← 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 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 lessPuerto 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: 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: 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: too little coverage to readTaiwan: 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: too little coverage to readSouth 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: 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 lessPhilippines: about as warm as its own usual or lessPeru: too little coverage to readParaguay: about as warm as its own usual or lessPapua New Guinea: too little coverage to readPanama: too little coverage to readPalau: 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 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: 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 lessMalaysia: about as warm as its own usual or lessMalawi: too little coverage to readMadagascar: about as warm as its own usual or lessNorth Macedonia: too little coverage to readLuxembourg: 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: 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: 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: 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 lessFiji: about as warm as its own usual or lessEthiopia: about as warm as its own usual or lessEstonia: too little coverage to readEritrea: 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: about as warm as its own usual or lessDenmark: 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: too little coverage to readCuba: 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: too little coverage to readBrazil: 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: 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 lessArgentina: about as warm as its own usual or lessAntigua & Barbuda: too little coverage to readAngola: 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 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: 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: too little coverage to readTurks & Caicos Islands: too little coverage to readMontserrat: about as warm as its own usual or lessJersey: 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: too little coverage to readGibraltar: too little coverage to readMayotte: too little coverage to readSouth Korea: warmth about its own usualIlminster, UK -- health: 16 stories, carried by 11 outletsKatsina, Nigeria -- rights & justice: 13 stories, carried by 11 outletsHouston County, US -- rights & justice: 15 stories, carried by 24 outletsArizona, US -- rights & justice: 47 stories, carried by 56 outletsKampala, Uganda -- rights & justice: 39 stories, carried by 37 outletsHo Chi Minh City, Vietnam -- health: 13 stories, carried by 12 outletsLake District, UK -- health: 17 stories, carried by 12 outletsWinnipeg, Canada -- 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

● Ilminster UK about one and a half times as warm as the day's news · health · 16 stories ● Katsina Nigeria about one and a half times as warm as the day's news · rights & justice · 13 stories ● Houston County US about one and a half times as warm as the day's news · rights & justice · 15 stories ● Arizona US about one and a half times as warm as the day's news · rights & justice · 47 stories ● Kampala Uganda about one and a half times as warm as the day's news · rights & justice · 39 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.