Ethiopia
118 of its 167 stories (71%) were about people being harmed, usually 43%. Reports of people killed ran at about three times the usual rate (102 stories). Its coverage was about one and a half times as fearful as the world's.
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.
The news turned to people killed in Ethiopia, people displaced in Lesbos and arrests in Bosnia. Bosnia's coverage was about three times as grief-stricken as the world's. Language across the world's news ran much softer than usual.
Part of lifeHealth
54 in 100 of the stories about harm · about as usual
Country that rose mostEthiopia
71 in 100 of its 167 stories, usually 43
RegionEvery region
about as usual
Tone of the words
Much softer than usual
across the world's stories about harm
What the world's news was about today
how these are picked →Greece
129 of its 281 stories (46%) were about people being harmed, usually 34%. Lesbos accounted for 61 of Greece's 129 stories about harm, carried by 74 outlets. Reports of arrests ran at about 5 times the usual rate (30 stories).
Bosnia
17 of its 20 stories (85%) were about people being harmed, usually 51%. Reports of arrests ran at about 5 times the usual rate (10 stories). Its coverage was about three times as grief-stricken as the world's. Anger in its coverage rose to about one and a half times its own usual.
Romania
45 of its 132 stories (34%) were about people being harmed, usually 26%. 13 of Bucharest's 21 stories were about protests or strikes. Flu was named in 11 of its stories about harm, more than ten times usual.
6 more places the news pointed at
Türkiye
143 of its 348 stories (41%) were about people being harmed, usually 31%. Reports of refugees ran at about 4 times the usual rate (20 stories). Its coverage was about one and a half times as fearful as the world's.
Belarus
Minsk accounted for 49 of Belarus' 76 stories about harm, carried by 52 outlets. 37 of Minsk's 49 stories were about protests or strikes. Its coverage was about one and a half times as angry as the world's.
Venezuela
63 of its 112 stories (56%) were about people being harmed, usually 40%. Its coverage was about twice as angry as the world's.
Sudan
Khartoum accounted for 25 of Sudan's 50 stories about harm, carried by 30 outlets. Reports of arrests ran at about three times the usual rate (6 stories).
Nigeria
Reports of people injured ran at about twice the usual rate (24 stories). Its coverage was about one and a half times as angry as the world's.
Israel
Reports of people injured ran at about 4 times the usual rate (100 stories). Its coverage was about one and a half times as warm as the world's.
Also named far more than usual: earthquake in Nepal (17 of its stories, about 5 times its usual); landslides in Philippines (23 of its stories, about 7 times its usual); measles in New Zealand (10 of its stories, about 7 times its usual); hurricane in China (16 of its stories, about three times its usual).
27 in 100 stories were about harm
usually 28; 27 the day beforeStories about people being harmed, in every 100 stories, the 30 days to 16 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 29,487 stories about harm among 109,046 counted on 16 Sep.
Read the day's briefing
Nepal's news mentioned the earthquake about 5 times as often as usual. 27 in every 100 of the day's 109,046 news stories were about people being harmed, below the usual 28. A year earlier, on 17 September 2019, 19 in every 100 stories were about people being harmed, against 27 today. Ethiopia stood out: 71% of its news was about people being harmed, usually 43%.
- 27 in every 100 of the day's 109,046 news stories were about people being harmed (usually 28).
- Ethiopia: 118 of its 167 stories (71%) were about people being harmed, usually 43%.
- Greece: 129 of its 281 stories (46%) were about people being harmed, usually 34%.
- Bosnia: 17 of its 20 stories (85%) were about people being harmed, usually 51%.
- Romania: 45 of its 132 stories (34%) were about people being harmed, usually 26%.
- Mentions of the earthquake ran about 5 times their usual in Nepal's news.
- Mentions of the flu ran more than ten times their usual in Romania's news.
- Across the world, the words of the day's news were much softer than usual.
- A year earlier, on 17 September 2019, 19 in every 100 stories were about people being harmed, against 27 today.
Written by code from the day's numbers.
Where harm was most of the news all →
Ethiopia71 in 100 of its 167 stories · usually 43 · mostly deaths & injuries, cause not given Syria64 in 100 of its 121 stories · usually 60 · mostly conflict & violence Sudan63 in 100 of its 79 stories · usually 59 · mostly disasters & accidents Nepal57 in 100 of its 51 stories · usually 49 · mostly disasters & accidents Afghanistan56 in 100 of its 147 stories · usually 63 · mostly conflict & violenceCountries with at least 50 stories that day.
Where people protested
Washington US189 stories about protests or strikes, of its 1356 Delhi India75 stories about protests or strikes, of its 384 Hollywood US70 stories about protests or strikes, of its 299 Jerusalem Israel52 stories about protests or strikes, of its 189 London UK47 stories about protests or strikes, of its 468Stories, 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
● Gulf Shores US accidents & disasters · 265 stories, 473 outlets ● Miami US accidents & disasters · 234 stories, 406 outlets ● Jerusalem Israel attacks & violence · 189 stories, 176 outlets ● Minsk Belarus protests & strikes · 49 stories, 52 outlets ● Novoseoci Bosnia attacks & violence · 10 stories, 37 outlets ● Kathmandu Nepal accidents & disasters · 16 stories, 33 outlets ● Lesbos Greece people displaced · 61 stories, 74 outlets ● Bamako Mali attacks & violence · 19 stories, 31 outletsThe day in three measures
Parts of life 30 days →
Health54% 15,657 stories · about as usual Rights & justice17% 4,987 stories · about as usual Disasters & accidents13% 3,879 stories · about as usual Conflict & violence6% 1,787 stories · about as usual Deaths & injuries, cause not given4% 1,233 stories · about as usual Shelter & services2% 641 stories · about as usual Food & livelihood2% 533 stories · about as usual Displacement2% 493 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 killed7,220 at about the usual rate Stories reporting people affected2,269 at about the usual rate Stories reporting arrests2,006 at about the usual rate Stories reporting people injured1,282 at about the usual rate Stories reporting evacuations280 at about two-thirds of the usual rate · most about the US and Canada Stories reporting refugees235 at about the usual rate Stories reporting people displaced172 at about one and a half times the usual rate · most about the US and Nigeria Stories reporting abductions141 at about the usual rate Stories reporting people falling ill43 at about the usual rateStories 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 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.