← 16 Dec Thursday 17 December 2020 · to 23:59 UTC 18 Dec →
What the world's news said happened to people.
Counts of coverage, not of suffering
25,220 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 illness in Tripoli, flooding in Fiji and people killed in Sweden. Sweden's coverage was about twice as grief-stricken as the world's. Over the whole world, the tone was much softer than usual.

Reports of abductions ran at about twice the usual rate, most often about Nigeria and the US →
Part of lifeHealth 63 in 100 of the stories about harm · more than usual Country that rose mostFiji 72 in 100 of its 184 stories, usually 31
RegionOceania 28 in 100 of its stories, usually 25
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 →
Conflict & violence

Libya

52 of its 78 stories (67%) were about people being harmed, usually 32%. Tripoli accounted for 32 of Libya's 52 stories about harm, carried by 128 outlets. Reports of people killed ran at about three times the usual rate (43 stories). Its coverage was about one and a half times as grief-stricken as the world's.

Libya over 30 days → its stories → Tripoli stories →
Disasters & accidents

Fiji

133 of its 184 stories (72%) were about people being harmed, usually 31%. Reports of evacuations ran at more than ten times the usual rate (27 stories). Flooding was named in 56 of its stories about harm, about 4 times usual, with landslides, storms and storm surge.

Fiji over 30 days → its stories →
Health

Sweden

96 of its 191 stories (50%) were about people being harmed, usually 29%. Reports of people killed ran at about three times the usual rate (62 stories). Its coverage was about twice as grief-stricken as the world's.

Sweden over 30 days → its stories →
Rights & justice

Nigeria

539 of its 1,309 stories (41%) were about people being harmed, usually 36%. Reports of abductions ran at about three times the usual rate (195 stories). Its coverage was about one and a half times as angry as the world's.

Nigeria over 30 days → its stories →
6 more places the news pointed at
Health

Romania

47 of its 119 stories (39%) were about people being harmed, usually 22%. Bucharest accounted for 31 of Romania's 47 stories about harm, carried by 8 outlets. Reports of people injured ran at about 8 times the usual rate (15 stories).

its stories →
Health

Russia

Reports of abductions ran at about 6 times the usual rate (5 stories). Poisoning was named in 81 of its stories about harm, about 7 times usual. Its coverage was about twice as angry as the world's.

its stories →
Conflict & violence

Afghanistan

Kabul accounted for 54 of Afghanistan's 88 stories about harm, carried by 259 outlets. Reports of refugees ran at about twice the usual rate (7 stories). Its coverage was about twice as angry as the world's.

its stories →
Health

Sierra Leone

15 of its 21 stories (71%) were about people being harmed, usually 29%. Reports of people affected ran at about three times the usual rate (5 stories).

its stories →
Conflict & violence

Kashmir

55 of its 129 stories (43%) were about people being harmed, usually 34%. Its coverage was about twice as fearful as the world's.

its stories →
Health

Jordan

31 of its 113 stories (27%) were about people being harmed, usually 19%. Reports of refugees ran at about 7 times the usual rate (8 stories).

its stories →

Also named far more than usual: poisoning in Russia (81 of its stories, about 7 times its usual); snowstorms in US (352 of its stories, about 7 times its usual); hunger in India (27 of its stories, about 5 times its usual); train derailment in Canada (12 of its stories, more than ten times its usual); rabies in UK (13 of its stories, about 8 times its usual).

25 in 100 stories were about harm

usually 26; 25 the day before
28 in 10024 in 10018 Nov25 Nov2 Dec9 Dec17 Dec18 Nov: 26 in 10019 Nov: 26 in 10020 Nov: 26 in 10021 Nov: 26 in 10022 Nov: 28 in 10023 Nov: 26 in 10024 Nov: 25 in 10025 Nov: 25 in 10026 Nov: 25 in 10027 Nov: 25 in 10028 Nov: 26 in 10029 Nov: 26 in 10030 Nov: 25 in 1001 Dec: 25 in 1002 Dec: 25 in 1003 Dec: 25 in 1004 Dec: 25 in 1005 Dec: 27 in 1006 Dec: 26 in 1007 Dec: 25 in 1008 Dec: 25 in 1009 Dec: 25 in 10010 Dec: 24 in 10011 Dec: 25 in 10012 Dec: 27 in 10013 Dec: 27 in 10014 Dec: 26 in 10015 Dec: 25 in 10016 Dec: 25 in 10017 Dec: 25 in 100 · this day

Stories about people being harmed, in every 100 stories, the 30 days to 17 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 25,220 stories about harm among 100,331 counted on 17 Dec.

