← 4 May Wednesday 5 May 2021 · to 23:59 UTC 6 May →
What the world's news said happened to people.
Counts of coverage, not of suffering
23,033 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 protests in Bogota (Colombia), violence in Kabul and rights and justice in Denmark. Afghanistan's coverage was about three times as angry as the world's. Language across the world's news ran softer than usual.

Part of lifeHealth 55 in 100 of the stories about harm · about as usual Country that rose mostColombia 61 in 100 of its 153 stories, usually 39
RegionEast Asia 25 in 100 of its stories, usually 21
Tone of the words Softer than usual across the world's stories about harm

What the world's news was about today

how these are picked →
Protests & strikes

Colombia

94 of its 153 stories (61%) were about people being harmed, usually 39%. Bogota accounted for 40 of Colombia's 94 stories about harm, carried by 45 outlets. 35 of Bogota's 40 stories were about protests or strikes. Reports of people injured ran at about 4 times the usual rate (43 stories). Its coverage was about three times as angry as the world's.

Conflict & violence

Afghanistan

Kabul accounted for 46 of Afghanistan's 117 stories about harm, carried by 66 outlets. Reports of people displaced ran at about 4 times the usual rate (15 stories). Flooding was named in 10 of its stories about harm, about 9 times usual. Its coverage was about three times as angry as the world's.

Rights & justice

Denmark

82 of its 186 stories (44%) were about people being harmed, usually 31%. Its coverage was about one and a half times as fearful as the world's. Anger in its coverage rose to about twice its own usual.

6 more places the news pointed at
Conflict & violence

Iran

72 of its 152 stories (47%) were about people being harmed, usually 33%. Tehran accounted for 40 of Iran's 72 stories about harm, carried by 66 outlets. Its coverage was about one and a half times as fearful as the world's.

Conflict & violence

Syria

86 of its 128 stories (67%) were about people being harmed, usually 54%. Reports of people injured ran at about 4 times the usual rate (40 stories). Its coverage was about twice as angry as the world's.

Protests & strikes

Yemen

41 of its 56 stories (73%) were about people being harmed, usually 61%. 4 of Sanaa's 6 stories were about protests or strikes. Its coverage was about one and a half times as fearful as the world's.

Conflict & violence

Palestine

37 of its 64 stories (58%) were about people being harmed, usually 48%. Reports of people injured ran at about three times the usual rate (14 stories). Its coverage was about one and a half times as fearful as the world's.

Protests & strikes

Burkina Faso

21 of its 23 stories (91%) were about people being harmed, usually 70%. 3 of Kodyel's 6 stories were about protests or strikes.

Health

Nepal

Kathmandu accounted for 35 of Nepal's 45 stories about harm, carried by 102 outlets. Outbreaks were named in 17 of its stories about harm, about three times usual.

Also named far more than usual: covid in Indonesia (29 of its stories, about three times its usual); outbreaks in Nepal (17 of its stories, about three times its usual); earthquake in Mexico (36 of its stories, about 4 times its usual); flooding in South Africa (14 of its stories, about 6 times its usual); heavy rain in UK (16 of its stories, about three times its usual).

24 in 100 stories were about harm

usually 25; 24 the day before
28 in 10024 in 1006 Apr13 Apr20 Apr27 Apr5 May6 Apr: 25 in 1007 Apr: 25 in 1008 Apr: 25 in 1009 Apr: 25 in 10010 Apr: 27 in 10011 Apr: 28 in 10012 Apr: 25 in 10013 Apr: 26 in 10014 Apr: 25 in 10015 Apr: 24 in 10016 Apr: 25 in 10017 Apr: 27 in 10018 Apr: 28 in 10019 Apr: 25 in 10020 Apr: 25 in 10021 Apr: 24 in 10022 Apr: 24 in 10023 Apr: 24 in 10024 Apr: 28 in 10025 Apr: 28 in 10026 Apr: 24 in 10027 Apr: 24 in 10028 Apr: 24 in 10029 Apr: 24 in 10030 Apr: 24 in 1001 May: 25 in 1002 May: 25 in 1003 May: 25 in 1004 May: 24 in 1005 May: 24 in 100 · this day

Stories about people being harmed, in every 100 stories, the 30 days to 5 May. 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 23,033 stories about harm among 95,958 counted on 5 May.

