← 30 Aug Tuesday 31 August 2021 · to 23:59 UTC 1 Sep →
What the world's news said happened to people.
Counts of coverage, not of suffering
26,557 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 protests in Marib (Yemen), refugees in Canada and people injured in Saudi Arabia. Yemen's coverage was about 4 times as angry as the world's. Taken together, the world's news read much softer 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 · more than usual Country that rose mostMalaysia 51 in 100 of its 339 stories, usually 33
RegionSouth Asia 52 in 100 of its stories, usually 41
Tone of the words Much softer than usual across the world's stories about harm

What the world's news was about today

how these are picked →
Protests & strikes

Yemen

46 of its 56 stories (82%) were about people being harmed, usually 64%. 13 of Marib's 17 stories were about protests or strikes. Reports of people injured ran at about twice the usual rate (27 stories). Its coverage was about 4 times as angry as the world's.

Yemen over 30 days → its stories → Marib stories →
Health

Canada

776 of its 2,187 stories (35%) were about people being harmed, usually 27%. Reports of refugees ran at about twice the usual rate (5 stories). Poisoning was named in 13 of its stories about harm, about 5 times usual, with overdoses. Grief in its coverage rose to about one and a half times its own usual.

Canada over 30 days → its stories →
Conflict & violence

Saudi Arabia

67 of its 174 stories (39%) were about people being harmed, usually 27%. Reports of people injured ran at more than ten times the usual rate (35 stories). Its coverage was about three times as angry as the world's.

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

New Zealand

234 of its 590 stories (40%) were about people being harmed, usually 26%. Reports of evacuations ran at more than ten times the usual rate (19 stories). Flooding was named in 34 of its stories about harm, about 5 times usual, with heavy rain.

its stories →
Protests & strikes

Poland

40 of its 115 stories (35%) were about people being harmed, usually 22%. 10 of Warsaw's 17 stories were about protests or strikes. Reports of arrests ran at about 4 times the usual rate (8 stories).

its stories →
Health

US

9,400 of its 24,187 stories (39%) were about people being harmed, usually 31%. Reports of evacuations ran at about three times the usual rate (306 stories). Hurricane was named in 1,686 of its stories about harm, about three times usual, with power cuts and drownings.

its stories →
Conflict & violence

Guatemala

10 of its 15 stories (67%) were about people being harmed, usually 37%. Reports of people killed ran at about twice the usual rate (7 stories). Its coverage was about twice as grief-stricken as the world's.

its stories →
Health

Brazil

74 of its 232 stories (32%) were about people being harmed, usually 24%. Reports of abductions ran at more than ten times the usual rate (14 stories). Its coverage was about one and a half times as grief-stricken as the world's.

its stories →
Health

Bangladesh

95 of its 170 stories (56%) were about people being harmed, usually 49%. Dhaka accounted for 57 of Bangladesh's 95 stories about harm, carried by 73 outlets. Its coverage was about twice as grief-stricken as the world's. Anger in its coverage rose to about one and a half times its own usual.

its stories →

Also named far more than usual: illness in Algeria (27 of its stories, about 5 times its usual); hurricane in US (1686 of its stories, about three times its usual); flooding in New Zealand (34 of its stories, about 5 times its usual); tuberculosis in UK (55 of its stories, more than ten times its usual); hurricane in China (16 of its stories, about 7 times its usual).

31 in 100 stories were about harm

usually 26; 32 the day before
34 in 10021 in 10024 Jul31 Jul11 Aug23 Aug31 Aug24 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 10022 Aug: 29 in 10023 Aug: 26 in 10024 Aug: 25 in 10025 Aug: 25 in 10026 Aug: 26 in 10027 Aug: 29 in 10028 Aug: 33 in 10029 Aug: 34 in 10030 Aug: 32 in 10031 Aug: 31 in 100 · this day

Stories about people being harmed, in every 100 stories, the 30 days to 31 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 26,557 stories about harm among 84,353 counted on 31 Aug.

Read the day's briefing

31 in every 100 of the day's 84,353 news stories were about people being harmed, above the usual 26. For the third day running, the news turned to Yemen. Reports of people freed or reunited, a sign of help, ran at about one and a half times the usual rate. Mentions of the hurricane ran about three times their usual in the US's news.

