← 4 Jan Tuesday 5 January 2021 · to 23:59 UTC 6 Jan →
What the world's news said happened to people.
Counts of coverage, not of suffering
24,258 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 people injured in Belgium, snowstorms in Kashmir and violence in Niger. Niger's coverage was about three times as angry as the world's. Taken together, the world's news read about as usual.

Part of lifeHealth 64 in 100 of the stories about harm · more than usual Country that rose mostThailand 52 in 100 of its 192 stories, usually 40
RegionEurope 33 in 100 of its stories, usually 30
Tone of the words About as usual across the world's stories about harm

What the world's news was about today

how these are picked →
Health

Belgium

34 of its 94 stories (36%) were about people being harmed, usually 25%. Reports of people injured ran at more than ten times the usual rate (10 stories). Its coverage was about one and a half times as fearful as the world's. Anger in its coverage rose to about one and a half times its own usual.

Belgium over 30 days → its stories →
Disasters & accidents

Kashmir

Reports of people affected ran at about three times the usual rate (7 stories). Snowstorms were named in 15 of its stories about harm, about 10 times usual. Its coverage was about one and a half times as grief-stricken as the world's.

Kashmir over 30 days → its stories →
6 more places the news pointed at
Health

Thailand

100 of its 192 stories (52%) were about people being harmed, usually 40%. Bangkok accounted for 53 of Thailand's 100 stories about harm, carried by 39 outlets.

its stories →
Disasters & accidents

St Vincent

12 of its 21 stories (57%) were about people being harmed, usually 30%. Volcanic eruption was named in 11 of its stories about harm, about 4 times usual.

its stories →
Health

Portugal

32 of its 86 stories (37%) were about people being harmed, usually 25%. Its coverage was about twice as grief-stricken as the world's.

its stories →
Health

Israel

200 of its 446 stories (45%) were about people being harmed, usually 38%. Jerusalem accounted for 98 of Israel's 200 stories about harm, carried by 60 outlets.

its stories →
Health

Philippines

327 of its 664 stories (49%) were about people being harmed, usually 43%. Reports of arrests ran at about twice the usual rate (46 stories).

its stories →
Health

UK

Reports of people falling ill ran at about twice the usual rate (5 stories). Its coverage was about one and a half times as fearful as the world's.

its stories →

Also named far more than usual: volcanic eruption in St Vincent (11 of its stories, about 4 times its usual); flooding in Malaysia (22 of its stories, about 5 times its usual); natural hazards in Norway (11 of its stories, about 5 times its usual); flu in India (136 of its stories, about 9 times its usual); drownings in Australia (17 of its stories, about 5 times its usual).

27 in 100 stories were about harm

usually 27; 27 the day before
31 in 10024 in 1007 Dec14 Dec21 Dec28 Dec5 Jan7 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 1004 Jan: 27 in 1005 Jan: 27 in 100 · this day

Stories about people being harmed, in every 100 stories, the 30 days to 5 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 24,258 stories about harm among 91,464 counted on 5 Jan.

Read the day's briefing

St Vincent's news mentioned volcanic eruption about 4 times as often as usual. 27 in every 100 of the day's 91,464 news stories were about people being harmed, as usual. On 6 January 2020, a year earlier, the share was 20 in every 100, against 27 today. Belgium stood out: 36% of its news was about people being harmed, usually 25%.

Written by code from the day's numbers.

Where harm was most of the news all →

Syria57 in 100 of its 70 stories · usually 55 · mostly conflict & violence Ethiopia53 in 100 of its 86 stories · usually 62 · mostly displacement Thailand52 in 100 of its 192 stories · usually 40 · mostly health Iraq51 in 100 of its 76 stories · usually 55 · mostly conflict & violence Fiji50 in 100 of its 52 stories · usually 53 · mostly disasters & accidents

Countries with at least 50 stories that day.