Read the day's briefing

Reports of abductions ran at about twice the usual rate, most often about Nigeria and the US. Stories about people being harmed made up 25 in every 100 of the day's 100,331 stories, as usual. Mentions of flooding ran about 4 times their usual in Fiji's news. In Libya, 67% of the news was about people being harmed, where 32% is usual. A year earlier, on 18 December 2019, 17 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 →

Fiji72 in 100 of its 184 stories · usually 31 · mostly disasters & accidents Libya67 in 100 of its 78 stories · usually 32 · mostly conflict & violence Ethiopia62 in 100 of its 98 stories · usually 61 · mostly displacement Iraq58 in 100 of its 89 stories · usually 51 · mostly conflict & violence Sudan54 in 100 of its 52 stories · usually 54 · mostly conflict & violence

Countries with at least 50 stories that day.

Where people protested

Washington US117 stories about protests or strikes, of its 1127 Delhi India111 stories about protests or strikes, of its 325 Katsina Nigeria44 stories about protests or strikes, of its 155 London UK38 stories about protests or strikes, of its 479 Houston US37 stories about protests or strikes, of its 130

Stories, not people.

The emotional weather

feelings in full →
Feelings Events Harm Warmth
Zimbabwe: feelings about like the world'sZambia: feelings about like the world'sVanuatu: feelings about like the world'sUzbekistan: feelings about like the world'sUruguay: feelings about like the world'sMicronesia: too little coverage to readU.S. Virgin Islands: feelings about like the world'sGuam: feelings about like the world'sPuerto Rico: feelings about like the world'sUnited States: feelings about like the world'sSouth Georgia & South Sandwich Islands: too little coverage to readFalkland Islands: too little coverage to readCayman Islands: feelings about like the world'sIsle of Man: too little coverage to readUkraine: feelings about like the world'sUganda: feelings about like the world'sTurkmenistan: feelings about like the world'sTrinidad & Tobago: feelings about like the world'sTonga: feelings about like the world'sTogo: feelings about like the world'sTimor-Leste: too little coverage to readTajikistan: too little coverage to readTaiwan: feelings about like the world'sSwitzerland: feelings about like the world'sEswatini: feelings about like the world'sSuriname: feelings about like the world'sSri Lanka: feelings about like the world'sSouth Korea: feelings about like the world'sSouth Africa: feelings about like the world'sSomaliland: too little coverage to readSolomon Islands: too little coverage to readSlovakia: too little coverage to readSlovenia: feelings about like the world'sSingapore: feelings about like the world'sSeychelles: feelings about like the world'sSerbia: too little coverage to readSaudi Arabia: feelings about like the world'sSão Tomé: too little coverage to readSt Vincent: feelings about like the world'sSt. Lucia: too little coverage to readRwanda: feelings about like the world'sPortugal: feelings about like the world'sPoland: feelings about like the world'sPhilippines: feelings about like the world'sPeru: feelings about like the world'sParaguay: too little coverage to readPapua New Guinea: feelings about like the world'sPalau: feelings about like the world'sOman: feelings about like the world'sNorway: feelings about like the world'sNicaragua: feelings about like the world'sNew Zealand: feelings about like the world'sNiue: too little coverage to readNetherlands: feelings about like the world'sCuraçao: too little coverage to readNamibia: feelings about like the world'sWestern Sahara: too little coverage to readMontenegro: feelings about like the world'sMongolia: feelings about like the world'sMoldova: feelings about like the world'sMauritius: feelings about like the world'sMauritania: feelings about like the world'sMalaysia: feelings about like the world'sMalawi: feelings about like the world'sMadagascar: feelings about like the world'sNorth Macedonia: feelings about like the world'sLuxembourg: feelings about like the world'sLiberia: feelings about like the world'sLesotho: feelings about like the world'sLatvia: feelings about like the world'sLaos: feelings about like the world'sKuwait: feelings about like the world'sKosovo: too little coverage to readKiribati: too little coverage to readKazakhstan: feelings about like the world'sJapan: feelings about like the world'sJamaica: feelings about like the world'sItaly: feelings about like the world'sIceland: feelings about like the world'sHonduras: feelings about like the world'sHaiti: feelings about like the world'sGuyana: feelings about like the world'sGuinea-Bissau: too little coverage to readGrenada: feelings about like the world'sGermany: feelings about like the world'sGeorgia: feelings about like the world'sGabon: feelings about like the world'sSt Pierre & Miquelon: too little coverage to readFrench Polynesia: feelings about like the world'sNew Caledonia: feelings about like the world'sFrench Southern Territories: too little coverage to readÅland Islands: too little coverage to readFinland: feelings about like the world'sEstonia: feelings about like the world'sEritrea: too little coverage to readEquatorial Guinea: too little coverage to readEl Salvador: feelings about like the world'sEcuador: feelings about like the world'sDominican Republic: feelings about like the world'sDominica: too little coverage to readDjibouti: feelings about like the world'sFaroe Islands: too little coverage to readN. Cyprus: too little coverage to readCyprus: feelings about like the world'sCuba: feelings about like the world'sCôte d'Ivoire: feelings about like the world'sCosta Rica: feelings about like the world'sDR Congo: feelings about like the world'sCongo: feelings about like the world'sComoros: too little coverage to readChina: feelings about like the world'sChile: feelings about like the world'sChad: feelings about like the world'sCentral African Republic: feelings about like the world'sCape Verde: too little coverage to readCambodia: feelings about like the world'sBurundi: feelings about like the world'sBurkina Faso: feelings about like the world'sBrunei: feelings about like the world'sBotswana: feelings about like the world'sBosnia and Herzegovina: feelings about like the world'sBolivia: feelings about like the world'sBhutan: feelings about like the world'sBenin: too little coverage to readBelize: feelings about like the world'sBarbados: feelings about like the world'sBahamas: feelings about like the world'sAustria: feelings about like the world'sAustralia: feelings about like the world'sHeard & McDonald Islands: too little coverage to readArgentina: feelings about