← 26 May Thursday 27 May 2021 · to 23:59 UTC 28 May →
What the world's news said happened to people.
Counts of coverage, not of suffering
22,474 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 →

Most of the day's attention went to the hunger in Ethiopia, violence in Kigali and the earthquake in Congo. Rwanda's coverage was about three times as grief-stricken as the world's. Over the whole world, the tone was about as usual.

Part of lifeHealth 49 in 100 of the stories about harm · less than usual Country that rose mostRwanda 83 in 100 of its 162 stories, usually 50
RegionEast Asia 27 in 100 of its stories, usually 22
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 →
Rights & justice

Ethiopia

67 of its 105 stories (64%) were about people being harmed, usually 45%. Tigray accounted for 49 of Ethiopia's 67 stories about harm, carried by 77 outlets. Reports of abductions ran at more than ten times the usual rate (8 stories). Hunger was named in 29 of its stories about harm, about 5 times usual. Its coverage was about one and a half times as angry as the world's.

Ethiopia over 30 days → its stories → Tigray stories →
Conflict & violence

Rwanda

134 of its 162 stories (83%) were about people being harmed, usually 50%. Kigali accounted for 72 of Rwanda's 134 stories about harm, carried by 150 outlets. Reports of evacuations ran at about 5 times the usual rate (32 stories). Its coverage was about three times as grief-stricken as the world's.

Rwanda over 30 days → its stories → Kigali stories →
Disasters & accidents

Congo

39 of its 46 stories (85%) were about people being harmed, usually 62%. Reports of evacuations ran at about 5 times the usual rate (9 stories). Earthquake was named in 13 of its stories about harm, about 9 times usual. Its coverage was about one and a half times as fearful as the world's.

Congo over 30 days → its stories →
Health

Australia

Reports of evacuations ran at about three times the usual rate (6 stories). Outbreaks were named in 167 of its stories about harm, about 4 times usual. Its coverage was about one and a half times as fearful as the world's.

Australia over 30 days → its stories →
6 more places the news pointed at
Disasters & accidents

Sri Lanka

92 of its 190 stories (48%) were about people being harmed, usually 35%. Colombo accounted for 75 of Sri Lanka's 92 stories about harm, carried by 81 outlets. Reports of evacuations ran at more than ten times the usual rate (11 stories). Oil spill was named in 28 of its stories about harm, more than ten times usual, with heavy rain.

its stories →
Rights & justice

Belarus

219 of its 358 stories (61%) were about people being harmed, usually 52%. Minsk accounted for 204 of Belarus' 219 stories about harm, carried by 309 outlets. Its coverage was about one and a half times as fearful as the world's.

its stories →
Protests & strikes

Iraq

20 of Baghdad's 29 stories were about protests or strikes. Reports of arrests ran at about three times the usual rate (17 stories). Its coverage was about one and a half times as fearful as the world's.

its stories →
Disasters & accidents

Vanuatu

12 of its 14 stories (86%) were about people being harmed, usually 31%. Volcanic eruption was named in 10 of its stories about harm, about 9 times usual.

its stories →
Health

Taiwan

107 of its 201 stories (53%) were about people being harmed, usually 39%. Taipei accounted for 71 of Taiwan's 107 stories about harm, carried by 119 outlets.

its stories →
Health

China

883 of its 2,552 stories (35%) were about people being harmed, usually 24%. Reports of people falling ill ran at about 4 times the usual rate (8 stories).

its stories →

Also named far more than usual: oil spill in Sri Lanka (28 of its stories, more than ten times its usual); natural hazards in DR Congo (11 of its stories, about 6 times its usual); cyclone in Bangladesh (23 of its stories, about 6 times its usual); volcanic eruption in Vanuatu (10 of its stories, about 9 times its usual); drought in France (29 of its stories, more than ten times its usual).

24 in 100 stories were about harm

usually 25; 24 the day before
29 in 10024 in 10028 Apr5 May12 May19 May27 May28 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 1006 May: 24 in 1007 May: 24 in 1008 May: 26 in 1009 May: 27 in 10010 May: 25 in 10011 May: 25 in 10012 May: 25 in 10013 May: 24 in 10014 May: 24 in 10015 May: 26 in 10016 May: 28 in 10017 May: 25 in 10018 May: 24 in 10019 May: 24 in 10020 May: 24 in 10021 May: 24 in 10022 May: 26 in 10023 May: 29 in 10024 May: 24 in 10025 May: 24 in 10026 May: 24 in 10027 May: 24 in 100 · this day

Stories about people being harmed, in every 100 stories, the 30 days to 27 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 22,474 stories about harm among 93,599 counted on 27 May.

Read the day's briefing

Mentions of outbreaks ran about 4 times their usual in Australia's news. of the day's 93,599 news stories, 24 in every 100 were about people being harmed, as usual. On 27 May 2020, a year earlier, the share was 32 in every 100, against 24 today. Ethiopia's news was 64% about people being harmed, against a usual 45%.

Written by code from the day's numbers.

Where harm was most of the news all →

Rwanda83 in 100 of its 162 stories · usually 50 · mostly conflict & violence Mozambique64 in 100 of its 50 stories · usually 59 · mostly conflict & violence Ethiopia64 in 100 of its 105 stories · usually 45 · mostly rights & justice Belarus61 in 100 of its 358 stories · usually 52 · mostly rights & justice Afghanistan59 in 100 of its 162 stories · usually 65 · mostly conflict & violence

Countries with at least 50 stories that day.