Written by code from the day's numbers.

Where harm was most of the news all →

Yemen82 in 100 of its 56 stories · usually 64 · mostly conflict & violence Afghanistan71 in 100 of its 3,402 stories · usually 71 · mostly conflict & violence Algeria66 in 100 of its 59 stories · usually 52 · mostly health Syria59 in 100 of its 74 stories · usually 53 · mostly conflict & violence Sri Lanka58 in 100 of its 118 stories · usually 38 · mostly health

Countries with at least 50 stories that day.

Where people protested

Kabul Afghanistan173 stories about protests or strikes, of its 2004 Washington US93 stories about protests or strikes, of its 800 London UK34 stories about protests or strikes, of its 303 Chicago US25 stories about protests or strikes, of its 255 New York US25 stories about protests or strikes, of its 198

Stories, not people.

The emotional weather

feelings in full →
Feelings Events Harm Warmth
Zimbabwe: feelings about like the world'sZambia: feelings about like the world'sVietnam: feelings about like the world'sVenezuela: feelings about like the world'sVanuatu: feelings about like the world'sUzbekistan: feelings about like the world'sUruguay: feelings about like the world'sMicronesia: too little coverage to readU.S. Virgin Islands: feelings about like the world'sPuerto Rico: feelings about like the world'sUnited States: feelings about like the world'sSouth Georgia & South Sandwich Islands: too little coverage to readFalkland Islands: too little coverage to readCayman Islands: too little coverage to readIsle of Man: feelings about like the world'sUnited Arab Emirates: feelings about like the world'sTurkmenistan: feelings about like the world'sTrinidad & Tobago: feelings about like the world'sTonga: too little coverage to readTogo: feelings about like the world'sTimor-Leste: feelings about like the world'sTanzania: feelings about like the world'sTajikistan: too little coverage to readEswatini: feelings about like the world'sSuriname: feelings about like the world'sSri Lanka: feelings about like the world'sSpain: feelings about like the world'sSouth Korea: feelings about like the world'sSouth Africa: feelings about like the world'sSomaliland: too little coverage to readSolomon Islands: feelings about like the world'sSlovakia: feelings about like the world'sSlovenia: feelings about like the world'sSingapore: feelings about like the world'sSierra Leone: feelings about like the world'sSeychelles: feelings about like the world'sSerbia: too little coverage to readSenegal: feelings about like the world'sSão Tomé: too little coverage to readSamoa: feelings about like the world'sSt Vincent: feelings about like the world'sSt. Lucia: feelings about like the world'sRwanda: feelings about like the world'sRomania: feelings about like the world'sQatar: feelings about like the world'sPortugal: feelings about like the world'sPoland: feelings about like the world'sPhilippines: feelings about like the world'sParaguay: feelings about like the world'sPapua New Guinea: feelings about like the world'sPanama: feelings about like the world'sPalau: too little coverage to readOman: feelings about like the world'sNorway: feelings about like the world'sNiger: feelings about like the world'sNicaragua: feelings about like the world'sNiue: too little coverage to readNetherlands: feelings about like the world'sCuraçao: too little coverage to readNepal: feelings about like the world'sNamibia: feelings about like the world'sMorocco: feelings about like the world'sWestern Sahara: too little coverage to readMontenegro: feelings about like the world'sMoldova: too little coverage to readMexico: feelings about like the world'sMauritius: feelings about like the world'sMauritania: too little coverage to readMalta: feelings about like the world'sMali: feelings about like the world'sMalaysia: feelings about like the world'sMadagascar: feelings about like the world'sNorth Macedonia: feelings about like the world'sLuxembourg: feelings about like the world'sLithuania: feelings about like the world'sLiberia: feelings about like the world'sLatvia: feelings about like the world'sLaos: feelings about like the world'sKyrgyzstan: feelings about like the world'sKosovo: too little coverage to readKiribati: feelings about like the world'sJapan: feelings about like the world'sItaly: feelings about like the world'sIreland: feelings about like the world'sIndonesia: feelings about like the world'sIndia: feelings about like the world'sIceland: feelings about like the world'sHungary: feelings about like the world'sHonduras: feelings about like the world'sHaiti: feelings about like the world'sGuyana: feelings about like the world'sGuinea-Bissau: feelings about like the world'sGuinea: feelings about like the world'sGrenada: feelings about like the world'sGreece: feelings about like the world'sGhana: feelings about like the world'sGermany: feelings about like the world'sGeorgia: feelings about like the world'sGambia: feelings about like the world'sGabon: too little coverage to readSt Pierre & Miquelon: too little coverage to readFrench Polynesia: feelings about like the world'sNew Caledonia: too little coverage to readFrench Southern Territories: too little coverage to readÅland Islands: too little coverage to readFinland: feelings about like the world'sFiji: feelings about like the world'sEstonia: feelings about like the world'sEritrea: too little coverage to readEquatorial Guinea: too little coverage to readEl Salvador: too little coverage to readEgypt: feelings about like the world'sEcuador: too little coverage to readDominican Republic: feelings about like the world'sDominica: feelings about like the world'sDjibouti: feelings about like the world'sGreenland: feelings about like the world'sFaroe Islands: too little coverage to readCzech Republic: feelings about like the world'sN. Cyprus: too little coverage to readCyprus: feelings about like the world'sCuba: feelings about like the world'sCroatia: feelings about like the world'sCosta Rica: feelings about like the world'sDR Congo: feelings about like the world'sComoros: too little coverage to readChina: feelings about like the world'sHong Kong: feelings