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What the world's news said happened to people.
Counts of coverage, not of suffering
13,097 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 illness in Colombo, people injured in New Zealand and protests in Bangkok (Thailand). New Zealand's coverage was about three times as fearful as the world's. Everywhere we counted, the words were softer than usual.

Part of lifeHealth 53 in 100 of the stories about harm · more than usual Country that rose mostNew Zealand 67 in 100 of its 395 stories, usually 30
RegionOceania 45 in 100 of its stories, usually 29
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 →
Health

Sri Lanka

49 of its 99 stories (49%) were about people being harmed, usually 40%. Colombo accounted for 31 of Sri Lanka's 49 stories about harm, carried by 29 outlets. Reports of people injured ran at about 4 times the usual rate (7 stories). Fear in its coverage rose to about one and a half times its own usual.

Sri Lanka over 30 days → its stories → Colombo stories →
Conflict & violence

New Zealand

266 of its 395 stories (67%) were about people being harmed, usually 30%. Reports of people injured ran at more than ten times the usual rate (120 stories). Its coverage was about three times as fearful as the world's. Anger in its coverage rose to about three times its own usual.

New Zealand over 30 days → its stories →
6 more places the news pointed at
Conflict & violence

Saudi Arabia

35 of its 97 stories (36%) were about people being harmed, usually 28%. Reports of people affected ran at about twice the usual rate (5 stories). Its coverage was about twice as angry as the world's.

its stories →
Conflict & violence

Afghanistan

Kabul accounted for 509 of Afghanistan's 761 stories about harm, carried by 687 outlets. HIV was named in 11 of its stories about harm, more than ten times usual. Its coverage was about one and a half times as fearful as the world's.

its stories →
Health

Philippines

183 of its 303 stories (60%) were about people being harmed, usually 43%. Philippine accounted for 75 of the Philippines' 183 stories about harm, carried by 58 outlets.

its stories →
Health

Taiwan

37 of its 79 stories (47%) were about people being harmed, usually 30%. Taipei accounted for 23 of Taiwan's 37 stories about harm, carried by 7 outlets.

its stories →
Disasters & accidents

Bermuda

12 of its 24 stories (50%) were about people being harmed, usually 19%. Hurricane was named in 10 of its stories about harm, about 7 times usual.

its stories →
Displacement

Poland

20 of its 46 stories (43%) were about people being harmed, usually 24%. Reports of refugees ran at about 4 times the usual rate (6 stories).

its stories →

Also named far more than usual: hurricane in Bermuda (10 of its stories, about 7 times its usual); outbreaks in France (12 of its stories, about 4 times its usual); power cuts in Pakistan (14 of its stories, more than ten times its usual); hiv in Afghanistan (11 of its stories, more than ten times its usual); helicopter crash in US (19 of its stories, more than ten times its usual).

30 in 100 stories were about harm

usually 27; 30 the day before
34 in 10021 in 10028 Jul4 Aug20 Aug27 Aug4 Sep28 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 1001 Sep: 30 in 1002 Sep: 30 in 1003 Sep: 30 in 1004 Sep: 30 in 100 · this day

Stories about people being harmed, in every 100 stories, the 30 days to 4 Sep. 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 13,097 stories about harm among 43,165 counted on 4 Sep.

Read the day's briefing

Of the day's 43,165 news stories, 30 in every 100 were about people being harmed, above the usual 27. Bermuda's news mentioned the hurricane about 7 times as often as usual. On 4 September 2020, a year earlier, the share was 27 in every 100, against 30 today. In Sri Lanka, 49% of the news was about people being harmed, where 40% is usual.

Written by code from the day's numbers.

Where harm was most of the news all →

New Zealand67 in 100 of its 395 stories · usually 30 · mostly conflict & violence Afghanistan61 in 100 of its 1,239 stories · usually 70 · mostly conflict & violence Philippines60 in 100 of its 303 stories · usually 43 · mostly health Indonesia58 in 100 of its 102 stories · usually 42 · mostly health Trinidad & Tobago58 in 100 of its 66 stories · usually 36 · mostly disasters & accidents

Countries with at least 50 stories that day.

Where people protested

Kabul Afghanistan104 stories about protests or strikes, of its 509 Washington US74 stories about protests or strikes, of its 515 Chicago US22 stories about protests or strikes, of its 91 Delhi India20 stories about protests or strikes, of its 196 London UK20 stories about protests or strikes, of its 152