like the world'sAntigua & Barbuda: feelings about like the world'sAndorra: too little coverage to readAksai Chin: feelings about like the world'sWestern Sahara (Moroccan-controlled): too little coverage to readWestern Sahara (Free Zone): too little coverage to readCrimea: feelings about like the world'sVatican City: feelings about like the world'sMarshall Islands: feelings about like the world'sNorthern Mariana Islands: feelings about like the world'sAmerican 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: feelings about like the world'sBritish Virgin Islands: too little coverage to readTurks & Caicos Islands: too little coverage to readMontserrat: too little coverage to readJersey: feelings about like the world'sGuernsey: feelings about like the world'sSan Marino: too little coverage to readSt Kitts & Nevis: too little coverage to readCook Islands: feelings about like the world'sAruba: too little coverage to readNauru: too little coverage to readMonaco: feelings about like the world'sMaldives: feelings about like the world'sLiechtenstein: too little coverage to readWallis & Futuna: too little coverage to readSt. Martin: too little coverage to readSt. Barthélemy: too little coverage to readMacao: feelings about like the world'sNorfolk Island: too little coverage to readSint Maarten: too little coverage to readChristmas Island: too little coverage to readGibraltar: feelings about like the world'sMayotte: too little coverage to readYemen: coverage about one and a half times as angry as the world'sVietnam: coverage a little more grief-stricken than the world'sVenezuela: coverage about one and a half times as grief-stricken as the world'sUK: coverage about one and a half times as fearful as the world'sUnited Arab Emirates: coverage a little warmer than the world'sTürkiye: coverage about one and a half times as fearful as the world'sTunisia: coverage about one and a half times as angry as the world'sThailand: coverage a little angrier than the world'sTanzania: coverage a little more grief-stricken than the world'sSyria: coverage about one and a half times as fearful as the world'sSweden: coverage about twice as grief-stricken as the world'sSouth Sudan: coverage a little more fearful than the world'sSudan: coverage a little warmer than the world'sSpain: coverage about one and a half times as grief-stricken as the world'sSomalia: coverage about twice as angry as the world'sSierra Leone: coverage about one and a half times as grief-stricken as the world'sSenegal: coverage about one and a half times as angry as the world'sSamoa: coverage a little more fearful than the world'sRussia: coverage about twice as angry as the world'sRomania: coverage about one and a half times as grief-stricken as the world'sQatar: coverage a little warmer than the world'sPanama: coverage a little angrier than the world'sPakistan: coverage about one and a half times as grief-stricken as the world'sNorth Korea: coverage about one and a half times as angry as the world'sNigeria: coverage about one and a half times as angry as the world'sNiger: coverage a little more fearful than the world'sNepal: coverage a little more grief-stricken than the world'sMozambique: coverage about one and a half times as angry as the world'sMorocco: coverage a little more grief-stricken than the world'sMexico: coverage a little more fearful than the world'sMalta: coverage a little more grief-stricken than the world'sMali: coverage a little more fearful than the world'sLithuania: coverage a little more grief-stricken than the world'sLibya: coverage about one and a half times as grief-stricken as the world'sLebanon: coverage about one and a half times as fearful as the world'sKyrgyzstan: coverage a little more grief-stricken than the world'sKenya: coverage about one and a half times as angry as the world'sJordan: coverage a little more fearful than the world'sIsrael: coverage about one and a half times as angry as the world'sPalestine: coverage about one and a half times as grief-stricken as the world'sIreland: coverage a little more fearful than the world'sIraq: coverage about twice as angry as the world'sIran: coverage about one and a half times as angry as the world'sIndonesia: coverage a little more grief-stricken than the world'sIndia: coverage a little angrier than the world'sHungary: coverage a little angrier than the world'sGuinea: coverage a little angrier than the world'sGuatemala: coverage a little more grief-stricken than the world'sGreece: coverage a little more fearful than the world'sGhana: coverage a little more grief-stricken than the world'sGambia: coverage a little angrier than the world'sFrance: coverage about twice as angry as the world'sFiji: coverage a little angrier than the world'sEthiopia: coverage about twice as angry as the world'sEgypt: coverage about one and a half times as angry as the world'sGreenland: coverage a little more fearful than the world'sDenmark: coverage a little angrier than the world'sCzechia: coverage a little more grief-stricken than the world'sCroatia: coverage a little more grief-stricken than the world'sColombia: coverage about one and a half times as angry as the world'sHong Kong: coverage a little more fearful than the world'sCanada: coverage a little more grief-stricken than the world'sCameroon: coverage about one and a half times as grief-stricken as the world'sMyanmar: coverage a little angrier than the world'sBulgaria: coverage about one and a half times as grief-stricken as the world'sBrazil: coverage a little more grief-stricken than the world'sBelgium: coverage a little more fearful than the world'sBelarus: coverage a little angrier than the world'sBangladesh: coverage about one and a half times as grief-stricken as the world'sBahrain: coverage about one and a half times as fearful as the world'sAzerbaijan: coverage about one and a half times as grief-stricken as the world'sArmenia: coverage about twice as grief-stricken as the world'sAngola: coverage a little angrier than the world'sAlgeria: coverage a little more grief-stricken than the world'sAlbania: coverage about one and a half times as grief-stricken as the world'sAfghanistan: coverage about twice as angry as the world'sKashmir: coverage about twice as fearful as the world'sPalestine: coverage about one and a half times as grief-stricken as the world'sPalestine: coverage about one and a half times as grief-stricken as the world'sKashmir: coverage about twice as fearful as the world'sKashmir: coverage about twice as fearful as the world'sPalestine: coverage about one and a half times as grief-stricken as the world'sKashmir: coverage about twice as fearful as the world's
AngerGriefFearWarmth Like the world'sToo little news

