Congo
45 of its 57 stories (79%) were about people being harmed, usually 42%. Ebola was named in 35 of its stories about harm, more than ten times usual. Its coverage was about twice as angry as the world's.
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.
Most of the day's attention went to the ebola in Congo, people displaced in Azerbaijan and protests in Ayia Napa (Cyprus). Azerbaijan's coverage was about twice as grief-stricken as the world's. Taken together, the world's news read about as usual.
Part of lifeHealth
60 in 100 of the stories about harm · more than usual
Country that rose mostCongo
79 in 100 of its 57 stories, usually 42
RegionSub-Saharan Africa
38 in 100 of its stories, usually 35
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 →Azerbaijan
38 of its 106 stories (36%) were about people being harmed, usually 24%. Reports of people displaced ran at about 4 times the usual rate (5 stories). 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.
Cyprus
14 of its 34 stories (41%) were about people being harmed, usually 25%. 3 of Ayia Napa's 5 stories were about protests or strikes. Its coverage was about one and a half times as fearful as the world's.
Nicaragua
12 of its 16 stories (75%) were about people being harmed, usually 50%.
6 more places the news pointed at
Thailand
Bangkok accounted for 58 of Thailand's 109 stories about harm, carried by 77 outlets. Reports of people injured ran at about 4 times the usual rate (5 stories). Flooding was named in 22 of its stories about harm, about 7 times usual, with heavy rain and tropical storm.
Afghanistan
Kabul accounted for 324 of Afghanistan's 500 stories about harm, carried by 581 outlets. Avalanche was named in 17 of its stories about harm, more than ten times usual. Its coverage was about twice as angry as the world's.
Sweden
107 of its 245 stories (44%) were about people being harmed, usually 23%. Reports of evacuations ran at more than ten times the usual rate (26 stories).
Réunion
6 of its 12 stories (50%) were about people being harmed, usually 19%. Its coverage was about twice as grief-stricken as the world's.
Iran
85 of its 204 stories (42%) were about people being harmed, usually 35%. Tehran accounted for 45 of Iran's 85 stories about harm, carried by 83 outlets.
Cuba
47 of its 81 stories (58%) were about people being harmed, usually 50%. Havana accounted for 24 of Cuba's 47 stories about harm, carried by 22 outlets.
Also named far more than usual: illness in Romania (19 of its stories, about three times its usual); earthquake in Greece (27 of its stories, about 5 times its usual); flooding in Thailand (22 of its stories, about 7 times its usual); flu in France (30 of its stories, more than ten times its usual); flooding in Italy (14 of its stories, about 9 times its usual).
25 in 100 stories were about harm
usually 28; 25 the day beforeStories about people being harmed, in every 100 stories, the 30 days to 28 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 25,643 stories about harm among 101,332 counted on 28 Sep.
Read the day's briefing
No day had a lower share of stories about people being harmed since 25 August 2021. Congo's news mentioned Ebola more than ten times as often as usual. 25 in every 100 of the day's 101,332 news stories were about people being harmed, below the usual 28. In Congo, 79% of the news was about people being harmed, where 42% is usual.
- 25 in every 100 of the day's 101,332 news stories were about people being harmed (usually 28).
- Congo: 45 of its 57 stories (79%) were about people being harmed, usually 42%.
- Azerbaijan: 38 of its 106 stories (36%) were about people being harmed, usually 24%.
- Cyprus: 14 of its 34 stories (41%) were about people being harmed, usually 25%.
- Nicaragua: 12 of its 16 stories (75%) were about people being harmed, usually 50%.
- Mentions of Ebola ran more than ten times their usual in Congo's news.
- Mentions of the earthquake ran about 5 times their usual in Greece's news.
- Across the world, the words of the day's news were about as usual.
- It was the lowest share of stories about people being harmed since 25 August 2021.
- A year earlier, on 28 September 2020, 25 in every 100 stories were about people being harmed, the same as today.
Written by code from the day's numbers.
Where harm was most of the news all →
Congo79 in 100 of its 57 stories · usually 42 · mostly health Palestine64 in 100 of its 56 stories · usually 57 · mostly health Syria61 in 100 of its 153 stories · usually 58 · mostly conflict & violence Cambodia59 in 100 of its 88 stories · usually 51 · mostly health Cuba58 in 100 of its 81 stories · usually 50 · mostly healthCountries with at least 50 stories that day.
Where people protested
Washington US150 stories about protests or strikes, of its 902 Kabul Afghanistan59 stories about protests or strikes, of its 324 Chicago US59 stories about protests or strikes, of its 305 London UK52 stories about protests or strikes, of its 416 Delhi India44 stories about protests or strikes, of its 193Stories, 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
● Kabul Afghanistan attacks & violence · 324 stories, 581 outlets ● La Palma Spain accidents & disasters · 34 stories, 202 outlets ● Liberty County US accidents & disasters · 21 stories, 155 outlets ● Paris France disease & outbreaks · 120 stories, 229 outlets ● Canary Islands Spain accidents & disasters · 13 stories, 100 outlets ● Sierra Nevada US accidents & disasters · 14 stories, 55 outlets ● Munich Germany protests & strikes · 14 stories, 109 outlets ● Gothenburg Sweden people displaced · 41 stories, 79 outletsThe day in three measures
Parts of life 30 days →
Health60% 15,146 stories · more than usual (usually 56%) Rights & justice15% 3,837 stories · about as usual Disasters & accidents9% 2,200 stories · about as usual Conflict & violence8% 1,927 stories · less than usual (usually 10%) Food & livelihood3% 677 stories · about as usual Deaths & injuries, cause not given2% 635 stories · about as usual Shelter & services2% 520 stories · about as usual Displacement2% 462 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 killed5,231 at about the usual rate Stories reporting people affected1,837 at about the usual rate Stories reporting arrests1,642 at about the usual rate Stories reporting people injured1,081 at about the usual rate Stories reporting refugees225 at about two-thirds of the usual rate · most about Afghanistan and the US Stories reporting evacuations213 at about half the usual rate · most about Afghanistan and the US Stories reporting people displaced135 at about the usual rate Stories reporting abductions130 at about two-thirds of the usual rate · most about Nigeria and the US Stories reporting people falling ill19 at about two-thirds of the usual rate · most about the US and AfghanistanStories 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
● 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.