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What the world's news said happened to people.
Counts of coverage, not of suffering
22,611 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 →

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 →
Health

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.

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

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.

its stories →
Health

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.

its stories →
Health

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.

its stories →
Health

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.

its stories →
Health

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).

its stories →
Protests & strikes

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.

its stories →

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 before
34 in 10025 in 10014 Aug26 Aug2 Sep9 Sep17 Sep14 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 1005 Sep: 30 in 1006 Sep: 28 in 1007 Sep: 28 in 1008 Sep: 29 in 1009 Sep: 29 in 10010 Sep: 29 in 10011 Sep: 32 in 10012 Sep: 29 in 10013 Sep: 28 in 10014 Sep: 28 in 10015 Sep: 27 in 10016 Sep: 27 in 10017 Sep: 27 in 100 · this day

Stories 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.

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 & violence

Countries 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 333

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: 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: too little coverage to readIsle 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 lessUkraine: too little coverage to readUganda: 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: too little coverage to readTogo: too little coverage to readTimor-Leste: about as warm as its own usual or lessThailand: about as warm as its own usual or lessTanzania: 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: 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: about as warm as its own usual or lessSlovakia: 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 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: 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 lessRomania: too little coverage to readQatar: 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: 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: about as warm as its own usual or lessMontenegro: 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: about as warm as its own usual or lessMauritania: too little coverage to readMalta: 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: too little coverage to readLebanon: 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: 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 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: too little coverage to readIsrael: 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: 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: too little coverage to readGuinea: too little coverage to readGuatemala: 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: about as warm as its own usual or lessGabon: about as warm as its own usual or lessFrance: about as warm as its own usual or lessSt Pierre & Miquelon: too little coverage to readFrench Polynesia: too little coverage to readNew 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: about as warm as its own usual or lessEl Salvador: about as warm as its own usual or lessEgypt: about as warm as its own usual or lessEcuador: 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: about as warm as its own usual or lessDenmark: 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 lessCroatia: too little coverage to readCôte 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: about as warm as its own usual or lessHong Kong: too little coverage to readChile: 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: too little coverage to readMyanmar: 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: 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: 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 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: 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 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): about as warm as its own usual or lessWestern Sahara (Free Zone): about as warm as its own usual or lessAzad Kashmir & Gilgit-Baltistan: about as warm as its own usual or lessSiachen Glacier: about as warm as its own usual or lessCrimea: too little coverage to readEast Jerusalem: 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: 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: about as warm as its own usual or lessBritish 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: about as warm as its own usual or lessSt Kitts & Nevis: about as warm as its own usual or lessCook 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: 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: about as warm as its own usual or lessNorfolk 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 readTajikistan: warmth about its own usualSeychelles: warmth about its own usualRussia: warmth about its own usualCuba: warmth about its own usualBahamas: warmth about its own usualDushanbe, Tajikistan -- conflict & violence: 19 stories, carried by 24 outletsIdaho, US -- health: 28 stories, carried by 70 outletsState of Texas, US -- shelter & services: 10 stories, carried by 11 outletsStrathcona, Canada -- health: 10 stories, carried by 11 outletsXinjiang, China -- rights & justice: 20 stories, carried by 31 outletsAran Islands, Ireland -- health: 11 stories, carried by 10 outletsYorkshire, UK -- health: 24 stories, carried by 21 outletsNassau, Bahamas -- health: 15 stories, carried by 18 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

● Dushanbe Tajikistan about twice as warm as the day's news · conflict & violence · 19 stories ● Idaho US about one and a half times as warm as the day's news · health · 28 stories ● State of Texas US about one and a half times as warm as the day's news · shelter & services · 10 stories ● Strathcona Canada about one and a half times as warm as the day's news · health · 10 stories ● Xinjiang China about one and a half times as warm as the day's news · rights & justice · 20 stories

The 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 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 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 Austria

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.

● 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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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.