← 17 Dec Friday 18 December 2020 · to 23:59 UTC 19 Dec →
What the world's news said happened to people.
Counts of coverage, not of suffering
23,799 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 Fiji, violence in Cabo Delgado and abductions in Nigeria. Mozambique's coverage was about one and a half times as fearful as the world's. In the world's news as a whole, the wording was much softer than usual.

Reports of abductions ran at about three times the usual rate, most often about Nigeria and the US → Help and hope: reports of people freed or reunited ran at about one and a half times the usual rate →
Part of lifeHealth 62 in 100 of the stories about harm · about as usual Country that rose mostFiji 83 in 100 of its 151 stories, usually 35
RegionOceania 31 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 →
Disasters & accidents

Fiji

126 of its 151 stories (83%) were about people being harmed, usually 35%. Vanua Levu accounted for 56 of Fiji's 126 stories about harm, carried by 54 outlets. Reports of evacuations ran at about 7 times the usual rate (32 stories). Landslides were named in 35 of its stories about harm, about 4 times usual. Grief in its coverage rose to about twice its own usual.

Conflict & violence

Mozambique

32 of its 46 stories (70%) were about people being harmed, usually 51%. Cabo Delgado accounted for 20 of Mozambique's 32 stories about harm, carried by 22 outlets. Reports of people displaced ran at about twice the usual rate (14 stories). Its coverage was about one and a half times as fearful as the world's.

6 more places the news pointed at
Disasters & accidents

Libya

26 of its 45 stories (58%) were about people being harmed, usually 34%. Reports of people affected ran at about 4 times the usual rate (10 stories). Its coverage was about one and a half times as grief-stricken as the world's.

Conflict & violence

Afghanistan

111 of its 165 stories (67%) were about people being harmed, usually 60%. Kabul accounted for 47 of Afghanistan's 111 stories about harm, carried by 94 outlets. Its coverage was about three times as angry as the world's.

Health

Ghana

97 of its 398 stories (24%) were about people being harmed, usually 17%. Reports of arrests ran at about 4 times the usual rate (21 stories).

Disasters & accidents

Tonga

22 of its 40 stories (55%) were about people being harmed, usually 41%. Cyclone was named in 20 of its stories about harm, about 4 times usual, with heavy rain and flooding.

Rights & justice

Türkiye

78 of its 223 stories (35%) were about people being harmed, usually 27%. Reports of refugees ran at about 4 times the usual rate (9 stories).

Conflict & violence

Mali

13 of its 22 stories (59%) were about people being harmed, usually 41%. Its coverage was about one and a half times as fearful as the world's.

Also named far more than usual: outbreaks in Australia (187 of its stories, about 4 times its usual); cyclone in Tonga (20 of its stories, about 4 times its usual); hunger in South Sudan (11 of its stories, about 5 times its usual); snowstorms in Japan (24 of its stories, more than ten times its usual); flu in France (21 of its stories, about 6 times its usual).

25 in 100 stories were about harm

usually 26; 25 the day before
28 in 10024 in 10019 Nov26 Nov3 Dec10 Dec18 Dec19 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 10018 Dec: 25 in 100 · this day

Stories about people being harmed, in every 100 stories, the 30 days to 18 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 23,799 stories about harm among 93,988 counted on 18 Dec.

Read the day's briefing

The news turned to Fiji for the third day running. 25 in every 100 of the day's 93,988 news stories were about people being harmed, as usual. Abductions were reported at about three times the usual rate, most often about Nigeria and the US. Reports of people freed or reunited, a sign of help, ran at about one and a half times the usual rate. Fiji's news was 83% about people being harmed, against a usual 35%.

Written by code from the day's numbers.

