← 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.

Fiji over 30 days → its stories → Vanua Levu stories →
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.

Mozambique over 30 days → its stories → Cabo Delgado stories →
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.

its stories →
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.

its stories →
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).

its 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.

its stories →
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).

its 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.

its stories →

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 all →

Fiji83 in 100 of its 151 stories · usually 35 · mostly disasters & accidents Afghanistan67 in 100 of its 165 stories · usually 60 · mostly conflict & violence Ethiopia57 in 100 of its 105 stories · usually 61 · mostly conflict & violence Syria50 in 100 of its 80 stories · usually 54 · mostly displacement Palestine45 in 100 of its 102 stories · usually 49 · mostly health

Countries with at least 50 stories that day.

Where people protested

Washington US172 stories about protests or strikes, of its 1268 Delhi India59 stories about protests or strikes, of its 262 London UK36 stories about protests or strikes, of its 476 Manhattan US33 stories about protests or strikes, of its 173 New York US33 stories about protests or strikes, of its 315

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: too little coverage to readUruguay: about as warm as its own usual or lessMicronesia: too little coverage to readU.S. Virgin Islands: too little coverage to readGuam: too little coverage to readPuerto 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 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: too little coverage to readTonga: too little coverage to readTogo: too little coverage to readTimor-Leste: about as warm as its own usual or lessTanzania: too little coverage to readTajikistan: about as warm as its own usual or lessTaiwan: 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 lessSudan: about as warm as its own usual or lessSri Lanka: 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: about as warm as its own usual or lessSlovakia: about as warm as its own usual or lessSlovenia: 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: too little coverage to readSaudi 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: about as warm as its own usual or lessRwanda: about as warm as its own usual or lessRussia: 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: about as warm as its own usual or lessPoland: 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: about as warm as its own usual or lessPakistan: 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 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: about as warm as its own usual or lessCuraçao: 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: too little coverage to readMoldova: too little coverage to readMexico: about as warm as its own usual or lessMauritius: about as warm as its own usual or lessMauritania: 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: too little coverage to readNorth 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: too little coverage to readLebanon: about as warm as its own usual or lessLatvia: about as warm as its own usual or lessLaos: about as warm as its own usual or lessKyrgyzstan: about as warm as its own usual or lessKuwait: too little coverage to readKosovo: 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: about as warm as its own usual or lessJamaica: 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 lessIndonesia: too little coverage to readIndia: 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: about as warm as its own usual or lessGuinea: 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 lessGeorgia: 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: too little coverage to readNew Caledonia: too little coverage to readFrench 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: about as warm as its own usual or lessEquatorial Guinea: about as warm as its own usual or lessEl 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: about as warm as its own usual or lessDominica: 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: too little coverage to readBenin: about as warm as its own usual or lessBelize: 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 lessBangladesh: 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: about as warm as its own usual or lessAlgeria: about as warm as its own usual or lessAlbania: about as warm as its own usual or lessAfghanistan: about as warm as its own usual or lessJammu & Kashmir: 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 readAzad Kashmir & Gilgit-Baltistan: about as warm as its own usual or lessSiachen Glacier: about as warm as its own usual or lessCrimea: about as warm as its own usual or lessEast Jerusalem: about as warm as its own usual or lessAzad Kashmir & Gilgit-Baltistan: about as warm as its own usual or lessVatican City: too little coverage to readMarshall Islands: about as warm as its own usual or lessNorthern 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: about as warm as its own usual or lessSan Marino: too little coverage to readSt Kitts & Nevis: too little coverage to readCook Islands: about as warm as its own usual or lessAruba: about as warm as its own usual or lessNauru: too little coverage to readMonaco: too little coverage to readMaldives: 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: too little coverage to readNorfolk Island: too little coverage to readSint Maarten: too little coverage to readChristmas Island: about as warm as its own usual or lessGibraltar: too little coverage to readMayotte: too little coverage to readUzbekistan: warmth about its own usualUganda: warmth about its own usualThailand: warmth about its own usualNigeria: warmth about its own usualMongolia: warmth about its own usualGermany: warmth about its own usualKankara, Nigeria -- rights & justice: 81 stories, carried by 61 outletsKaduna, Nigeria -- conflict & violence: 15 stories, carried by 17 outletsOregon, US -- health: 20 stories, carried by 34 outletsJacksonville, US -- health: 16 stories, carried by 10 outletsKabul, Afghanistan -- conflict & violence: 47 stories, carried by 94 outletsEdinburgh, UK -- health: 41 stories, carried by 33 outletsYorkshire, UK -- health: 29 stories, carried by 19 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

● Kankara Nigeria about one and a half times as warm as the day's news · rights & justice · 81 stories ● Kaduna Nigeria about one and a half times as warm as the day's news · conflict & violence · 15 stories ● Oregon US about one and a half times as warm as the day's news · health · 20 stories ● Jacksonville US about one and a half times as warm as the day's news · health · 16 stories ● Kabul Afghanistan about one and a half times as warm as the day's news · conflict & violence · 47 stories

The day in three measures

Parts of life 30 days →

Health62% 14,730 stories · about as usual Rights & justice14% 3,403 stories · about as usual Disasters & accidents8% 1,961 stories · about as usual Conflict & violence6% 1,422 stories · about as usual Deaths & injuries, cause not given4% 941 stories · about as usual Shelter & services2% 515 stories · about as usual Food & livelihood1% 334 stories · about as usual Displacement1% 268 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 killed6,249 at about the usual rate Stories reporting people affected1,742 at about the usual rate Stories reporting arrests1,430 at about the usual rate Stories reporting people injured1,072 at about the usual rate Stories reporting abductions479 at about three times the usual rate · most about Nigeria and the US Stories reporting refugees193 at about the usual rate Stories reporting people displaced129 at about the usual rate Stories reporting evacuations76 at about the usual rate Stories reporting people falling ill25 at about two-thirds of the usual rate · most about the US and Afghanistan

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
● 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

Read the week →

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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.