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: 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: 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: too little coverage to readIsle 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: 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: too little coverage to readTimor-Leste: too little coverage to readThailand: 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 lessSyria: 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 readSouth 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: 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: about as warm as its own usual or lessSamoa: about as warm as its own usual or lessSt 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 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: too little coverage to readPeru: about as warm as its own usual or lessParaguay: about as warm as its own usual or lessPapua New Guinea: about as warm as its own usual or lessPanama: about as warm as its own usual or lessPalau: too little coverage to readPakistan: about as warm as its own usual or lessOman: 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: 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: 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: about as warm as its own usual or lessMongolia: about as warm as its own usual or lessMoldova: too little coverage to readMexico: about as warm as its own usual or lessMauritius: too little coverage to readMauritania: too little coverage to readMalta: about as warm as its own usual or lessMali: about as warm as its own usual or lessMalaysia: too little coverage to readMalawi: 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: about as warm as its own usual or lessLaos: about as warm as its own usual or lessKyrgyzstan: too little coverage to readKuwait: 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 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 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: too little coverage to readIceland: about as warm as its own usual or lessHungary: too little coverage to readHonduras: too little coverage to readHaiti: about as warm as its own usual or lessGuyana: too little coverage to readGuinea-Bissau: too little coverage to readGuinea: about as warm as its own usual or lessGuatemala: about as warm as its own usual or lessGrenada: about as warm as its own usual or lessGreece: 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: about as warm as its own usual or lessFrench 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: about as warm as its own usual or lessEcuador: about as warm as its own usual or lessDominican 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 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: too little coverage to readCôte d'Ivoire: about as warm as its own usual or lessCosta Rica: about as warm as its own usual or lessDR Congo: too little coverage to readCongo: about as warm as its own usual or lessComoros: too little coverage to readColombia: about as warm as its own usual or lessHong Kong: about as warm as its own usual or lessChile: too little coverage to readCentral African Republic: too little coverage to readCape Verde: too little coverage to readCanada: about as warm as its own usual or lessCameroon: about as warm as its own usual or lessCambodia: too little coverage to readMyanmar: about as warm as its own usual or lessBurundi: too little coverage to readBurkina 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: too little coverage to readBosnia and Herzegovina: too little coverage to readBolivia: 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: too little coverage to readBelarus: 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: too little coverage to readAntigua & 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 lessJammu & Kashmir: 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 readAzad Kashmir & Gilgit-Baltistan: about as warm as its own usual or lessSiachen Glacier: about as warm as its own usual or lessCrimea: about as warm as its own usual or lessEast Jerusalem: about as warm as its own usual or lessAzad Kashmir & Gilgit-Baltistan: about as warm as its own usual or lessVatican City: about as warm as its own usual or lessMarshall Islands: too little coverage to readNorthern Mariana Islands: about as warm as its own usual or lessAmerican Samoa: too little coverage to readChagos Islands: too little coverage to readSt. Helena: about as warm as its own usual or lessPitcairn: too little coverage to readAnguilla: too little coverage to readBermuda: too little coverage to readBritish Virgin Islands: about as warm as its own usual or lessTurks & Caicos Islands: too little coverage to readMontserrat: about as warm as its own usual or lessJersey: 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: about as warm as its own usual or lessAruba: too little coverage to readNauru: too little coverage to readMonaco: too little coverage to readMaldives: too little coverage to readLiechtenstein: 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: too little coverage to readMayotte: too little coverage to readJapan: warmth about its own usualChina: warmth about its own usualChad: warmth about its own usualChina: warmth about its own usualNew Hampshire, US -- health: 14 stories, carried by 22 outletsKarbi Anglong, India -- conflict & violence: 23 stories, carried by 17 outletsCharlottesville, US -- rights & justice: 13 stories, carried by 14 outletsGlasgow, UK -- health: 34 stories, carried by 66 outletsMerseyside, UK -- health: 18 stories, carried by 10 outletsZandvoort, Netherlands -- health: 15 stories, carried by 20 outletsBeijing, China -- health: 54 stories, carried by 69 outletsSudbury, Canada -- health: 12 stories, carried by 12 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

● New Hampshire US about one and a half times as warm as the day's news · health · 14 stories ● Karbi Anglong India about one and a half times as warm as the day's news · conflict & violence · 23 stories ● Charlottesville US about one and a half times as warm as the day's news · rights & justice · 13 stories ● Glasgow UK about one and a half times as warm as the day's news · health · 34 stories ● Merseyside UK about one and a half times as warm as the day's news · health · 18 stories

The day in three measures

Parts of life 30 days →

Health53% 6,886 stories · more than usual (usually 50%) Rights & justice13% 1,723 stories · about as usual Disasters & accidents12% 1,538 stories · about as usual Conflict & violence11% 1,424 stories · about as usual Displacement4% 535 stories · about as usual Deaths & injuries, cause not given3% 389 stories · about as usual Shelter & services2% 297 stories · about as usual Food & livelihood2% 204 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 killed3,319 at about the usual rate Stories reporting people affected1,128 at about the usual rate Stories reporting arrests807 at about the usual rate Stories reporting people injured798 at about the usual rate Stories reporting evacuations259 at about the usual rate Stories reporting refugees149 at about the usual rate Stories reporting abductions125 at about one and a half times the usual rate · most about Nigeria and the US Stories reporting people displaced75 at about the usual rate Stories reporting people falling ill18 at about one and a half times the usual rate · most about the US and France

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 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

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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.