Where harm was most of the news

feelings in full →
Feelings Events Harm Warmth
Zambia: near the world's share or lessYemen: near the world's share or lessVietnam: near the world's share or lessVanuatu: near the world's share or lessUruguay: near the world's share or lessMicronesia: no storiesU.S. Virgin Islands: near the world's share or lessGuam: near the world's share or lessPuerto Rico: near the world's share or lessSouth Georgia & South Sandwich Islands: no storiesFalkland Islands: no storiesCayman Islands: near the world's share or lessIsle of Man: near the world's share or lessUnited Kingdom: near the world's share or lessUnited Arab Emirates: near the world's share or lessUkraine: near the world's share or lessTurkmenistan: near the world's share or lessTunisia: near the world's share or lessTrinidad & Tobago: near the world's share or lessTogo: near the world's share or lessTimor-Leste: near the world's share or lessThailand: near the world's share or lessTanzania: near the world's share or lessTajikistan: near the world's share or lessTaiwan: near the world's share or lessSwitzerland: near the world's share or lessSweden: near the world's share or lessEswatini: near the world's share or lessSuriname: near the world's share or lessSri Lanka: near the world's share or lessSpain: near the world's share or lessSouth Korea: near the world's share or lessSouth Africa: near the world's share or lessSomaliland: no storiesSolomon Islands: near the world's share or lessSlovakia: near the world's share or lessSingapore: near the world's share or lessSierra Leone: near the world's share or lessSeychelles: near the world's share or lessSerbia: no storiesSenegal: near the world's share or lessSaudi Arabia: near the world's share or lessSão Tomé: no storiesSamoa: near the world's share or lessSt Vincent: near the world's share or lessSt. Lucia: near the world's share or lessRwanda: near the world's share or lessRussia: near the world's share or lessRomania: near the world's share or lessQatar: near the world's share or lessPortugal: near the world's share or lessPoland: near the world's share or lessPeru: near the world's share or lessParaguay: near the world's share or lessPapua New Guinea: near the world's share or lessPanama: near the world's share or lessPalau: near the world's share or lessPakistan: near the world's share or lessOman: near the world's share or lessNorway: near the world's share or lessNorth Korea: near the world's share or lessNiger: near the world's share or lessNicaragua: near the world's share or lessNew Zealand: near the world's share or lessNiue: no storiesNetherlands: near the world's share or lessCuraçao: no storiesNepal: near the world's share or lessNamibia: near the world's share or lessMorocco: near the world's share or lessWestern Sahara: near the world's share or lessMontenegro: near the world's share or lessMongolia: near the world's share or lessMoldova: near the world's share or lessMauritania: near the world's share or lessMalta: near the world's share or lessMalaysia: near the world's share or lessMalawi: near the world's share or lessMadagascar: near the world's share or lessNorth Macedonia: near the world's share or lessLuxembourg: near the world's share or lessLithuania: near the world's share or lessLiberia: near the world's share or lessLesotho: near the world's share or lessLatvia: near the world's share or lessLaos: near the world's share or lessKyrgyzstan: near the world's share or lessKuwait: near the world's share or lessKosovo: no storiesKiribati: no storiesKenya: near the world's share or lessKazakhstan: near the world's share or lessJordan: near the world's share or lessJapan: near the world's share or lessJamaica: near the world's share or lessItaly: near the world's share or lessIreland: near the world's share or lessIndonesia: near the world's share or lessIndia: near the world's share or lessIceland: near the world's share or lessHaiti: near the world's share or lessGuyana: near the world's share or lessGuinea-Bissau: near the world's share or lessGuinea: near the world's share or lessGuatemala: near the world's share or lessGrenada: near the world's share or lessGreece: near the world's share or lessGhana: near the world's share or lessGermany: near the world's share or lessGeorgia: near the world's share or lessGambia: near the world's share or lessGabon: near the world's share or lessSt Pierre & Miquelon: no storiesFrench Polynesia: near the world's share or lessNew Caledonia: no storiesFrench Southern Territories: no storiesÅland Islands: no storiesFinland: near the world's share or lessEritrea: near the world's share or lessEquatorial Guinea: near the world's share or lessEl Salvador: near the world's share or lessEgypt: near the world's share or lessEcuador: near the world's share or lessDominican Republic: near the world's share or lessDominica: no storiesDjibouti: near the world's share or lessGreenland: near the world's share or lessFaroe Islands: near the world's share or lessCzech Republic: near the world's share or lessN. Cyprus: no storiesCyprus: near the world's share or lessCuba: near the world's share or lessCroatia: near the world's share or lessCôte d'Ivoire: near the world's share or lessCosta Rica: near the world's share or lessDR Congo: near the world's share or lessCongo: near the world's share or lessComoros: no storiesColombia: near the world's share or lessChina: near the world's share or lessHong Kong: near the world's share or lessChile: near the world's share or lessChad: near the world's share or lessCape Verde: no storiesCanada: near the world's share or lessCameroon: near the world's share or lessBurkina Faso: near the world's share or lessBulgaria: near the world's share or lessBrunei: near the world's share or lessBrazil: near the world's share or lessBotswana: near the world's share or lessBosnia and Herzegovina: near the world's share or lessBolivia: near the world's share or lessBhutan: near the world's share or lessBenin: near the world's share or lessBelize: near the