← 16 Dec Friday 17 December 2021 · to 23:59 UTC 18 Dec →
What the world's news said happened to people.
Counts of coverage, not of suffering
21,260 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 the hunger in North Korea, violence in Homesh and the typhoon in the Philippines. Ethiopia's coverage was about three times as angry as the world's. In the world's news as a whole, the wording was softer than usual.

Part of lifeHealth 59 in 100 of the stories about harm · more than usual Country that rose mostNorth Korea 53 in 100 of its 108 stories, usually 32
RegionCentral Asia 36 in 100 of its stories, usually 32
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

North Korea

57 of its 108 stories (53%) were about people being harmed, usually 32%. Pyongyang accounted for 33 of North Korea's 57 stories about harm, carried by 138 outlets. Hunger was named in 17 of its stories about harm, about 5 times usual. Its coverage was about twice as grief-stricken as the world's.

North Korea over 30 days → its stories → Pyongyang stories →
Conflict & violence

Palestine

69 of its 95 stories (73%) were about people being harmed, usually 52%. Homesh accounted for 35 of Palestine's 69 stories about harm, carried by 31 outlets. Reports of people injured ran at about three times the usual rate (37 stories). Its coverage was about twice as angry as the world's.

Palestine over 30 days → its stories → Homesh stories →
Disasters & accidents

Philippines

362 of its 641 stories (56%) were about people being harmed, usually 44%. Philippine accounted for 134 of the Philippines' 362 stories about harm, carried by 127 outlets. Reports of people displaced ran at more than ten times the usual rate (14 stories). Typhoon was named in 207 of its stories about harm, more than ten times usual, with storms, landslides and cyclone.

Philippines over 30 days → its stories → Philippine stories →
Rights & justice

Ethiopia

74 of its 118 stories (63%) were about people being harmed, usually 53%. Tigray accounted for 60 of Ethiopia's 74 stories about harm, carried by 141 outlets. Reports of arrests ran at about twice the usual rate (13 stories). Its coverage was about three times as angry as the world's.

Ethiopia over 30 days → its stories → Tigray stories →
6 more places the news pointed at
Rights & justice

Chile

38 of its 86 stories (44%) were about people being harmed, usually 26%. Reports of people killed ran at about three times the usual rate (19 stories). Its coverage was about twice as grief-stricken as the world's.

its stories →
Disasters & accidents

Iraq

57 of its 90 stories (63%) were about people being harmed, usually 48%. Heavy rain was named in 17 of its stories about harm, more than ten times usual. Its coverage was about twice as grief-stricken as the world's.

its stories →
Disasters & accidents

Japan

264 of its 1,173 stories (23%) were about people being harmed, usually 15%. Reports of people injured ran at more than ten times the usual rate (63 stories). Its coverage was about one and a half times as fearful as the world's. Grief in its coverage rose to about three times its own usual.

its stories →
Health

Bangladesh

81 of its 173 stories (47%) were about people being harmed, usually 39%. Dhaka accounted for 49 of Bangladesh's 81 stories about harm, carried by 51 outlets. Its coverage was about one and a half times as grief-stricken as the world's.

its stories →
Health

Vatican City

17 of its 17 stories (100%) were about people being harmed, usually 32%. Reports of people killed ran at about 4 times the usual rate (15 stories).

its stories →
Health

Denmark

53 of its 117 stories (45%) were about people being harmed, usually 31%. Outbreaks were named in 13 of its stories about harm, about 5 times usual.

its stories →

Also named far more than usual: ebola in DR Congo (14 of its stories, about 10 times its usual); heavy rain in Iraq (17 of its stories, more than ten times its usual); outbreaks in Denmark (13 of its stories, about 5 times its usual); house fires in UK (69 of its stories, more than ten times its usual); extreme cold in Canada (13 of its stories, about 7 times its usual).

26 in 100 stories were about harm

usually 26; 26 the day before
28 in 10024 in 10018 Nov25 Nov2 Dec9 Dec17 Dec18 Nov: 24 in 10019 Nov: 24 in 10020 Nov: 25 in 10021 Nov: 25 in 10022 Nov: 25 in 10023 Nov: 25 in 10024 Nov: 25 in 10025 Nov: 25 in 10026 Nov: 26 in 10027 Nov: 27 in 10028 Nov: 28 in 10029 Nov: 27 in 10030 Nov: 26 in 1001 Dec: 26 in 1002 Dec: 25 in 1003 Dec: 26 in 1004 Dec: 27 in 1005 Dec: 27 in 1006 Dec: 26 in 1007 Dec: 25 in 1008 Dec: 25 in 1009 Dec: 25 in 10010 Dec: 25 in 10011 Dec: 27 in 10012 Dec: 27 in 10013 Dec: 27 in 10014 Dec: 27 in 10015 Dec: 26 in 10016 Dec: 26 in 10017 Dec: 26 in 100 · this day

Stories about people being harmed, in every 100 stories, the 30 days to 17 Dec. 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 21,260 stories about harm among 82,730 counted on 17 Dec.

