Madagascar
11 of its 13 stories (85%) were about people being harmed, usually 21%. Reports of people affected ran at about three times the usual rate (5 stories). Drought was named in 10 of its stories about harm, about 5 times usual.
What the world's news said happened to people.
Counts of coverage, not of suffering
We measure how the world's news covered people being harmed — and the help and hope within it.
The day's news pointed at the drought in Madagascar, people killed in Syria and the earthquake in Haiti. Syria's coverage was about three times as angry as the world's. Language across the world's news ran harsher than usual.
Part of lifeHealth
55 in 100 of the stories about harm · less than usual
Country that rose mostSyria
73 in 100 of its 161 stories, usually 56
RegionLatin America & Caribbean
34 in 100 of its stories, usually 31
Tone of the words
Harsher than usual
across the world's stories about harm
What the world's news was about today
how these are picked →Syria
117 of its 161 stories (73%) were about people being harmed, usually 56%. Reports of people killed ran at about twice the usual rate (90 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.
Haiti
12 of its 22 stories (55%) were about people being harmed, usually 32%. Reports of people affected ran at about 4 times the usual rate (6 stories). Earthquake was named in 11 of its stories about harm, about 7 times usual.
Armenia
40 of its 94 stories (43%) were about people being harmed, usually 30%. Reports of arrests ran at about twice the usual rate (14 stories).
6 more places the news pointed at
Switzerland
81 of its 243 stories (33%) were about people being harmed, usually 18%. Reports of people killed ran at about twice the usual rate (24 stories). Anger in its coverage rose to about one and a half times its own usual.
Lebanon
73 of its 132 stories (55%) were about people being harmed, usually 42%. Beirut accounted for 55 of Lebanon's 73 stories about harm, carried by 98 outlets. Reports of arrests ran at about 4 times the usual rate (14 stories).
Cuba
41 of its 84 stories (49%) were about people being harmed, usually 40%. Reports of people injured ran at about twice the usual rate (5 stories). Its coverage was about three times as fearful as the world's.
Australia
Reports of evacuations ran at about twice the usual rate (7 stories). Heatwave was named in 10 of its stories about harm, about 4 times usual. Anger in its coverage rose to about one and a half times its own usual.
Jordan
60 of its 164 stories (37%) were about people being harmed, usually 21%. Reports of people injured ran at about 4 times the usual rate (5 stories).
Indonesia
199 of its 332 stories (60%) were about people being harmed, usually 48%. Jakarta accounted for 111 of Indonesia's 199 stories about harm, carried by 374 outlets.
Also named far more than usual: earthquake in Greece (14 of its stories, about 4 times its usual); storms in Canada (24 of its stories, about 4 times its usual); heatwave in Australia (10 of its stories, about 4 times its usual); extreme cold in China (11 of its stories, about 8 times its usual); snowstorms in UK (31 of its stories, about three times its usual).
27 in 100 stories were about harm
usually 28; 27 the day beforeStories about people being harmed, in every 100 stories, the 30 days to 13 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 27,463 stories about harm among 101,639 counted on 13 Jan.
Read the day's briefing
In Madagascar, 85% of the news was about people being harmed, where 21% is usual. Stories about people being harmed made up 27 in every 100 of the day's 101,639 stories, as usual. Mentions of the earthquake ran about 7 times their usual in Haiti's news. A year earlier, on 14 January 2020, 19 in every 100 stories were about people being harmed, against 27 today.
- 27 in every 100 of the day's 101,639 news stories were about people being harmed (usually 28).
- Madagascar: 11 of its 13 stories (85%) were about people being harmed, usually 21%.
- Syria: 117 of its 161 stories (73%) were about people being harmed, usually 56%.
- Haiti: 12 of its 22 stories (55%) were about people being harmed, usually 32%.
- Armenia: 40 of its 94 stories (43%) were about people being harmed, usually 30%.
- Mentions of the earthquake ran about 7 times their usual in Haiti's news.
- Mentions of the drought ran about 5 times their usual in Madagascar's news.
- Across the world, the words of the day's news were harsher than usual.
- A year earlier, on 14 January 2020, 19 in every 100 stories were about people being harmed, against 27 today.
Written by code from the day's numbers.
Where harm was most of the news all →
Syria73 in 100 of its 161 stories · usually 56 · mostly conflict & violence Palestine63 in 100 of its 70 stories · usually 49 · mostly conflict & violence Central African Republic62 in 100 of its 50 stories · usually 68 · mostly conflict & violence Indonesia60 in 100 of its 332 stories · usually 48 · mostly health Sudan58 in 100 of its 59 stories · usually 49 · mostly conflict & violenceCountries with at least 50 stories that day.
Where people protested
Washington US1842 stories about protests or strikes, of its 2756 Delhi India62 stories about protests or strikes, of its 291 New York US60 stories about protests or strikes, of its 283 Hollywood US59 stories about protests or strikes, of its 259 Manhattan US59 stories about protests or strikes, of its 168Stories, not people.
Where it happened
feelings in full →
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.
Biggest events
● Washington US protests & strikes · 2,756 stories, 1,967 outlets ● Tehran Iran attacks & violence · 73 stories, 100 outlets ● Deir Ezzor Syria attacks & violence · 40 stories, 43 outlets ● Kabul Afghanistan attacks & violence · 46 stories, 99 outlets ● Alexandria Egypt protests & strikes · 27 stories, 69 outlets ● Harlingen US protests & strikes · 15 stories, 41 outlets ● Bangui Central African Republic attacks & violence · 27 stories, 37 outlets ● Havana Cuba attacks & violence · 24 stories, 26 outletsThe day in three measures
Parts of life 30 days →
Health55% 15,023 stories · less than usual (usually 60%) Rights & justice20% 5,352 stories · more than usual (usually 15%) Conflict & violence11% 2,896 stories · more than usual (usually 8%) Disasters & accidents7% 1,799 stories · less than usual (usually 9%) Deaths & injuries, cause not given4% 963 stories · about as usual Shelter & services2% 638 stories · about as usual Food & livelihood1% 321 stories · about as usual Displacement1% 264 stories · about as usualOf the stories about people being harmed, what part of life each was about. The mark is usual.
Harm reported 30 days →
Stories reporting people killed8,291 at about the usual rate Stories reporting arrests1,978 at about the usual rate Stories reporting people affected1,535 at about the usual rate Stories reporting people injured1,154 at about two-thirds of the usual rate · most about the US and Canada Stories reporting refugees139 at about the usual rate Stories reporting abductions119 at about half the usual rate · most about Nigeria and the US Stories reporting people displaced117 at about the usual rate Stories reporting evacuations71 at about half the usual rate · most about the US and the UK Stories reporting people falling ill38 at about the usual rateStories 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 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
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These are counts of stories, not counts of suffering. Most of what happens to people is never reported at all.