Where people protested

Washington US237 stories about protests or strikes, of its 838 Kenosha US148 stories about protests or strikes, of its 184 Delhi India60 stories about protests or strikes, of its 323 Atlanta US58 stories about protests or strikes, of its 174 Abuja Nigeria47 stories about protests or strikes, of its 86

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 readUzbekistan: about as warm as its own usual or lessUruguay: too little coverage to readMicronesia: 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 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: too little coverage to readIsle 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 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: 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 readSão Tomé: too little coverage to readSamoa: too little coverage to readSt Vincent: too little coverage to readSt. 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: too little coverage to readPhilippines: 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: too little coverage to readNorway: 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: too little coverage to readNamibia: 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 readMongolia: about as warm as its own usual or lessMoldova: too little coverage to readMexico: about as warm as its own usual or lessMauritius: about as warm as its own usual or lessMauritania: too little coverage to readMalta: 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: too little coverage to readLibya: 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: about as warm as its own usual or lessKyrgyzstan: 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: too little coverage to readItaly: too little coverage to readIsrael: about as warm as its own usual or lessPalestine: about as warm as its own usual or lessIreland: too little coverage to readIraq: 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: too little coverage to readHaiti: 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: too little coverage to readGhana: about as warm as its own usual or lessGermany: too little coverage to readGeorgia: about as warm as its own usual or lessGambia: about as warm as its own usual or lessGabon: too little coverage to readFrance: 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: 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: about as warm as its own usual or lessDjibouti: too little coverage to readGreenland: 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: too little coverage to readCosta Rica: too little coverage to readDR 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: 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: too little coverage to readBurundi: too little coverage to readBurkina 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: 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: too little coverage to readBahamas: 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 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 lessJammu & Kashmir: about as warm as its own usual or lessAksai Chin: about as warm as its own usual or lessGaza: 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: 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: too little coverage to readCook Islands: too little coverage to readAruba: too little coverage to readNauru: 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: about as warm as its own usual or lessNorfolk Island: too little coverage to readSint Maarten: too little coverage to readChristmas Island: about as warm as its own usual or lessGibraltar: about as warm as its own usual or lessMayotte: too little coverage to readPuerto Rico: warmth about its own usualTunisia: warmth about its own usualSaudi Arabia: warmth about its own usualJamaica: warmth about its own usualArgentina: warmth about its own usualAfghanistan: warmth about its own usualAbu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates -- health: 12 stories, carried by 10 outletsTillsonburg, Canada -- health: 16 stories, carried by 30 outletsBangassou, Central African Republic -- conflict & violence: 13 stories, carried by 16 outletsKabul, Afghanistan -- conflict & violence: 38 stories, carried by 36 outletsMaryland, US -- health: 17 stories, carried by 36 outletsGlasgow, UK -- health: 40 stories, carried by 127 outletsNorth Carolina, US -- health: 27 stories, carried by 78 outletsMiddlesbrough, UK -- health: 18 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

● Abu Dhabi United Arab Emirates about twice as warm as the day's news · health · 12 stories ● Tillsonburg Canada about twice as warm as the day's news · health · 16 stories ● Bangassou Central African Republic about one and a half times as warm as the day's news · conflict & violence · 13 stories ● Kabul Afghanistan about one and a half times as warm as the day's news · conflict & violence · 38 stories ● Maryland US about one and a half times as warm as the day's news · health · 17 stories

The day in three measures

Parts of life 30 days →

Health64% 15,433 stories · more than usual (usually 61%) Rights & justice15% 3,538 stories · about as usual Disasters & accidents7% 1,764 stories · about as usual Conflict & violence6% 1,453 stories · about as usual Deaths & injuries, cause not given4% 1,001 stories · about as usual Shelter & services2% 427 stories · about as usual Food & livelihood1% 230 stories · about as usual Displacement1% 187 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 killed6,638 at about the usual rate Stories reporting arrests1,832 at about the usual rate Stories reporting people affected1,375 at about the usual rate Stories reporting people injured1,213 at about the usual rate Stories reporting abductions124 at about half the usual rate · most about Nigeria and the US Stories reporting refugees113 at about two-thirds of the usual rate · most about the US and the UK Stories reporting people displaced72 at about half the usual rate · most about Niger and the US Stories reporting evacuations61 at about two-thirds of the usual rate · most about the US and Australia Stories reporting people falling ill36 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 about as 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.