← 20 Aug Saturday 21 August 2021 · to 23:59 UTC 22 Aug →
What the world's news said happened to people.
Counts of coverage, not of suffering
12,459 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 wildfires in Israel, landslides in Haiti and evacuations in Qatar. Chad's coverage was about one and a half times as angry as the world's. Everywhere we counted, the words were about as usual.

Reports of evacuations ran at about 5 times the usual rate, most often about Afghanistan and the US → Reports of refugees ran at about twice the usual rate, most often about Afghanistan and the US → Help and hope: reports of people freed or reunited ran at about twice the usual rate →
Part of lifeHealth 40 in 100 of the stories about harm · much less than usual Country that rose mostMexico 55 in 100 of its 249 stories, usually 27
RegionSouth Asia 45 in 100 of its stories, usually 34
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 →
Health

Israel

118 of its 179 stories (66%) were about people being harmed, usually 40%. Jerusalem accounted for 45 of Israel's 118 stories about harm, carried by 99 outlets. Reports of people injured ran at about 6 times the usual rate (34 stories). Wildfires were named in 31 of its stories about harm, more than ten times usual.

Israel over 30 days → its stories → Jerusalem stories →
Disasters & accidents

Haiti

94 of its 123 stories (76%) were about people being harmed, usually 61%. les Cayes accounted for 61 of Haiti's 94 stories about harm, carried by 262 outlets. Reports of people injured ran at about 6 times the usual rate (45 stories). Landslides were named in 24 of its stories about harm, more than ten times usual.

Haiti over 30 days → its stories → Les Cayes stories →
Displacement

Qatar

24 of its 62 stories (39%) were about people being harmed, usually 17%. Reports of evacuations ran at more than ten times the usual rate (6 stories). Its coverage was about one and a half times as warm as the world's.

Qatar over 30 days → its stories →
Conflict & violence

Chad

14 of its 28 stories (50%) were about people being harmed, usually 22%. Reports of people injured ran at about 5 times the usual rate (7 stories). Its coverage was about one and a half times as angry as the world's.

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

Sri Lanka

44 of its 78 stories (56%) were about people being harmed, usually 34%. Colombo accounted for 24 of Sri Lanka's 44 stories about harm, carried by 25 outlets. Reports of people affected ran at about three times the usual rate (6 stories). Its coverage was about one and a half times as grief-stricken as the world's.

its stories →
Disasters & accidents

Mexico

138 of its 249 stories (55%) were about people being harmed, usually 27%. Reports of refugees ran at about three times the usual rate (7 stories). Landslides were named in 42 of its stories about harm, more than ten times usual, with heavy rain, storm surge and power cuts.

its stories →
Protests & strikes

Australia

265 of its 803 stories (33%) were about people being harmed, usually 25%. 65 of Sydney's 122 stories were about protests or strikes. Reports of people injured ran at more than ten times the usual rate (32 stories).

its stories →
Health

Bangladesh

Dhaka accounted for 29 of Bangladesh's 47 stories about harm, carried by 20 outlets. Reports of people injured ran at about twice the usual rate (9 stories). Anger in its coverage rose to about one and a half times its own usual.

its stories →
Displacement

Afghanistan

Kabul accounted for 1,303 of Afghanistan's 1,634 stories about harm, carried by 1,158 outlets. Reports of evacuations ran at about three times the usual rate (435 stories). Its coverage was about one and a half times as fearful as the world's.

its stories →
Health

Vietnam

62 of its 125 stories (50%) were about people being harmed, usually 38%. Ho Chi Minh City accounted for 35 of Vietnam's 62 stories about harm, carried by 37 outlets.

its stories →

Also named far more than usual: outbreaks in New Zealand (47 of its stories, about 6 times its usual); landslides in Mexico (42 of its stories, more than ten times its usual); covid in Iran (15 of its stories, about three times its usual); poisoning in Russia (20 of its stories, about 4 times its usual); storm surge in US (255 of its stories, more than ten times its usual).

28 in 100 stories were about harm

usually 24; 25 the day before
28 in 10021 in 10014 Jul21 Jul28 Jul4 Aug21 Aug14 Jul: 22 in 10015 Jul: 23 in 10016 Jul: 24 in 10017 Jul: 26 in 10018 Jul: 25 in 10019 Jul: 23 in 10020 Jul: 23 in 10021 Jul: 23 in 10022 Jul: 23 in 10023 Jul: 24 in 10024 Jul: 25 in 10025 Jul: 25 in 10026 Jul: 24 in 10027 Jul: 23 in 10028 Jul: 23 in 10029 Jul: 23 in 10030 Jul: 24 in 10031 Jul: 25 in 1001 Aug: 25 in 1002 Aug: 24 in 1003 Aug: 23 in 1004 Aug: 21 in 1005 Aug: 24 in 1006 Aug: 24 in 10011 Aug: 24 in 10012 Aug: 24 in 10013 Aug: 25 in 10014 Aug: 27 in 10020 Aug: 25 in 10021 Aug: 28 in 100 · this day

Stories about people being harmed, in every 100 stories, the 30 days to 21 Aug. 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 12,459 stories about harm among 44,890 counted on 21 Aug.

Read the day's briefing

The share of stories about people being harmed was the highest since 23 May 2021. Reports of evacuations ran at about 5 times the usual rate, most often about Afghanistan and the US. On the side of help, reports of people freed or reunited ran at about twice the usual rate. Stories about people being harmed made up 28 in every 100 of the day's 44,890 stories, above the usual 24.

Written by code from the day's numbers.

