← 2 Jan Sunday 3 January 2021 · to 23:59 UTC 4 Jan →
What the world's news said happened to people.
Counts of coverage, not of suffering
12,501 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 Norway, violence in Kabul and people injured in India. Afghanistan's coverage was about one and a half times as grief-stricken as the world's. Across the world, the tone of the words was much harsher than usual.

Part of lifeHealth 60 in 100 of the stories about harm · about as usual Country that rose mostNorway 72 in 100 of its 95 stories, usually 25
RegionCentral Asia 63 in 100 of its stories, usually 37
Tone of the words Much harsher than usual across the world's stories about harm

What the world's news was about today

how these are picked →
Disasters & accidents

Norway

68 of its 95 stories (72%) were about people being harmed, usually 25%. Oslo accounted for 60 of Norway's 68 stories about harm, carried by 136 outlets. Reports of people killed ran at about 9 times the usual rate (47 stories). Landslides were named in 57 of its stories about harm, about three times usual.

Conflict & violence

Afghanistan

70 of its 92 stories (76%) were about people being harmed, usually 62%. Kabul accounted for 30 of Afghanistan's 70 stories about harm, carried by 54 outlets. Reports of abductions ran at about 7 times the usual rate (6 stories). Its coverage was about one and a half times as grief-stricken as the world's.

Health

India

1,283 of its 3,185 stories (40%) were about people being harmed, usually 26%. Reports of people injured ran at about twice the usual rate (60 stories). Bird flu was named in 17 of its stories about harm, more than ten times usual, with snowstorms and wildfires.

Rights & justice

New Zealand

105 of its 329 stories (32%) were about people being harmed, usually 23%. Reports of arrests ran at about three times the usual rate (16 stories). Flooding was named in 20 of its stories about harm, about 5 times usual, with heavy rain.

6 more places the news pointed at
Conflict & violence

Niger

59 of its 61 stories (97%) were about people being harmed, usually 50%. Reports of people injured ran at about 7 times the usual rate (42 stories). Its coverage was about 4 times as angry as the world's.

Conflict & violence

Iraq

90 of its 121 stories (74%) were about people being harmed, usually 54%. Baghdad accounted for 84 of Iraq's 90 stories about harm, carried by 361 outlets. Its coverage was about twice as grief-stricken as the world's.

Conflict & violence

Mali

20 of its 24 stories (83%) were about people being harmed, usually 44%. Reports of people killed ran at about twice the usual rate (15 stories). Its coverage was about twice as angry as the world's.

Disasters & accidents

Malaysia

112 of its 274 stories (41%) were about people being harmed, usually 27%. Reports of evacuations ran at more than ten times the usual rate (11 stories). Flooding was named in 26 of its stories about harm, about 9 times usual, with heavy rain.

Health

Israel

169 of its 345 stories (49%) were about people being harmed, usually 37%. Jerusalem accounted for 91 of Israel's 169 stories about harm, carried by 145 outlets. Reports of people injured ran at about twice the usual rate (22 stories).

Health

Thailand

60 of its 117 stories (51%) were about people being harmed, usually 39%. Bangkok accounted for 40 of Thailand's 60 stories about harm, carried by 46 outlets. Reports of people injured ran at about 4 times the usual rate (6 stories).

Also named far more than usual: flooding in Malaysia (26 of its stories, about 9 times its usual); outbreaks in Zimbabwe (16 of its stories, about three times its usual); cyclone in Australia (18 of its stories, about 4 times its usual); plane crash in US (16 of its stories, about 5 times its usual).

30 in 100 stories were about harm

usually 27; 29 the day before
31 in 10024 in 1005 Dec12 Dec19 Dec26 Dec3 Jan5 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 10025 Dec: 28 in 10026 Dec: 30 in 10027 Dec: 31 in 10028 Dec: 29 in 10029 Dec: 29 in 10030 Dec: 29 in 10031 Dec: 29 in 1001 Jan: 28 in 1002 Jan: 29 in 1003 Jan: 30 in 100 · this day

Stories about people being harmed, in every 100 stories, the 30 days to 3 Jan. 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 12,501 stories about harm among 41,321 counted on 3 Jan.