about like the world'sChile: feelings about like the world'sCentral African Republic: feelings about like the world'sCape Verde: feelings about like the world'sCanada: feelings about like the world'sCameroon: feelings about like the world'sCambodia: feelings about like the world'sBurundi: too little coverage to readBurkina Faso: feelings about like the world'sBulgaria: feelings about like the world'sBrunei: feelings about like the world'sBotswana: feelings about like the world'sBosnia and Herzegovina: too little coverage to readBolivia: feelings about like the world'sBhutan: feelings about like the world'sBenin: feelings about like the world'sBelgium: feelings about like the world'sBelarus: feelings about like the world'sBahrain: feelings about like the world'sBahamas: feelings about like the world'sAustria: feelings about like the world'sHeard & McDonald Islands: too little coverage to readArgentina: feelings about like the world'sAntigua & Barbuda: feelings about like the world'sAngola: feelings about like the world'sAndorra: too little coverage to readAlgeria: feelings about like the world'sAlbania: feelings about like the world'sAksai Chin: feelings about like the world'sWestern Sahara (Moroccan-controlled): too little coverage to readWestern Sahara (Free Zone): too little coverage to readVatican City: feelings about like the world'sMarshall 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: feelings about like the world'sBritish Virgin Islands: too little coverage to readTurks & Caicos Islands: too little coverage to readMontserrat: too little coverage to readJersey: feelings about like the world'sGuernsey: feelings about like the world'sSan Marino: too little coverage to readSt Kitts & Nevis: feelings about like the world'sCook Islands: feelings about like the world'sAruba: feelings about like the world'sNauru: too little coverage to readMonaco: too little coverage to readMaldives: feelings about like the world'sLiechtenstein: 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 readMayotte: too little coverage to readYemen: coverage about 4 times as angry as the world'sGuam: coverage a little more grief-stricken than the world'sUK: coverage a little warmer than the world'sUkraine: coverage a little more fearful than the world'sUganda: coverage about one and a half times as angry as the world'sTürkiye: coverage a little more grief-stricken than the world'sTunisia: coverage about one and a half times as grief-stricken as the world'sThailand: coverage a little more grief-stricken than the world'sTaiwan: coverage a little more grief-stricken than the world'sSyria: coverage about one and a half times as fearful as the world'sSwitzerland: coverage about one and a half times as fearful as the world'sSweden: coverage a little more fearful than the world'sSouth Sudan: coverage a little more grief-stricken than the world'sSudan: coverage about one and a half times as grief-stricken as the world'sSomalia: coverage a little warmer than the world'sSaudi Arabia: coverage about three times as angry as the world'sRussia: coverage about one and a half times as fearful as the world'sPeru: coverage about one and a half times as grief-stricken as the world'sPakistan: coverage a little more fearful than the world'sNorth Korea: coverage a little angrier than the world'sNigeria: coverage about one and a half times as fearful as the world'sNew Zealand: coverage a little more fearful than the world'sMozambique: coverage a little more fearful than the world'sMongolia: coverage about one and a half times as grief-stricken as the world'sMalawi: coverage a little angrier than the world'sLibya: coverage about one and a half times as fearful as the world'sLesotho: coverage a little more grief-stricken than the world'sLebanon: coverage a little angrier than the world'sKuwait: coverage a little more fearful than the world'sKenya: coverage a little more fearful than the world'sKazakhstan: coverage about one and a half times as grief-stricken as the world'sJordan: coverage a little warmer than the world'sJamaica: coverage about one and a half times as grief-stricken as the world'sIsrael: coverage about one and a half times as fearful as the world'sPalestine: coverage about one and a half times as fearful as the world'sIraq: coverage about one and a half times as grief-stricken as the world'sIran: coverage a little more fearful than the world'sGuatemala: coverage about twice as grief-stricken as the world'sFrance: coverage a little more grief-stricken than the world'sEthiopia: coverage about one and a half times as grief-stricken as the world'sDenmark: coverage a little more fearful than the world'sCôte d’Ivoire: coverage about one and a half times as angry as the world'sCongo: coverage about one and a half times as fearful as the world'sColombia: coverage a little warmer than the world'sChad: coverage about one and a half times as grief-stricken as the world'sMyanmar: coverage about one and a half times as angry as the world'sBrazil: coverage about one and a half times as grief-stricken as the world'sBelize: coverage a little more grief-stricken than the world'sBarbados: coverage a little more grief-stricken than the world'sBangladesh: coverage about twice as grief-stricken as the world'sAzerbaijan: coverage about one and a half times as grief-stricken as the world'sAustralia: coverage a little more fearful than the world'sArmenia: coverage about one and a half times as grief-stricken as the world'sAfghanistan: coverage about one and a half times as fearful as the world'sKashmir: coverage about twice as fearful as the world'sPalestine: coverage about one and a half times as fearful as the world'sPalestine: coverage about one and a half times as fearful as the world'sKashmir: coverage about twice as fearful as the world'sKashmir: coverage about twice as fearful as the world'sUkraine: coverage a little more fearful than the world'sPalestine: coverage about one and a half times as fearful as the world'sKashmir: coverage about twice as fearful as the world'sGibraltar: coverage a little more fearful than the world's
AngerGriefFearWarmth Like the world'sToo little news

