are picked →
Disasters & accidents

Bangladesh

200 of its 315 stories (63%) were about people being harmed, usually 50%. Dhaka accounted for 131 of Bangladesh's 200 stories about harm, carried by 194 outlets. Reports of people injured ran at about 9 times the usual rate (85 stories). Landslides were named in 23 of its stories about harm, more than ten times usual, with gas explosion. Its coverage was about one and a half times as grief-stricken as the world's. Anger in its coverage rose to about one and a half times its own usual.

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

Belarus

60 of its 86 stories (70%) were about people being harmed, usually 57%. Minsk accounted for 51 of Belarus' 60 stories about harm, carried by 138 outlets. 45 of Minsk's 51 stories were about protests or strikes. Its coverage was about one and a half times as angry as the world's.

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

Iran

85 of its 171 stories (50%) were about people being harmed, usually 35%. Reports of people injured ran at about three times the usual rate (13 stories). Its coverage was about one and a half times as angry as the world's.

Iran over 30 days → its stories →
Conflict & violence

Kashmir

79 of its 120 stories (66%) were about people being harmed, usually 53%. Reports of abductions ran at about 10 times the usual rate (8 stories). Its coverage was about twice as fearful as the world's.

Kashmir over 30 days → its stories →
6 more places the news pointed at
Protests & strikes

Israel

106 of its 242 stories (44%) were about people being harmed, usually 35%. Jerusalem accounted for 61 of Israel's 106 stories about harm, carried by 65 outlets. 31 of Jerusalem's 61 stories were about protests or strikes. Reports of arrests ran at about 4 times the usual rate (27 stories).

its stories →
Disasters & accidents

Sri Lanka

81 of its 203 stories (40%) were about people being harmed, usually 31%. Reports of people affected ran at about three times the usual rate (23 stories). Oil spill was named in 45 of its stories about harm, more than ten times usual.

its stories →
Health

France

165 of its 499 stories (33%) were about people being harmed, usually 27%. Road crashes were named in 13 of its stories about harm, more than ten times usual. Its coverage was about one and a half times as grief-stricken as the world's.

its stories →
Protests & strikes

Sweden

8 of Stockholm's 13 stories were about protests or strikes. Reports of people injured ran at about 9 times the usual rate (5 stories). Its coverage was about one and a half times as fearful as the world's.

its stories →
Shelter & services

Malaysia

135 of its 281 stories (48%) were about people being harmed, usually 26%. Reports of people affected ran at about 5 times the usual rate (54 stories).

its stories →
Disasters & accidents

Sudan

49 of its 61 stories (80%) were about people being harmed, usually 55%. Reports of people injured ran at about 5 times the usual rate (29 stories).

its stories →

Also named far more than usual: oil spill in Sri Lanka (45 of its stories, more than ten times its usual); storms in Japan (29 of its stories, about 7 times its usual); hunger in Pakistan (38 of its stories, more than ten times its usual); road crashes in France (13 of its stories, more than ten times its usual); earthquake in India (16 of its stories, about three times its usual).

29 in 100 stories were about harm

usually 29; 27 the day before
32 in 10027 in 1007 Aug14 Aug21 Aug28 Aug5 Sep7 Aug: 29 in 1008 Aug: 31 in 1009 Aug: 32 in 10010 Aug: 29 in 10011 Aug: 29 in 10012 Aug: 28 in 10013 Aug: 28 in 10014 Aug: 28 in 10015 Aug: 29 in 10016 Aug: 31 in 10017 Aug: 28 in 10018 Aug: 27 in 10019 Aug: 28 in 10020 Aug: 27 in 10021 Aug: 28 in 10022 Aug: 30 in 10023 Aug: 31 in 10024 Aug: 29 in 10025 Aug: 28 in 10026 Aug: 29 in 10027 Aug: 29 in 10028 Aug: 29 in 10029 Aug: 30 in 10030 Aug: 31 in 10031 Aug: 29 in 1001 Sep: 27 in 1002 Sep: 27 in 1003 Sep: 27 in 1004 Sep: 27 in 1005 Sep: 29 in 100 · this day

Stories about people being harmed, in every 100 stories, the 30 days to 5 Sep. 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 16,165 stories about harm among 55,269 counted on 5 Sep.

Read the day's briefing

29 in every 100 of the day's 55,269 news stories were about people being harmed, as usual. A year earlier, on 6 September 2019, 22 in every 100 stories were about people being harmed, against 29 today.