world's share or lessBelgium: near the world's share or lessBelarus: near the world's share or lessBarbados: near the world's share or lessBahrain: near the world's share or lessBahamas: near the world's share or lessAzerbaijan: near the world's share or lessAustria: near the world's share or lessAustralia: near the world's share or lessHeard & McDonald Islands: no storiesArmenia: near the world's share or lessArgentina: near the world's share or lessAntigua & Barbuda: near the world's share or lessAngola: near the world's share or lessAndorra: near the world's share or lessAlgeria: near the world's share or lessAlbania: near the world's share or lessJammu & Kashmir: near the world's share or lessAksai Chin: near the world's share or lessWestern Sahara (Moroccan-controlled): near the world's share or lessWestern Sahara (Free Zone): near the world's share or lessAzad Kashmir & Gilgit-Baltistan: near the world's share or lessSiachen Glacier: near the world's share or lessCrimea: near the world's share or lessAzad Kashmir & Gilgit-Baltistan: near the world's share or lessVatican City: near the world's share or lessMarshall Islands: near the world's share or lessNorthern Mariana Islands: no storiesAmerican Samoa: no storiesChagos Islands: no storiesSt. Helena: no storiesPitcairn: no storiesAnguilla: no storiesBermuda: near the world's share or lessBritish Virgin Islands: no storiesTurks & Caicos Islands: no storiesMontserrat: no storiesJersey: near the world's share or lessGuernsey: near the world's share or lessSan Marino: no storiesSt Kitts & Nevis: near the world's share or lessCook Islands: near the world's share or lessAruba: near the world's share or lessNauru: no storiesMonaco: near the world's share or lessMaldives: near the world's share or lessLiechtenstein: near the world's share or lessWallis & Futuna: no storiesSt. Martin: near the world's share or lessSt. Barthélemy: no storiesMacao: near the world's share or lessNorfolk Island: no storiesSint Maarten: no storiesChristmas Island: near the world's share or lessGibraltar: near the world's share or lessMayotte: near the world's share or lessZimbabwe: 34 in 100 of its 215 stories were about people being harmed (the world's: 25)Venezuela: 43 in 100 of its 79 stories were about people being harmed (the world's: 25)Uzbekistan: 47 in 100 of its 32 stories were about people being harmed (the world's: 25)US: 32 in 100 of its 27,142 stories were about people being harmed (the world's: 25)Uganda: 39 in 100 of its 111 stories were about people being harmed (the world's: 25)Türkiye: 35 in 100 of its 223 stories were about people being harmed (the world's: 25)Tonga: 55 in 100 of its 40 stories were about people being harmed (the world's: 25)Syria: 50 in 100 of its 80 stories were about people being harmed (the world's: 25)South Sudan: 67 in 100 of its 27 stories were about people being harmed (the world's: 25)Sudan: 50 in 100 of its 44 stories were about people being harmed (the world's: 25)Somalia: 44 in 100 of its 39 stories were about people being harmed (the world's: 25)Slovenia: 42 in 100 of its 31 stories were about people being harmed (the world's: 25)Philippines: 44 in 100 of its 560 stories were about people being harmed (the world's: 25)Nigeria: 44 in 100 of its 1,570 stories were about people being harmed (the world's: 25)Mozambique: 70 in 100 of its 46 stories were about people being harmed (the world's: 25)Mexico: 33 in 100 of its 323 stories were about people being harmed (the world's: 25)Mauritius: 62 in 100 of its 26 stories were about people being harmed (the world's: 25)Mali: 59 in 100 of its 22 stories were about people being harmed (the world's: 25)Libya: 58 in 100 of its 45 stories were about people being harmed (the world's: 25)Lebanon: 38 in 100 of its 92 stories were about people being harmed (the world's: 25)Israel: 37 in 100 of its 293 stories were about people being harmed (the world's: 25)Palestine: 45 in 100 of its 102 stories were about people being harmed (the world's: 25)Iraq: 45 in 100 of its 49 stories were about people being harmed (the world's: 25)Iran: 39 in 100 of its 173 stories were about people being harmed (the world's: 25)Hungary: 38 in 100 of its 56 stories were about people being harmed (the world's: 25)Honduras: 62 in 100 of its 16 stories were about people being harmed (the world's: 25)France: 32 in 100 of its 792 stories were about people being harmed (the world's: 25)Fiji: 83 in 100 of its 151 stories were about people being harmed (the world's: 25)Ethiopia: 57 in 100 of its 105 stories were about people being harmed (the world's: 25)Estonia: 43 in 100 of its 46 stories were about people being harmed (the world's: 25)Denmark: 37 in 100 of its 105 stories were about people being harmed (the world's: 25)Central African Republic: 89 in 100 of its 9 stories were about people being harmed (the world's: 25)Cambodia: 49 in 100 of its 35 stories were about people being harmed (the world's: 25)Myanmar: 41 in 100 of its 34 stories were about people being harmed (the world's: 25)Burundi: 56 in 100 of its 18 stories were about people being harmed (the world's: 25)Bangladesh: 37 in 100 of its 195 stories were about people being harmed (the world's: 25)Afghanistan: 67 in 100 of its 165 stories were about people being harmed (the world's: 25)Palestine: 45 in 100 of its 102 stories were about people being harmed (the world's: 25)Palestine: 45 in 100 of its 102 stories were about people being harmed (the world's: 25)Palestine: 45 in 100 of its 102 stories were about people being harmed (the world's: 25)
A quarter or more above the world's share Near the world's or lessNo stories

Each country shaded by how much of its news was about people being harmed, against the world's 25 in 100 that day. Stronger colour: further above. A country with few stories is drawn closer to the world's. Click a country.

The day in three measures

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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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.