← 7 Jan Friday 8 January 2021 · to 23:59 UTC 9 Jan →
What the world's news said happened to people.
Counts of coverage, not of suffering
26,530 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 →

Illness in Thimphu, violence in Bali and protests in Hong Kong drew the news. Bhutan's coverage was about twice as grief-stricken as the world's. In the world's news as a whole, the wording was much harsher than usual.

Help and hope: reports of people freed or reunited ran at about one and a half times the usual rate →
Part of lifeHealth 53 in 100 of the stories about harm · much less than usual Country that rose mostIndonesia 58 in 100 of its 243 stories, usually 45
RegionNorth America 36 in 100 of its stories, usually 33
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 →
Health

Bhutan

18 of its 21 stories (86%) were about people being harmed, usually 32%. Thimphu accounted for 17 of Bhutan's 18 stories about harm, carried by 15 outlets. Reports of people killed ran at about three times the usual rate (7 stories). Covid was named in 17 of its stories about harm, about three times usual. Its coverage was about twice as grief-stricken as the world's.

Bhutan over 30 days → its stories → Thimphu stories →
Conflict & violence

Indonesia

141 of its 243 stories (58%) were about people being harmed, usually 45%. Bali accounted for 63 of Indonesia's 141 stories about harm, carried by 292 outlets. Reports of evacuations ran at about three times the usual rate (7 stories). Its coverage was about one and a half times as angry as the world's.

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

Iran

148 of its 256 stories (58%) were about people being harmed, usually 46%. Tehran accounted for 99 of Iran's 148 stories about harm, carried by 117 outlets. Plane crash was named in 23 of its stories about harm, more than ten times usual, with hiv. Its coverage was about one and a half times as angry as the world's.

its stories →
Conflict & violence

Pakistan

331 of its 743 stories (45%) were about people being harmed, usually 36%. Reports of abductions ran at about twice the usual rate (18 stories). Its coverage was about twice as fearful as the world's.

its stories →
Conflict & violence

Iraq

50 of its 77 stories (65%) were about people being harmed, usually 56%. Baghdad accounted for 32 of Iraq's 50 stories about harm, carried by 109 outlets. Its coverage was about twice as angry as the world's.

its stories →
Conflict & violence

Romania

32 of its 81 stories (40%) were about people being harmed, usually 24%. Its coverage was about one and a half times as fearful as the world's.

its stories →
Conflict & violence

Somalia

17 of its 23 stories (74%) were about people being harmed, usually 47%. Its coverage was about one and a half times as angry as the world's.

its stories →
Conflict & violence

Cameroon

25 of its 56 stories (45%) were about people being harmed, usually 32%. Its coverage was about twice as grief-stricken as the world's.

its stories →

Also named far more than usual: flooding in Malaysia (26 of its stories, about 4 times its usual); plane crash in Iran (23 of its stories, more than ten times its usual); snowstorms in Kashmir (11 of its stories, about three times its usual); flu in India (140 of its stories, about 5 times its usual); flu in France (15 of its stories, about 5 times its usual).

29 in 100 stories were about harm

usually 27; 28 the day before
31 in 10024 in 10010 Dec17 Dec24 Dec31 Dec8 Jan10 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 1006 Jan: 27 in 1007 Jan: 28 in 1008 Jan: 29 in 100 · this day

Stories about people being harmed, in every 100 stories, the 30 days to 8 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 26,530 stories about harm among 92,993 counted on 8 Jan.

Read the day's briefing

Reports of people freed or reunited, a sign of help, ran at about one and a half times the usual rate. 29 in every 100 of the day's 92,993 news stories were about people being harmed, above the usual 27. In Bhutan, 86% of the news was about people being harmed, where 32% is usual. Bhutan's news mentioned Covid about three times as often as usual. A year earlier, on 9 January 2020, 20 in every 100 stories were about people being harmed, against 29 today.

Written by code from the day's numbers.

Where harm was most of the news all →

Iraq65 in 100 of its 77 stories · usually 56 · mostly conflict & violence Ethiopia61 in 100 of its 148 stories · usually 61 · mostly deaths & injuries, cause not given Indonesia58 in 100 of its 243 stories · usually 45 · mostly conflict & violence Iran58 in 100 of its 256 stories · usually 46 · mostly health Syria51 in 100 of its 59 stories · usually 55 · mostly conflict & violence

Countries with at least 50 stories that day.