Written by code from the day's numbers.

Where harm was most of the news all →

Sudan80 in 100 of its 61 stories · usually 55 · mostly disasters & accidents Belarus70 in 100 of its 86 stories · usually 57 · mostly rights & justice Kashmir66 in 100 of its 120 stories · usually 53 · mostly conflict & violence Bangladesh63 in 100 of its 315 stories · usually 50 · mostly disasters & accidents Palestine60 in 100 of its 52 stories · usually 51 · mostly health

Countries with at least 50 stories that day.

Where people protested

Washington US156 stories about protests or strikes, of its 628 Portland US134 stories about protests or strikes, of its 171 Kenosha US123 stories about protests or strikes, of its 160 London UK115 stories about protests or strikes, of its 245 Melbourne Australia84 stories about protests or strikes, of its 120

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 lessVenezuela: 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: 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: too little coverage to readTurkey: about as warm as its own usual or lessTunisia: too little coverage to readTrinidad & 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: about as warm as its own usual or lessTanzania: too little coverage to readTajikistan: about as warm as its own usual or lessTaiwan: too little coverage to readSyria: 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: 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: 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: 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: too little coverage to readSerbia: 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: 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 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 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: too little coverage to readNew 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: about as warm as its own usual or lessMontenegro: 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: too little coverage to readMauritania: too little coverage to readMalta: about as warm as its own usual or lessMali: about as warm as its own usual or lessMalaysia: too little coverage to readMalawi: 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: too little coverage to readLebanon: 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: too little coverage to readJordan: 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: too little coverage to readPalestine: 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: 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 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: 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: too little coverage to readFaroe Islands: too little coverage to readDenmark: about as warm as its own usual or lessCzech Republic: too little coverage to readN. 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: 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 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: too little coverage to readBurkina 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: about as warm as its own usual or lessBenin: too little coverage to readBelize: 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 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: about as warm as its own usual or lessAngola: 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): about as warm as its own usual or lessWestern Sahara (Free Zone): about as warm as its own usual or lessAzad 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: too little coverage to readNorthern 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: about as warm as its own usual or lessTurks & 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: 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: too little coverage to readSint Maarten: too little coverage to readChristmas Island: too little coverage to readGibraltar: too little coverage to readMayotte: too little coverage to readVietnam: warmth about its own usualQatar: warmth about its own usualIreland: warmth about its own usualArizona, US -- rights & justice: 17 stories, carried by 19 outletsLititz, US -- health: 11 stories, carried by 13 outletsWest Midlands, UK -- health: 27 stories, carried by 20 outletsBristol, UK -- health: 18 stories, carried by 16 outletsGeneva, Switzerland -- health: 11 stories, carried by 15 outletsKabul, Afghanistan -- conflict & violence: 28 stories, carried by 54 outletsCanberra, Australia -- health: 10 stories, carried by 28 outletsAthens, Greece -- health: 13 stories, carried by 10 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

● Arizona US about one and a half times as warm as the day's news · rights & justice · 17 stories ● Lititz US about one and a half times as warm as the day's news · health · 11 stories ● West Midlands UK about one and a half times as warm as the day's news · health · 27 stories ● Bristol UK about one and a half times as warm as the day's news · health · 18 stories ● Geneva Switzerland about one and a half times as warm as the day's news · health · 11 stories

The day in three measures

Parts of life 30 days →

Health52% 8,279 stories · less than usual (usually 55%) Rights & justice21% 3,362 stories · more than usual (usually 18%) Disasters & accidents10% 1,645 stories · about as usual Conflict & violence7% 1,155 stories · about as usual Deaths & injuries, cause not given5% 822 stories · about as usual Shelter & services2% 400 stories · about as usual Food & livelihood1% 186 stories · about as usual Displacement1% 176 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 killed4,943 at about the usual rate Stories reporting arrests1,688 at about one and a half times the usual rate · most about the US and India Stories reporting people affected1,212 at about the usual rate Stories reporting people injured931 at about the usual rate Stories reporting abductions98 at about one and a half times the usual rate · most about India and the US Stories reporting refugees98 at about the usual rate Stories reporting evacuations97 at about two-thirds of the usual rate · most about the US and Japan Stories reporting people displaced63 at about the usual rate Stories reporting people falling ill22 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 much harsher than usual. Filled dot: today. Ring: usual.

● Angera little more than usual
● Warmthabout as usual
● Griefa little more than 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.