Kashmir
78 of its 145 stories (54%) were about people being harmed, usually 34%. Reports of people injured ran at about three times the usual rate (18 stories). Its coverage was about three 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 injured in Kashmir, the avalanche in Nepal and illness in Pyongyang. Kashmir's coverage was about three times as fearful as the world's. Language across the world's news ran much softer than usual.
Reports of people falling ill ran at about twice the usual rate, most often about the US and the UK →
Help and hope: reports of vaccination ran at about one and a half times the usual rate →
Part of lifeHealth
63 in 100 of the stories about harm · more than usual
Country that rose mostKashmir
54 in 100 of its 145 stories, usually 34
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 →Nepal
37 of its 79 stories (47%) were about people being harmed, usually 33%. Mount Everest accounted for 25 of Nepal's 37 stories about harm, carried by 39 outlets. Avalanche was named in 12 of its stories about harm, about 6 times usual.
North Korea
43 of its 77 stories (56%) were about people being harmed, usually 46%. Pyongyang accounted for 27 of North Korea's 43 stories about harm, carried by 171 outlets. Natural hazards were named in 13 of its stories about harm, about three times usual.
Ethiopia
Tigray accounted for 62 of Ethiopia's 83 stories about harm, carried by 171 outlets. Reports of people injured ran at about three times the usual rate (14 stories). Its coverage was about twice as angry as the world's.
6 more places the news pointed at
Yemen
45 of its 58 stories (78%) were about people being harmed, usually 65%. Reports of refugees ran at about 5 times the usual rate (12 stories). Its coverage was about twice as angry as the world's.
Singapore
138 of its 372 stories (37%) were about people being harmed, usually 23%. Reports of people killed ran at about three times the usual rate (43 stories).
Albania
10 of its 17 stories (59%) were about people being harmed, usually 30%. 9 of Tirana's 10 stories were about protests or strikes.
Liberia
19 of its 49 stories (39%) were about people being harmed, usually 28%. Reports of arrests ran at about 7 times the usual rate (6 stories).
China
Reports of refugees ran at about 5 times the usual rate (7 stories). Polio was named in 10 of its stories about harm, about 7 times usual.
Ghana
Reports of people injured ran at about 5 times the usual rate (20 stories). Grief in its coverage rose to about one and a half times its own usual.
Also named far more than usual: polio in United Arab Emirates (15 of its stories, more than ten times its usual); volcanic eruption in New Zealand (30 of its stories, about three times its usual); wildfires in France (32 of its stories, more than ten times its usual); flooding in Italy (13 of its stories, about 10 times its usual); dengue in India (23 of its stories, about 4 times its usual).
25 in 100 stories were about harm
usually 26; 25 the day beforeStories about people being harmed, in every 100 stories, the 30 days to 9 Dec. 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 24,647 stories about harm among 100,268 counted on 9 Dec.
Read the day's briefing
The share of stories about people being harmed was the lowest since 5 November 2020. 25 in every 100 of the day's 100,268 news stories were about people being harmed, below the usual 26. On the side of help, reports of vaccination ran at about one and a half times the usual rate. People falling ill were reported at about twice the usual rate, most often about the US and the UK. Mentions of the avalanche ran about 6 times their usual in Nepal's news.
- 25 in every 100 of the day's 100,268 news stories were about people being harmed (usually 26).
- Kashmir: 78 of its 145 stories (54%) were about people being harmed, usually 34%.
- Nepal: 37 of its 79 stories (47%) were about people being harmed, usually 33%.
- North Korea: 43 of its 77 stories (56%) were about people being harmed, usually 46%.
- Ethiopia: Tigray accounted for 62 of Ethiopia's 83 stories about harm, carried by 171 outlets.
- Reports of people falling ill ran at about twice the usual rate, most often about the US and the UK.
- Help and hope: reports of vaccination ran at about one and a half times the usual rate.
- Mentions of the avalanche ran about 6 times their usual in Nepal's news.
- Mentions of the polio ran more than ten times their usual in the United Arab Emirates' news.
- Across the world, the words of the day's news were much softer than usual.
- It was the lowest share of stories about people being harmed since 5 November 2020.
- A year earlier, on 10 December 2019, 18 in every 100 stories were about people being harmed, against 25 today.
Written by code from the day's numbers.
Where harm was most of the news all →
Yemen78 in 100 of its 58 stories · usually 65 · mostly conflict & violence Ethiopia60 in 100 of its 139 stories · usually 61 · mostly rights & justice Afghanistan60 in 100 of its 99 stories · usually 60 · mostly conflict & violence Syria59 in 100 of its 82 stories · usually 56 · mostly rights & justice North Korea56 in 100 of its 77 stories · usually 46 · mostly healthCountries with at least 50 stories that day.
Where people protested
Washington US121 stories about protests or strikes, of its 1118 Delhi India92 stories about protests or strikes, of its 265 Beijing China49 stories about protests or strikes, of its 196 Boise US45 stories about protests or strikes, of its 69 London UK35 stories about protests or strikes, of its 566Stories, 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
● Whakatane New Zealand accidents & disasters · 13 stories, 185 outlets ● Boise US protests & strikes · 69 stories, 207 outlets ● Dubai United Arab Emirates disease & outbreaks · 48 stories, 222 outlets ● Kanawha County US accidents & disasters · 27 stories, 104 outlets ● Sao Paulo Brazil deaths, cause not given · 38 stories, 115 outlets ● Baghdad Iraq attacks & violence · 31 stories, 129 outlets ● Yerevan Armenia protests & strikes · 30 stories, 83 outlets ● Tirana Albania protests & strikes · 10 stories, 29 outletsThe day in three measures
Parts of life 30 days →
Health63% 15,279 stories · more than usual (usually 60%) Rights & justice16% 3,900 stories · about as usual Disasters & accidents7% 1,829 stories · about as usual Conflict & violence6% 1,370 stories · about as usual Deaths & injuries, cause not given4% 987 stories · about as usual Shelter & services2% 493 stories · about as usual Food & livelihood1% 285 stories · about as usual Displacement1% 281 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 killed6,109 at about the usual rate Stories reporting arrests1,752 at about the usual rate Stories reporting people affected1,725 at about the usual rate Stories reporting people injured1,350 at about the usual rate Stories reporting refugees200 at about the usual rate Stories reporting people displaced150 at about the usual rate Stories reporting abductions101 at about two-thirds of the usual rate · most about the US and Nigeria Stories reporting people falling ill82 at about twice the usual rate · most about the US and the UK Stories reporting evacuations48 at about half the usual rate · most about the US and the UKStories 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.
● Angera little less than usual
● Warmthabout as usual
● Griefa little less 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
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These are counts of stories, not counts of suffering. Most of what happens to people is never reported at all.