Where harm was most of the news all →

Haiti76 in 100 of its 123 stories · usually 61 · mostly disasters & accidents Israel66 in 100 of its 179 stories · usually 40 · mostly health Afghanistan63 in 100 of its 2,609 stories · usually 64 · mostly displacement Sri Lanka56 in 100 of its 78 stories · usually 34 · mostly health Mexico55 in 100 of its 249 stories · usually 27 · mostly disasters & accidents

Countries with at least 50 stories that day.

Where people protested

Kabul Afghanistan201 stories about protests or strikes, of its 1303 Washington US67 stories about protests or strikes, of its 402 Sydney Australia65 stories about protests or strikes, of its 122 Melbourne Australia33 stories about protests or strikes, of its 50 Jerusalem Israel19 stories about protests or strikes, of its 45

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: too little coverage to readUruguay: 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: about as warm as its own usual or lessUnited 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: about as warm as its own usual or lessUnited 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: too little coverage to readTurkey: 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: too little coverage to readTajikistan: about as warm as its own usual or lessTaiwan: about as warm as its own usual or lessSyria: about as warm as its own usual or lessSwitzerland: too little coverage to readSweden: about as warm as its own usual or lessEswatini: too little coverage to readSuriname: about as warm as its own usual or lessSouth 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: 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: too little coverage to readSlovenia: too little coverage to readSingapore: too little coverage to readSierra Leone: too little coverage to readSeychelles: too little coverage to readSerbia: 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: about as warm as its own usual or lessSt. 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 lessRomania: 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: too little coverage to readPapua New Guinea: about as warm as its own usual or lessPanama: about as warm as its own usual or lessPalau: about as warm as its own usual or lessPakistan: about as warm as its own usual or lessOman: too little coverage to readNorway: about as warm as its own usual or lessNorth Korea: 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: about as warm as its own usual or lessNamibia: too little coverage to readMozambique: 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 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: too little coverage to readLuxembourg: about as warm as its own usual or lessLithuania: too little coverage to readLibya: 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 lessIran: 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: 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 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: 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: 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: about as warm as its own usual or lessEgypt: too little coverage to readEcuador: too little coverage to readDominican Republic: about as warm as its own usual or lessDominica: about as warm as its own usual or lessDjibouti: too little coverage to readGreenland: about as warm as its own usual or lessFaroe Islands: too little coverage to readDenmark: 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: too little coverage to readDR 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: about as warm as its own usual or lessHong Kong: about as warm as its own usual or lessChile: too little coverage to readChad: 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: 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: 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: too little coverage to readBangladesh: 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: about as warm as its own usual or lessAngola: 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 lessAksai Chin: about as warm as its own usual or lessGaza: 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 readCrimea: about as warm as its own usual or lessEast Jerusalem: about as warm as its own usual or lessVatican City: too little coverage to readMarshall 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: about as warm as its own usual or lessBermuda: too little coverage to readBritish Virgin Islands: about as warm as its own usual or lessTurks & Caicos Islands: too little coverage to readMontserrat: too little coverage to readJersey: about as warm as its own usual or lessGuernsey: too little coverage to readSan Marino: too little coverage to readSt Kitts & Nevis: too little coverage to readCook Islands: too little coverage to readAruba: too little coverage to readNauru: too little coverage to readMonaco: too little coverage to readMaldives: about as warm as its own usual or lessLiechtenstein: about as warm as its own usual or lessWallis & 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 readQatar: warmth about its own usualNigeria: warmth about its own usualMexico: warmth about its own usualIraq: warmth about its own usualIndonesia: warmth about its own usualGermany: warmth about its own usualCzechia: warmth about its own usualKashmir: warmth about its own usualKashmir: warmth about its own usualKashmir: warmth about its own usualKashmir: warmth about its own usualDoha, Qatar -- displacement: 14 stories, carried by 14 outletsPulwama, Kashmir -- conflict & violence: 27 stories, carried by 18 outletsTennessee, US -- health: 10 stories, carried by 10 outletsOklahoma, US -- health: 14 stories, carried by 12 outletsKano, Nigeria -- conflict & violence: 16 stories, carried by 14 outletsWest Midlands, UK -- health: 27 stories, carried by 19 outletsBerlin, Germany -- health: 11 stories, carried by 41 outletsBristol, UK -- health: 16 stories, carried by 14 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

● Doha Qatar about twice as warm as the day's news · displacement · 14 stories ● Pulwama Kashmir about one and a half times as warm as the day's news · conflict & violence · 27 stories ● Tennessee US about one and a half times as warm as the day's news · health · 10 stories ● Oklahoma US about one and a half times as warm as the day's news · health · 14 stories ● Kano Nigeria about one and a half times as warm as the day's news · conflict & violence · 16 stories

The day in three measures

Parts of life 30 days →

Health40% 5,002 stories · much less than usual (usually 49%) Disasters & accidents15% 1,903 stories · about as usual Rights & justice15% 1,828 stories · less than usual (usually 18%) Conflict & violence12% 1,451 stories · more than usual (usually 8%) Displacement10% 1,285 stories · much more than usual (usually 2%) Deaths & injuries, cause not given3% 412 stories · about as usual Shelter & services2% 306 stories · about as usual Food & livelihood1% 166 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 killed3,151 at about the usual rate Stories reporting people affected1,423 at about one and a half times the usual rate · most about Afghanistan and the US Stories reporting arrests905 at about the usual rate Stories reporting people injured772 at about one and a half times the usual rate · most about the US and Afghanistan Stories reporting evacuations656 at about 5 times the usual rate · most about Afghanistan and the US Stories reporting refugees206 at about twice the usual rate · most about Afghanistan and the US Stories reporting abductions106 at about one and a half times the usual rate · most about Afghanistan and Nigeria Stories reporting people displaced74 at about the usual rate Stories reporting people falling ill14 at about one and a half times the usual rate · most about the US and the UK

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
● Feara little more than 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.