Where people protested

Washington US2709 stories about protests or strikes, of its 3483 Boston US86 stories about protests or strikes, of its 284 Georgia US76 stories about protests or strikes, of its 147 New York US70 stories about protests or strikes, of its 270 Chicago US68 stories about protests or strikes, of its 198

Stories, not people.

Where harm was most of the news

feelings in full →
Feelings Events Harm Warmth
Zambia: near the world's share or lessVietnam: near the world's share or lessVenezuela: near the world's share or lessVanuatu: near the world's share or lessUzbekistan: 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 Arab Emirates: near the world's share or lessUkraine: near the world's share or lessTurkmenistan: near the world's share or lessTurkey: near the world's share or lessTrinidad & Tobago: near the world's share or lessTonga: near the world's share or lessTogo: near the world's share or lessTimor-Leste: no storiesThailand: 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 lessSuriname: near the world's share or lessSouth Sudan: near the world's share or lessSudan: 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 lessSomaliland: no storiesSolomon Islands: near the world's share or lessSlovakia: near the world's share or lessSlovenia: near the world's share or lessSingapore: near the world's share or lessSeychelles: near the world's share or lessSerbia: no storiesSenegal: near the world's share or lessSão Tomé: near the world's share or lessSamoa: 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 lessOman: near the world's share or lessNorway: near the world's share or lessNorth Korea: near the world's share or lessNigeria: 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: near the world's share or lessNetherlands: 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 lessMexico: near the world's share or lessMauritius: 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 lessLibya: near the world's share or lessLiberia: near the world's share or lessLesotho: near the world's share or lessLebanon: 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 lessIndia: near the world's share or lessIceland: near the world's share or lessHonduras: 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 lessFrance: near the world's share or lessSt Pierre & Miquelon: no storiesFrench Polynesia: no storiesNew Caledonia: no storiesFrench Southern Territories: no storiesÅland Islands: no storiesFinland: near the world's share or lessFiji: near the world's share or lessEstonia: near the world's share or lessEritrea: near the world's share or lessEquatorial Guinea: no storiesEl Salvador: near the world's share or lessEgypt: near the world's share or lessDominican Republic: near the world's share or lessDominica: near the world's share or lessDjibouti: near the world's share or lessGreenland: near the world's share or lessFaroe Islands: near the world's share or lessDenmark: 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 lessCôte d'Ivoire: near the world's share or lessCosta Rica: near the world's share or lessComoros: no storiesColombia: near the world's share or lessChina: near the world's share or lessChile: near the world's share or lessChad: near the world's share or lessCentral African Republic: near the world's share or lessCape Verde: no storiesCanada: near the world's share or lessCambodia: near the world's share or lessMyanmar: near the world's share or lessBurundi: 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 lessBotswana: near the world's share or lessBosnia and Herzegovina: near the world's share or lessBolivia: 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 lessBangladesh: 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: no storiesAlgeria: near the world's share or lessAlbania: 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 lessCrimea: 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: near the world's share or lessTurks & Caicos Islands: no storiesMontserrat: near the world's share or lessJersey: near the world's share or lessGuernsey: near the world's share or lessSan Marino: near the world's share or lessSt 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: no storiesWallis & Futuna: no storiesSt. Martin: no storiesSt. Barthélemy: no storiesMacao: near the world's share or lessNorfolk Island: no storiesSint Maarten: no storiesChristmas Island: no storiesGibraltar: near the world's share or lessMayotte: no storiesZimbabwe: 40 in 100 of its 218 stories were about people being harmed (the world's: 29)Yemen: 60 in 100 of its 20 stories were about people being harmed (the world's: 29)US: 36 in 100 of its 31,647 stories were about people being harmed (the world's: 29)UK: 36 in 100 of its 7,306 stories were about people being harmed (the world's: 29)Uganda: 49 in 100 of its 175 stories were about people being harmed (the world's: 29)Tunisia: 53 in 100 of its 38 stories were about people being harmed (the world's: 29)Syria: 51 in 100 of its 59 stories were about people being harmed (the world's: 29)Eswatini: 78 in 100 of its 9 stories were about people being harmed (the world's: 29)South Africa: 40 in 100 of its 652 stories were about people being harmed (the world's: 29)Somalia: 74 in 100 of its 23 stories were about people being harmed (the world's: 29)Sierra Leone: 71 in 100 of its 14 stories were about people being harmed (the world's: 29)Saudi Arabia: 38 in 100 of its 212 stories were about people being harmed (the world's: 29)St Vincent: 61 in 100 of its 18 stories were about people being harmed (the world's: 29)Philippines: 48 in 100 of its 523 stories were about people being harmed (the world's: 29)Pakistan: 45 in 100 of its 743 stories were about people being harmed (the world's: 29)Mozambique: 62 in 100 of its 16 stories were about people being harmed (the world's: 29)Mali: 52 in 100 of its 23 stories were about people being harmed (the world's: 29)Lithuania: 52 in 100 of its 29 stories were about people being harmed (the world's: 29)Israel: 42 in 100 of its 310 stories were about people being harmed (the world's: 29)Palestine: 57 in 100 of its 44 stories were about people being harmed (the world's: 29)Iraq: 65 in 100 of its 77 stories were about people being harmed (the world's: 29)Iran: 58 in 100 of its 256 stories were about people being harmed (the world's: 29)Indonesia: 58 in 100 of its 243 stories were about people being harmed (the world's: 29)Hungary: 46 in 100 of its 57 stories were about people being harmed (the world's: 29)Ethiopia: 61 in 100 of its 148 stories were about people being harmed (the world's: 29)Ecuador: 73 in 100 of its 11 stories were about people being harmed (the world's: 29)Croatia: 62 in 100 of its 32 stories were about people being harmed (the world's: 29)DR Congo: 67 in 100 of its 15 stories were about people being harmed (the world's: 29)Congo: 60 in 100 of its 25 stories were about people being harmed (the world's: 29)Hong Kong: 47 in 100 of its 129 stories were about people being harmed (the world's: 29)Cameroon: 45 in 100 of its 56 stories were about people being harmed (the world's: 29)Brazil: 41 in 100 of its 211 stories were about people being harmed (the world's: 29)Bhutan: 86 in 100 of its 21 stories were about people being harmed (the world's: 29)Afghanistan: 45 in 100 of its 66 stories were about people being harmed (the world's: 29)Kashmir: 39 in 100 of its 136 stories were about people being harmed (the world's: 29)Palestine: 57 in 100 of its 44 stories were about people being harmed (the world's: 29)Palestine: 57 in 100 of its 44 stories were about people being harmed (the world's: 29)Kashmir: 39 in 100 of its 136 stories were about people being harmed (the world's: 29)Kashmir: 39 in 100 of its 136 stories were about people being harmed (the world's: 29)Palestine: 57 in 100 of its 44 stories were about people being harmed (the world's: 29)Kashmir: 39 in 100 of its 136 stories were about people being harmed (the world's: 29)
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 29 in 100 that day. Stronger colour: further above. A country with few stories is drawn closer to the world's. Click a country.

