← 23 Dec Thursday 24 December 2020 · to 23:59 UTC 25 Dec →
What the world's news said happened to people.
Counts of coverage, not of suffering
18,742 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 day's news pointed at violence in Tigray, people affected in Tunisia and people killed in Zambia. Ethiopia's coverage was about 4 times as angry as the world's. Over the whole world, the tone was softer than usual.

Reports of people falling ill ran at about twice the usual rate, most often about the US and India →
Part of lifeHealth 61 in 100 of the stories about harm · about as usual Country that rose mostEthiopia 81 in 100 of its 146 stories, usually 60
RegionLatin America & Caribbean 38 in 100 of its stories, usually 29
Tone of the words Softer than usual across the world's stories about harm

What the world's news was about today

how these are picked →
Conflict & violence

Ethiopia

118 of its 146 stories (81%) were about people being harmed, usually 60%. Tigray accounted for 38 of Ethiopia's 118 stories about harm, carried by 36 outlets. Reports of people injured ran at about three times the usual rate (19 stories). Illness was named in 31 of its stories about harm, about 4 times usual. Its coverage was about 4 times as angry as the world's. Grief in its coverage rose to about one and a half times its own usual.

Ethiopia over 30 days → its stories → Tigray stories →
Disasters & accidents

Tunisia

49 of its 76 stories (64%) were about people being harmed, usually 41%. Reports of people affected ran at more than ten times the usual rate (37 stories). Its coverage was about one and a half times as grief-stricken as the world's.

Tunisia over 30 days → its stories →
Deaths & injuries, cause not given

Zambia

20 of its 44 stories (45%) were about people being harmed, usually 22%. Reports of people killed ran at about 4 times the usual rate (16 stories). Its coverage was about one and a half times as grief-stricken as the world's.

Zambia over 30 days → its stories →
Health

UK

Reports of evacuations ran at about three times the usual rate (10 stories). Flooding was named in 129 of its stories about harm, about 5 times usual, with landslides, hypothermia and power cuts. Its coverage was about one and a half times as fearful as the world's.

UK over 30 days → its stories →
6 more places the news pointed at
Conflict & violence

Iraq

133 of its 194 stories (69%) were about people being harmed, usually 51%. Baghdad accounted for 103 of Iraq's 133 stories about harm, carried by 280 outlets. Reports of arrests ran at about 4 times the usual rate (24 stories). Its coverage was about three times as angry as the world's. Grief in its coverage rose to about one and a half times its own usual.

its stories →
Conflict & violence

Kashmir

80 of its 191 stories (42%) were about people being harmed, usually 30%. Reports of arrests ran at about twice the usual rate (15 stories). Its coverage was about twice as fearful as the world's.

its stories →
Health

Mexico

122 of its 268 stories (46%) were about people being harmed, usually 28%. Reports of refugees ran at about three times the usual rate (7 stories).

its stories →
Health

Argentina

34 of its 94 stories (36%) were about people being harmed, usually 15%. Reports of people injured ran at more than ten times the usual rate (5 stories).

its stories →
Protests & strikes

Niger

21 of its 30 stories (70%) were about people being harmed, usually 43%. 3 of Niamey's 4 stories were about protests or strikes.

its stories →
Health

United Arab Emirates

67 of its 224 stories (30%) were about people being harmed, usually 17%. Dubai accounted for 62 of the United Arab Emirates' 67 stories about harm, carried by 35 outlets.

its stories →

Also named far more than usual: cyclone in Zimbabwe (16 of its stories, about 10 times its usual); flooding in Ireland (17 of its stories, about 5 times its usual); tsunami in Japan (14 of its stories, about three times its usual); road crashes in Israel (12 of its stories, more than ten times its usual); respiratory illness in India (20 of its stories, about three times its usual).

27 in 100 stories were about harm

usually 26; 27 the day before
28 in 10024 in 10025 Nov2 Dec9 Dec16 Dec24 Dec25 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 10019 Dec: 28 in 10020 Dec: 28 in 10021 Dec: 27 in 10022 Dec: 27 in 10023 Dec: 27 in 10024 Dec: 27 in 100 · this day

Stories about people being harmed, in every 100 stories, the 30 days to 24 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 18,742 stories about harm among 69,771 counted on 24 Dec.

Read the day's briefing

People falling ill were reported at about twice the usual rate, most often about the US and India. 27 in every 100 of the day's 69,771 news stories were about people being harmed, above the usual 26. In Zimbabwe's news, mentions of the cyclone ran about 10 times their usual. A year earlier, on 25 December 2019, 19 in every 100 stories were about people being harmed, against 27 today. Ethiopia's news was 81% about people being harmed, against a usual 60%.