Read the day's briefing

The news turned to Colombia for the fourth day running. 24 in every 100 of the day's 95,958 news stories were about people being harmed, below the usual 25. In Indonesia's news, mentions of Covid ran about three times their usual. A year earlier, on 5 May 2020, 35 in every 100 stories were about people being harmed, against 24 today. Colombia's news was 61% about people being harmed, against a usual 39%.

Written by code from the day's numbers.

Where it happened

feelings in full →
Feelings Events Harm Warmth
Medan, Indonesia -- disease & outbreaks: 15 stories, carried by 13 outlets; harsh wording in 93 in 100Nadda, India -- attacks & violence: 19 stories, carried by 16 outlets; harsh wording in 100 in 100Allahabad, India -- attacks & violence: 14 stories, carried by 15 outlets; harsh wording in 100 in 100Puebla, Mexico -- accidents & disasters: 11 stories, carried by 81 outlets; harsh wording in 55 in 100Yangon, Myanmar -- protests & strikes: 19 stories, carried by 29 outlets; harsh wording in 100 in 100Kirkuk, Iraq -- attacks & violence: 12 stories, carried by 16 outlets; harsh wording in 100 in 100Jakarta, Indonesia -- disease & outbreaks: 23 stories, carried by 30 outlets; harsh wording in 96 in 100Prince Edward Island, Canada -- deaths, cause not given: 6 stories, carried by 28 outlets; harsh wording in 100 in 100Essex, UK -- deaths, cause not given: 19 stories, carried by 185 outlets; harsh wording in 16 in 100Damascus, Syria -- attacks & violence: 20 stories, carried by 46 outlets; harsh wording in 95 in 100Jerusalem, Israel -- attacks & violence: 72 stories, carried by 70 outlets; harsh wording in 89 in 100Baghlan, Afghanistan -- attacks & violence: 13 stories, carried by 23 outlets; harsh wording in 100 in 100Latakia, Syria -- attacks & violence: 29 stories, carried by 32 outlets; harsh wording in 100 in 100Quetta, Pakistan -- attacks & violence: 19 stories, carried by 32 outlets; harsh wording in 100 in 100Xinjiang, China -- attacks & violence: 53 stories, carried by 62 outlets; harsh wording in 92 in 100Inverness, UK -- accidents & disasters: 7 stories, carried by 67 outlets; harsh wording in 86 in 100Tehran, Iran -- attacks & violence: 40 stories, carried by 66 outlets; harsh wording in 98 in 100Bogota, Colombia -- protests & strikes: 40 stories, carried by 45 outlets; harsh wording in 100 in 100Graves County, US -- accidents & disasters: 13 stories, carried by 132 outlets; harsh wording in 100 in 100Kabul, Afghanistan -- attacks & violence: 46 stories, carried by 66 outlets; harsh wording in 93 in 100Baghdad, Iraq -- attacks & violence: 35 stories, carried by 99 outlets; harsh wording in 100 in 100Hattiesburg, US -- deaths, cause not given: 43 stories, carried by 125 outlets; harsh wording in 100 in 100Mexico City, Mexico -- accidents & disasters: 99 stories, carried by 135 outlets; harsh wording in 97 in 100Kathmandu, Nepal -- disease & outbreaks: 35 stories, carried by 102 outlets; harsh wording in 80 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 softer than usual. Filled dot: today. Ring: usual.

● Angerabout as usual
● Warmthabout as usual
● Griefa little less 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.