Most of its news about harm

● Iran 58 in 100 of its 256 stories · mostly health ● Indonesia 58 in 100 of its 243 stories · mostly conflict & violence ● Ethiopia 61 in 100 of its 148 stories · mostly deaths & injuries, cause not given ● Iraq 65 in 100 of its 77 stories · mostly conflict & violence ● Philippines 48 in 100 of its 523 stories · mostly health ● Uganda 49 in 100 of its 175 stories · mostly rights & justice

Stories, not people. Countries with at least 50 stories.

The day in three measures

Parts of life 30 days →

Health53% 13,975 stories · much less than usual (usually 61%) Rights & justice19% 5,135 stories · more than usual (usually 15%) Conflict & violence13% 3,467 stories · much more than usual (usually 7%) Disasters & accidents7% 1,732 stories · less than usual (usually 9%) Deaths & injuries, cause not given4% 1,009 stories · about as usual Shelter & services2% 439 stories · about as usual Displacement1% 360 stories · about as usual Food & livelihood1% 232 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 killed8,817 at about one and a half times the usual rate · most about the US and the UK Stories reporting arrests2,580 at about one and a half times the usual rate · most about the US and India Stories reporting people injured1,376 at about the usual rate Stories reporting people affected1,322 at about two-thirds of the usual rate · most about the US and the UK Stories reporting abductions147 at about two-thirds of the usual rate · most about Nigeria and the US Stories reporting refugees105 at about two-thirds of the usual rate · most about Ethiopia and the US Stories reporting people displaced104 at about two-thirds of the usual rate · most about Nigeria and the US Stories reporting evacuations98 at about the usual rate Stories reporting people falling ill27 at about two-thirds of the usual rate · most about the US and Canada

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 harsher than usual. Filled dot: today. Ring: usual.

● Angera little more than 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.