Written by code from the day's numbers.

Where harm was most of the news all →

Ethiopia81 in 100 of its 146 stories · usually 60 · mostly conflict & violence Iraq69 in 100 of its 194 stories · usually 51 · mostly conflict & violence Tunisia64 in 100 of its 76 stories · usually 41 · mostly disasters & accidents Palestine57 in 100 of its 120 stories · usually 47 · mostly health Chile55 in 100 of its 88 stories · usually 35 · mostly health

Countries with at least 50 stories that day.

Where people protested

Washington US124 stories about protests or strikes, of its 770 Delhi India114 stories about protests or strikes, of its 317 London UK31 stories about protests or strikes, of its 436 Los Angeles US31 stories about protests or strikes, of its 208 Dover UK22 stories about protests or strikes, of its 95

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: too little coverage to readMicronesia: too little coverage to readU.S. Virgin Islands: too little coverage to readGuam: too little coverage to readPuerto Rico: too little coverage to readUnited 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: too little coverage to readTurkey: 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: 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: too little coverage to readSuriname: 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: 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 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 lessPeru: about as warm as its own usual or lessParaguay: too little coverage to readPapua New Guinea: too little coverage to readPanama: 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: 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: 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: too little coverage to readMalta: about as warm as its own usual or lessMali: 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: about as warm as its own usual or lessLebanon: about as warm as its own usual or lessLatvia: too little coverage to readLaos: about as warm as its own usual or lessKuwait: 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: 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 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: 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 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 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: 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: 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: too little coverage to readCzech 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: too little coverage to readCosta 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: about as warm as its own usual or lessColombia: about as warm as its own usual or lessChina: about as warm as its own usual or lessHong 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: too little coverage to readBosnia 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: too little coverage to readBelgium: 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: about as warm as its own usual or lessAntigua & 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 lessAfghanistan: about as warm as its own usual or lessAksai Chin: 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 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: about as warm as its own usual or lessTurks & 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: about as warm as its own usual or lessCook Islands: too little coverage to readAruba: too little coverage to readNauru: too little coverage to readMonaco: about as warm as its own usual or lessMaldives: too little coverage to readLiechtenstein: 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: too little coverage to readGibraltar: about as warm as its own usual or lessMayotte: too little coverage to readPhilippines: warmth about its own usualMalaysia: warmth about its own usualKyrgyzstan: warmth about its own usualPalestine: warmth about its own usualFiji: warmth about its own usualKashmir: warmth about its own usualPalestine: warmth about its own usualPalestine: warmth about its own usualKashmir: warmth about its own usualKashmir: warmth about its own usualPalestine: warmth about its own usualKashmir: warmth about its own usualFairmont, US -- disasters & accidents: 10 stories, carried by 10 outletsBuhari, Nigeria -- conflict & violence: 12 stories, carried by 11 outletsKankara, Nigeria -- rights & justice: 34 stories, carried by 19 outletsHawaii, US -- health: 18 stories, carried by 20 outletsGlasgow, UK -- health: 30 stories, carried by 17 outletsBaramulla, Kashmir -- conflict & violence: 22 stories, carried by 19 outletsBrussels, Belgium -- health: 11 stories, carried by 10 outletsEdinburgh, UK -- health: 23 stories, carried by 32 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

● Fairmont US about three times as warm as the day's news · disasters & accidents · 10 stories ● Buhari Nigeria about twice as warm as the day's news · conflict & violence · 12 stories ● Kankara Nigeria about twice as warm as the day's news · rights & justice · 34 stories ● Hawaii US 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 · 30 stories

The day in three measures

Parts of life 30 days →

Health61% 11,382 stories · about as usual Rights & justice14% 2,562 stories · about as usual Disasters & accidents10% 1,894 stories · about as usual Conflict & violence6% 1,177 stories · about as usual Deaths & injuries, cause not given4% 737 stories · about as usual Shelter & services2% 410 stories · about as usual Displacement1% 229 stories · about as usual Food & livelihood1% 195 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 killed5,223 at about the usual rate Stories reporting people affected1,365 at about the usual rate Stories reporting arrests1,218 at about the usual rate Stories reporting people injured917 at about the usual rate Stories reporting abductions152 at about the usual rate Stories reporting refugees142 at about the usual rate Stories reporting people displaced134 at about one and a half times the usual rate · most about Ethiopia and the US Stories reporting evacuations73 at about one and a half times the usual rate · most about the US and the UK Stories reporting people falling ill63 at about twice the usual rate · most about the US and India

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 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.