Switzerland
72 of its 216 stories (33%) were about people being harmed, usually 24%. Reports of people killed ran at about twice the usual rate (19 stories). Grief in its coverage rose to about one and a half times its own usual.
What the world's news said happened to people.
Counts of coverage, not of suffering
We measure how the world's news covered people being harmed — and the help and hope within it.
People killed in Switzerland, rights and justice in Tigray and violence in Kabul drew the news. Ethiopia's coverage was about twice as angry as the world's. In the world's news as a whole, the wording was much softer than usual.
Part of lifeHealth
60 in 100 of the stories about harm · much more than usual
Country that rose mostCambodia
78 in 100 of its 51 stories, usually 45
RegionLatin America & Caribbean
38 in 100 of its stories, usually 35
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 →Ethiopia
68 of its 109 stories (62%) were about people being harmed, usually 53%. Tigray accounted for 49 of Ethiopia's 68 stories about harm, carried by 81 outlets. Its coverage was about twice as angry as the world's.
Afghanistan
Kabul accounted for 333 of Afghanistan's 555 stories about harm, carried by 394 outlets. Covid was named in 70 of its stories about harm, about three times usual, with measles. Its coverage was about twice as fearful as the world's.
Sudan
23 of its 32 stories (72%) were about people being harmed, usually 49%. 4 of Khartoum's 7 stories were about protests or strikes.
6 more places the news pointed at
Austria
23 of its 72 stories (32%) were about people being harmed, usually 23%. Reports of people affected ran at about three times the usual rate (6 stories). Outbreaks were named in 13 of its stories about harm, more than ten times usual.
Cambodia
40 of its 51 stories (78%) were about people being harmed, usually 45%. Phnom Penh accounted for 19 of Cambodia's 40 stories about harm, carried by 12 outlets.
Guyana
17 of its 36 stories (47%) were about people being harmed, usually 24%. Its coverage was about one and a half times as grief-stricken as the world's.
Tunisia
37 of its 62 stories (60%) were about people being harmed, usually 45%. Tunis accounted for 28 of Tunisia's 37 stories about harm, carried by 10 outlets.
Liberia
29 of its 68 stories (43%) were about people being harmed, usually 30%. Reports of people affected ran at about twice the usual rate (5 stories).
Slovenia
16 of its 37 stories (43%) were about people being harmed, usually 27%. 6 of Ljubljana's 10 stories were about protests or strikes.
Also named far more than usual: outbreaks in Austria (13 of its stories, more than ten times its usual); flooding in Thailand (15 of its stories, about 8 times its usual); road crashes in New Zealand (20 of its stories, more than ten times its usual); outbreaks in Russia (20 of its stories, about three times its usual); polio in Pakistan (11 of its stories, about 8 times its usual).
27 in 100 stories were about harm
usually 29; 27 the day beforeStories about people being harmed, in every 100 stories, the 30 days to 17 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 22,611 stories about harm among 82,870 counted on 17 Sep.
Read the day's briefing
Austria's news mentioned outbreaks more than ten times as often as usual. 27 in every 100 of the day's 82,870 news stories were about people being harmed, below the usual 29. In Switzerland, 33% of the news was about people being harmed, where 24% is usual. On 17 September 2020, a year earlier, the share was 26 in every 100, against 27 today.
- 27 in every 100 of the day's 82,870 news stories were about people being harmed (usually 29).
- Switzerland: 72 of its 216 stories (33%) were about people being harmed, usually 24%.
- Ethiopia: 68 of its 109 stories (62%) were about people being harmed, usually 53%.
- Afghanistan: Kabul accounted for 333 of Afghanistan's 555 stories about harm, carried by 394 outlets.
- Sudan: 23 of its 32 stories (72%) were about people being harmed, usually 49%.
- Mentions of outbreaks ran more than ten times their usual in Austria's news.
- Mentions of flooding ran about 8 times their usual in Thailand's news.
- Across the world, the words of the day's news were much softer than usual.
- A year earlier, on 17 September 2020, 26 in every 100 stories were about people being harmed, against 27 today.
Written by code from the day's numbers.
Where harm was most of the news all →
Cambodia78 in 100 of its 51 stories · usually 45 · mostly health Ethiopia62 in 100 of its 109 stories · usually 53 · mostly rights & justice Tunisia60 in 100 of its 62 stories · usually 45 · mostly health Cuba57 in 100 of its 77 stories · usually 48 · mostly health Afghanistan57 in 100 of its 976 stories · usually 67 · mostly conflict & violenceCountries with at least 50 stories that day.
Where people protested
Washington US257 stories about protests or strikes, of its 1065 Delhi India65 stories about protests or strikes, of its 260 London UK64 stories about protests or strikes, of its 372 Kremlin Russia51 stories about protests or strikes, of its 130 Kabul Afghanistan47 stories about protests or strikes, of its 333Stories, not people.
Where it happened
feelings in full →
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.
Biggest events
● Giant Forest US accidents & disasters · 72 stories, 317 outlets ● Kabul Afghanistan attacks & violence · 333 stories, 394 outlets ● Kenosha US protests & strikes · 41 stories, 187 outlets ● Creggan UK protests & strikes · 5 stories, 81 outlets ● Ischgl Austria disease & outbreaks · 14 stories, 50 outlets ● Timaru New Zealand accidents & disasters · 49 stories, 73 outlets ● Mogadishu Somalia attacks & violence · 20 stories, 36 outlets ● Ljubljana Slovenia protests & strikes · 10 stories, 50 outletsThe day in three measures
Parts of life 30 days →
Health60% 13,469 stories · much more than usual (usually 51%) Rights & justice15% 3,429 stories · about as usual Disasters & accidents8% 1,819 stories · less than usual (usually 12%) Conflict & violence8% 1,701 stories · less than usual (usually 11%) Deaths & injuries, cause not given3% 618 stories · about as usual Displacement2% 536 stories · less than usual (usually 6%) Shelter & services2% 440 stories · about as usual Food & livelihood2% 397 stories · about as usualOf the stories about people being harmed, what part of life each was about. The mark is usual.
Harm reported 30 days →
Stories reporting people killed4,511 at about the usual rate Stories reporting people affected1,564 at about two-thirds of the usual rate · most about the US and Afghanistan Stories reporting arrests1,518 at about the usual rate Stories reporting people injured879 at about two-thirds of the usual rate · most about the US and the UK Stories reporting refugees263 at about the usual rate Stories reporting evacuations160 at less than a quarter of the usual rate · most about the US and Afghanistan Stories reporting people displaced127 at about the usual rate Stories reporting abductions75 at about half the usual rate · most about the US and Nigeria Stories reporting people falling ill36 at about twice the usual rate · most about the US and AustriaStories 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.
● Angera little less than 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
The week in human impact
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These are counts of stories, not counts of suffering. Most of what happens to people is never reported at all.