Read the day's briefing

26 in every 100 of the day's 82,730 news stories were about people being harmed, as usual. A year earlier, on 17 December 2020, 25 in every 100 stories were about people being harmed, against 26 today.

Written by code from the day's numbers.

Where harm was most of the news all →

Haiti78 in 100 of its 73 stories · usually 68 · mostly rights & justice Palestine73 in 100 of its 95 stories · usually 52 · mostly conflict & violence Iraq63 in 100 of its 90 stories · usually 48 · mostly disasters & accidents Ethiopia63 in 100 of its 118 stories · usually 53 · mostly rights & justice Philippines56 in 100 of its 641 stories · usually 44 · mostly disasters & accidents

Countries with at least 50 stories that day.

Where people protested

Washington US171 stories about protests or strikes, of its 813 Delhi India42 stories about protests or strikes, of its 250 London UK42 stories about protests or strikes, of its 536 Beijing China30 stories about protests or strikes, of its 97 Manhattan US30 stories about protests or strikes, of its 157

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: too little coverage to readMicronesia: 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 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: about as warm as its own usual or lessTimor-Leste: too little coverage to readThailand: about as warm as its own usual or lessTanzania: about as warm as its own usual or lessTajikistan: about as warm as its own usual or lessTaiwan: 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: 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 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 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: 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: too little coverage to readMontenegro: about as warm as its own usual or lessMongolia: about as warm as its own usual or lessMoldova: about as warm as its own usual or lessMexico: 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: about as warm as its own usual or lessLebanon: about as warm as its own usual or lessLatvia: too little coverage to readLaos: 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: 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: 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 readGuyana: too little coverage to readGuinea-Bissau: about as warm as its own usual or lessGuinea: too little coverage to readGuatemala: too little coverage to readGrenada: 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: 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: too little coverage to readFrench 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 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 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: 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: about as warm as its own usual or lessChile: about as warm as its own usual or lessChad: 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: too little coverage to readCameroon: about as warm as its own usual or lessCambodia: about as warm as its own usual or lessMyanmar: about as warm as its own usual or lessBurundi: too little coverage to readBurkina Faso: too little coverage to readBulgaria: 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 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: about as warm as its own usual or lessAntigua & Barbuda: too little coverage to readAngola: about as warm as its own usual or lessAndorra: about as warm as its own usual or lessAlgeria: too little coverage to readAlbania: 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): 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 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: 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: too little coverage to readTurks & Caicos Islands: too little coverage to readMontserrat: too little coverage to readJersey: about as warm as its own usual or lessGuernsey: about as warm as its own usual or lessSan Marino: too little coverage to readSt 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: about as warm as its own usual or lessSint Maarten: too little coverage to readChristmas Island: too little coverage to readGibraltar: too little coverage to readMayotte: too little coverage to readUkraine: warmth about its own usualSouth Africa: warmth about its own usualSingapore: warmth about its own usualHaiti: warmth about its own usualEgypt: warmth about its own usualCzechia: warmth about its own usualBhutan: warmth about one and a half times its own usualAfghanistan: warmth about its own usualUkraine: warmth about its own usualVaranasi, India -- health: 16 stories, carried by 13 outletsPort-au-Prince, Haiti -- rights & justice: 20 stories, carried by 23 outletsMontana, US -- disasters & accidents: 22 stories, carried by 22 outletsWorcester, US -- health: 13 stories, carried by 32 outletsHartlepool, UK -- health: 29 stories, carried by 31 outletsGlasgow, UK -- health: 46 stories, carried by 29 outletsShanxi, China -- disasters & accidents: 13 stories, carried by 20 outletsLucknow, India -- health: 18 stories, carried by 16 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

● Bhutan warmth about one and a half times usual

Warmest events

● Varanasi India about one and a half times as warm as the day's news · health · 16 stories ● Port-au-Prince Haiti about one and a half times as warm as the day's news · rights & justice · 20 stories ● Montana US about one and a half times as warm as the day's news · disasters & accidents · 22 stories ● Worcester US about one and a half times as warm as the day's news · health · 13 stories ● Hartlepool UK about one and a half times as warm as the day's news · health · 29 stories

The day in three measures

Parts of life 30 days →

Health59% 12,465 stories · more than usual (usually 56%) Rights & justice15% 3,153 stories · about as usual Disasters & accidents12% 2,433 stories · about as usual Conflict & violence5% 1,130 stories · about as usual Deaths & injuries, cause not given3% 600 stories · about as usual Food & livelihood2% 527 stories · about as usual Shelter & services2% 514 stories · about as usual Displacement1% 263 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 killed4,691 at about the usual rate Stories reporting arrests1,503 at about the usual rate Stories reporting people affected1,473 at about the usual rate Stories reporting people injured986 at about the usual rate Stories reporting abductions153 at about the usual rate Stories reporting refugees146 at about the usual rate Stories reporting people displaced123 at about the usual rate Stories reporting evacuations105 at about the usual rate Stories reporting people falling ill7 at about two-thirds of the usual rate · most about the US and Qatar

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

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.