Read the day's briefing

It was the fourth day running that the news turned to Norway. In Norway, 72% of the news was about people being harmed, where 25% is usual. Stories about people being harmed made up 30 in every 100 of the day's 41,321 stories, above the usual 27. A year earlier, on 4 January 2020, 23 in every 100 stories were about people being harmed, against 30 today. This week the news turned most often to Norway, on 4 of 7 days.

Written by code from the day's numbers.

Where it happened

feelings in full →
Feelings Events Harm Warmth
Rangi, New Zealand -- protests & strikes: 9 stories, carried by 10 outlets; harsh wording in 100 in 100Jammu, Kashmir -- attacks & violence: 22 stories, carried by 16 outlets; harsh wording in 100 in 100Beirut, Lebanon -- accidents & disasters: 16 stories, carried by 37 outlets; harsh wording in 100 in 100Perth, Australia -- accidents & disasters: 14 stories, carried by 16 outlets; harsh wording in 93 in 100Bangassou, Central African Republic -- attacks & violence: 7 stories, carried by 12 outlets; harsh wording in 100 in 100Bangui, Central African Republic -- attacks & violence: 8 stories, carried by 13 outlets; harsh wording in 100 in 100Mana Waji, Nigeria -- attacks & violence: 6 stories, carried by 14 outlets; harsh wording in 100 in 100Harare, Zimbabwe -- disease & outbreaks: 24 stories, carried by 25 outlets; harsh wording in 96 in 100Sanaa, Yemen -- attacks & violence: 10 stories, carried by 18 outlets; harsh wording in 100 in 100Hombori, Mali -- attacks & violence: 6 stories, carried by 20 outlets; harsh wording in 100 in 100Niamey, Niger -- attacks & violence: 12 stories, carried by 27 outlets; harsh wording in 92 in 100Mizan, Iran -- attacks & violence: 5 stories, carried by 33 outlets; harsh wording in 100 in 100Kabul, Afghanistan -- attacks & violence: 30 stories, carried by 54 outlets; harsh wording in 87 in 100Minsk, Belarus -- protests & strikes: 6 stories, carried by 46 outlets; harsh wording in 83 in 100Tillaberi, Niger -- attacks & violence: 20 stories, carried by 38 outlets; harsh wording in 100 in 100Hodeida, Yemen -- attacks & violence: 15 stories, carried by 56 outlets; harsh wording in 93 in 100Mopti, Mali -- attacks & violence: 5 stories, carried by 48 outlets; harsh wording in 100 in 100Tehran, Iran -- attacks & violence: 54 stories, carried by 60 outlets; harsh wording in 100 in 100Starrville, US -- attacks & violence: 29 stories, carried by 125 outlets; harsh wording in 100 in 100Collinsville, US -- protests & strikes: 11 stories, carried by 98 outlets; harsh wording in 91 in 100Quetta, Pakistan -- protests & strikes: 46 stories, carried by 144 outlets; harsh wording in 100 in 100Oslo, Norway -- accidents & disasters: 60 stories, carried by 136 outlets; harsh wording in 93 in 100Hazara, Pakistan -- attacks & violence: 21 stories, carried by 177 outlets; harsh wording in 100 in 100Baghdad, Iraq -- attacks & violence: 84 stories, carried by 361 outlets; harsh wording in 100 in 100
Attacks & violenceAccidents & disastersPeople displacedDeaths, cause not givenProtests & strikesDisease & outbreaks

The day's biggest events: attacks, accidents and disasters, people displaced, protests, outbreaks. Bigger dot: more stories. Ranked by the share of the day's outlets that reported it and how clearly it was about one thing, the same way for every place and year; the news data does not say who attacked whom, so both sides of a war appear where the news put them. Click a dot for its stories.

The day in three measures

How it felt 30 days →

harshwarm

The words in the day's stories were much harsher than usual. Filled dot: today. Ring: usual.

● Angera little more than usual
● Warmthabout as usual
● Griefa little more 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

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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.