Each country in the colour of the feeling its news carried most, against the world's news that day. Stronger colour: further above the world. Click a country.

Strongest feelings

● Yemen few stories about 4 times as angry as the world's · 46 stories about harm ● Saudi Arabia about three times as angry as the world's · 67 stories about harm ● Bangladesh about twice as grief-stricken as the world's · 95 stories about harm ● Kashmir few stories about twice as fearful as the world's · 47 stories about harm ● Afghanistan about one and a half times as fearful as the world's · 2,429 stories about harm ● Switzerland about one and a half times as fearful as the world's · 63 stories about harm

The day in three measures

Parts of life 30 days →

Health53% 14,019 stories · more than usual (usually 49%) Disasters & accidents13% 3,326 stories · about as usual Rights & justice11% 2,947 stories · less than usual (usually 16%) Conflict & violence11% 2,878 stories · about as usual Displacement6% 1,619 stories · about as usual Shelter & services2% 652 stories · about as usual Deaths & injuries, cause not given2% 621 stories · about as usual Food & livelihood1% 339 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 killed5,937 at about the usual rate Stories reporting people affected2,420 at about the usual rate Stories reporting people injured1,408 at about the usual rate Stories reporting arrests1,296 at about the usual rate Stories reporting evacuations1,046 at about twice the usual rate · most about Afghanistan and the US Stories reporting refugees280 at about the usual rate Stories reporting abductions154 at about the usual rate Stories reporting people displaced124 at about the usual rate Stories reporting people falling ill15 at about two-thirds of 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 much softer than 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.