← 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.

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 lessVietnam: about as warm as its own usual or lessVenezuela: about as warm as its own usual or lessVanuatu: about as warm as its own usual or lessUzbekistan: about as warm as its own usual or lessUruguay: about as warm as its own usual or lessMicronesia: 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: about as warm as its own usual or lessIsle 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 lessTurkey: 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: about as warm as its own usual or lessTogo: about as warm as its own usual or lessTimor-Leste: too little coverage to readThailand: about as warm as its own usual or lessTanzania: about as warm as its own usual or lessTajikistan: too little coverage to readTaiwan: about as warm as its own usual or lessSyria: 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: about as warm as its own usual or lessSuriname: too little coverage to readSouth Sudan: 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: too little coverage to readSlovenia: 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 lessRomania: about as warm as its own usual or lessQatar: about as warm as its own usual or lessPortugal: too little coverage to readPoland: 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: too little coverage to readPapua New Guinea: about as warm as its own usual or lessPanama: about as warm as its own usual or lessPalau: too little coverage to readPakistan: 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: about as warm as its own usual or lessNew Zealand: about as warm as its own usual or lessNiue: too little coverage to readNetherlands: too little coverage to readCuraçao: 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: 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: 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: 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: 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: too little coverage to readKuwait: 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: about as warm as its own usual or lessJordan: about as warm as its own usual or lessJapan: too little coverage to readJamaica: 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 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: about as warm as its own usual or lessGreece: 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 lessGambia: about as warm as its own usual or lessGabon: about as warm as its own usual or lessFrance: 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: too little coverage to readEquatorial Guinea: too little coverage to readEl 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: too little coverage to readDominica: too little coverage to readDjibouti: about as warm as its own usual or lessGreenland: 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: about as warm as its own usual or lessCuba: 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: too little coverage to readHong 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: 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 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: too little coverage to readAntigua & 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 lessAksai Chin: too little coverage to readGaza: 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 readCrimea: about as warm as its own usual or lessEast Jerusalem: about as warm as its own usual or lessVatican City: about as warm as its own usual or lessMarshall 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: too little coverage to readTurks & Caicos Islands: too little coverage to readMontserrat: too little coverage to readJersey: 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: about as warm as its own usual or lessMaldives: 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: about as warm as its own usual or lessNorfolk 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 readSudan: warmth about its own usualSri Lanka: warmth about its own usualRussia: warmth about its own usualKyrgyzstan: warmth about its own usualIndonesia: warmth about its own usualGeorgia: warmth about its own usualBangladesh: warmth about its own usualAfghanistan: warmth about its own usualKashmir: warmth about its own usualKashmir: warmth about its own usualKashmir: warmth about its own usualKashmir: warmth about its own usualOklahoma, US -- health: 18 stories, carried by 25 outletsGeneva, Switzerland -- health: 10 stories, carried by 20 outletsFlorida, US -- health: 48 stories, carried by 59 outletsFelixstowe, UK -- health: 18 stories, carried by 16 outletsGlasgow, UK -- health: 37 stories, carried by 168 outletsDubai, United Arab Emirates -- health: 39 stories, carried by 21 outletsAnantnag, Kashmir -- conflict & violence: 25 stories, carried by 16 outletsJammu, Kashmir -- health: 14 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

● Oklahoma US 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 · 10 stories ● Florida US about one and a half times as warm as the day's news · health · 48 stories ● Felixstowe UK about one and a half times as warm as the day's news · health · 18 stories ● Glasgow UK about one and a half times as warm as the day's news · health · 37 stories

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 · 19 Oct – 25 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.