Where people protested

Washington US195 stories about protests or strikes, of its 781 Jerusalem Israel126 stories about protests or strikes, of its 340 Minsk Belarus87 stories about protests or strikes, of its 204 Beijing China65 stories about protests or strikes, of its 189 Delhi India65 stories about protests or strikes, of its 374

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: about as warm as its own usual or lessUzbekistan: about as warm as its own usual or lessUruguay: about as warm as its own usual or lessMicronesia: 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 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: about as warm as its own usual or lessThailand: 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 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 readSudan: 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: too little coverage to readSlovakia: 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: 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 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: about as warm as its own usual or lessParaguay: about as warm as its own usual or lessPapua New Guinea: too little coverage to readPanama: too little coverage to readPalau: too little coverage to readOman: 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: about as warm as its own usual or lessNetherlands: about as warm as its own usual or lessCuraçao: too little coverage to readNepal: about as warm as its own usual or lessNamibia: 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: about as warm as its own usual or lessMexico: about as warm as its own usual or lessMauritius: too little coverage to readMauritania: about as warm as its own usual or lessMalta: 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: 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: too little coverage to readLaos: 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: about as warm as its own usual or lessKenya: about as warm as its own usual or lessKazakhstan: 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 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: too little coverage to readHaiti: about as warm as its own usual or lessGuyana: about as warm as its own usual or lessGuinea-Bissau: about as warm as its own usual or lessGuinea: about as warm as its own usual or lessGuatemala: about as warm as its own usual or lessGrenada: too little coverage to readGreece: 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: too little coverage to readGabon: too little coverage to readFrance: about as warm as its own usual or lessSt Pierre & Miquelon: too little coverage to readFrench Polynesia: about as warm as its own usual or lessNew Caledonia: too little coverage to readFrench Southern Territories: too little coverage to readÅland Islands: too little coverage to readFinland: too little coverage to readFiji: 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: too little coverage to readEgypt: about as warm as its own usual or lessEcuador: about as warm as its own usual or lessDominican Republic: too little coverage to readDominica: too little coverage to readDjibouti: about as warm as its own usual or lessGreenland: 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: 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 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: 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: too little coverage to readBelize: 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: about as warm as its own usual or lessBahamas: 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: too little coverage to readJammu & Kashmir: about as warm as its own usual or lessAksai Chin: too little coverage to readWestern 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 lessAzad Kashmir & Gilgit-Baltistan: about as warm as its own usual or lessVatican City: too little coverage to readMarshall Islands: about as warm as its own usual or lessNorthern 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: about as warm as its own usual or lessBermuda: about as warm as its own usual or lessBritish Virgin Islands: too little coverage to readTurks & Caicos Islands: too little coverage to readMontserrat: too little coverage to readJersey: too little coverage to readGuernsey: too little coverage to readSan Marino: about as warm as its own usual or lessSt Kitts & Nevis: about as warm as its own usual or lessCook Islands: too little coverage to readAruba: too little coverage to readNauru: too little coverage to readMonaco: about as warm as its own usual or lessMaldives: 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: about as warm as its own usual or lessMayotte: too little coverage to readUkraine: warmth about its own usualSyria: warmth about its own usualSouth Sudan: warmth about its own usualRomania: warmth about its own usualPakistan: warmth about its own usualJordan: warmth about its own usualPalestine: warmth about its own usualCambodia: warmth about its own usualAfghanistan: warmth about its own usualPalestine: warmth about its own usualPalestine: warmth about its own usualUkraine: warmth about its own usualPalestine: warmth about its own usualHapuna Beach, US -- disasters & accidents: 19 stories, carried by 81 outletsDayton, US -- health: 26 stories, carried by 190 outletsCabo Delgado, Mozambique -- conflict & violence: 15 stories, carried by 14 outletsPerth, Australia -- health: 16 stories, carried by 30 outletsSwindon, UK -- health: 32 stories, carried by 24 outletsNairobi, Kenya -- health: 19 stories, carried by 17 outletsWellington, New Zealand -- health: 21 stories, carried by 10 outletsKabul, Afghanistan -- conflict & violence: 48 stories, carried by 88 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

● Hapuna Beach US about one and a half times as warm as the day's news · disasters & accidents · 19 stories ● Dayton US about one and a half times as warm as the day's news · health · 26 stories ● Cabo Delgado Mozambique about one and a half times as warm as the day's news · conflict & violence · 15 stories ● Perth Australia about one and a half times as warm as the day's news · health · 16 stories ● Swindon UK about one and a half times as warm as the day's news · health · 32 stories

The day in three measures

Parts of life 30 days →

Health49% 10,949 stories · less than usual (usually 52%) Rights & justice20% 4,546 stories · more than usual (usually 18%) Disasters & accidents10% 2,283 stories · about as usual Conflict & violence10% 2,191 stories · about as usual Deaths & injuries, cause not given4% 945 stories · about as usual Shelter & services2% 549 stories · about as usual Food & livelihood2% 528 stories · about as usual Displacement1% 268 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 killed6,050 at about the usual rate Stories reporting arrests1,785 at about the usual rate Stories reporting people affected1,721 at about the usual rate Stories reporting people injured984 at about two-thirds of the usual rate · most about the US and Israel Stories reporting evacuations193 at about one and a half times the usual rate · most about India and Rwanda Stories reporting people displaced164 at about the usual rate Stories reporting abductions163 at about the usual rate Stories reporting refugees145 at about the usual rate Stories reporting people falling ill30 at about one and a half times the usual rate · most about the US and China

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.