Each country in the colour of the feeling its news carried most, against the world's news that day. Stronger colour: further above the world. Click a country.

Strongest feelings

● Kashmir about twice as fearful as the world's · 55 stories about harm ● Afghanistan about twice as angry as the world's · 88 stories about harm ● Sweden about twice as grief-stricken as the world's · 96 stories about harm ● Armenia few stories about twice as grief-stricken as the world's · 31 stories about harm ● Ethiopia about twice as angry as the world's · 61 stories about harm ● Iraq about twice as angry as the world's · 52 stories about harm

The day in three measures

Parts of life 30 days →

Health63% 15,675 stories · more than usual (usually 60%) Rights & justice14% 3,533 stories · about as usual Disasters & accidents9% 2,180 stories · about as usual Conflict & violence6% 1,391 stories · about as usual Deaths & injuries, cause not given4% 883 stories · about as usual Shelter & services3% 634 stories · about as usual Food & livelihood1% 359 stories · about as usual Displacement1% 265 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 killed6,617 at about the usual rate Stories reporting people affected1,800 at about the usual rate Stories reporting arrests1,469 at about the usual rate Stories reporting people injured1,143 at about the usual rate Stories reporting abductions355 at about twice the usual rate · most about Nigeria and the US Stories reporting refugees190 at about the usual rate Stories reporting people displaced155 at about the usual rate Stories reporting evacuations73 at about the usual rate Stories reporting people falling ill42 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 softer than usual. Filled dot: today. Ring: usual.

● Angerabout as 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 · 18 Oct – 24 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.