← 23 Dec Friday 24 December 2021 · to 23:59 UTC 25 Dec →
What the world's news said happened to people.
Counts of coverage, not of suffering
15,638 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 →

The news turned to drownings in Bangladesh, people injured in Uganda and protests in Khartoum (Sudan). Bangladesh's coverage was about three times as grief-stricken as the world's. In the world's news as a whole, the wording was much softer than usual.

Part of lifeHealth 62 in 100 of the stories about harm · more than usual Country that rose mostBangladesh 74 in 100 of its 284 stories, usually 40
RegionLatin America & Caribbean 34 in 100 of its stories, usually 30
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 →
Disasters & accidents

Bangladesh

209 of its 284 stories (74%) were about people being harmed, usually 40%. Dhaka accounted for 141 of Bangladesh's 209 stories about harm, carried by 392 outlets. Reports of people injured ran at more than ten times the usual rate (88 stories). Drownings were named in 23 of its stories about harm, more than ten times usual. Its coverage was about three times as grief-stricken as the world's.

Bangladesh over 30 days → its stories → Dhaka stories →
Health

Uganda

33 of its 54 stories (61%) were about people being harmed, usually 38%. Reports of people injured ran at about three times the usual rate (6 stories). Its coverage was about one and a half times as angry as the world's. Fear in its coverage rose to about one and a half times its own usual.

Uganda over 30 days → its stories →
6 more places the news pointed at
Disasters & accidents

Malaysia

155 of its 298 stories (52%) were about people being harmed, usually 34%. Reports of people displaced ran at about three times the usual rate (8 stories). Anger in its coverage rose to about one and a half times its own usual.

its stories →
Health

South Korea

119 of its 342 stories (35%) were about people being harmed, usually 27%. Seoul accounted for 74 of South Korea's 119 stories about harm, carried by 247 outlets. Reports of people injured ran at more than ten times the usual rate (12 stories).

its stories →
Health

Nigeria

Reports of people injured ran at about twice the usual rate (21 stories). Accidents were named in 12 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

Ecuador

24 of its 27 stories (89%) were about people being harmed, usually 34%. Reports of people killed ran at about three times the usual rate (20 stories).

its stories →
Disasters & accidents

Greece

58 of its 111 stories (52%) were about people being harmed, usually 33%. Reports of arrests ran at about 6 times the usual rate (13 stories).

its stories →
Health

United Arab Emirates

39 of its 133 stories (29%) were about people being harmed, usually 15%. Reports of people killed ran at about twice the usual rate (6 stories).

its stories →

Also named far more than usual: power cuts in Philippines (12 of its stories, about three times its usual); flooding in Russia (10 of its stories, about 9 times its usual); flu in Australia (13 of its stories, about 4 times its usual); accidents in Nigeria (12 of its stories, more than ten times its usual); hypothermia in Canada (15 of its stories, more than ten times its usual).

28 in 100 stories were about harm

usually 26; 28 the day before
28 in 10025 in 10025 Nov2 Dec9 Dec16 Dec24 Dec25 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 10018 Dec: 27 in 10019 Dec: 27 in 10020 Dec: 27 in 10021 Dec: 27 in 10022 Dec: 27 in 10023 Dec: 28 in 10024 Dec: 28 in 100 · this day

Stories about people being harmed, in every 100 stories, the 30 days to 24 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 15,638 stories about harm among 55,523 counted on 24 Dec.

Read the day's briefing

No day had a higher share of stories about people being harmed since 19 September 2021. Stories about people being harmed made up 28 in every 100 of the day's 55,523 stories, above the usual 26. Mentions of drownings ran more than ten times their usual in Bangladesh's news. In Bangladesh, 74% of the news was about people being harmed, where 40% is usual. A year earlier, on 24 December 2020, 27 in every 100 stories were about people being harmed, against 28 today.

Written by code from the day's numbers.

Where harm was most of the news all →

Bangladesh74 in 100 of its 284 stories · usually 40 · mostly disasters & accidents Uganda61 in 100 of its 54 stories · usually 38 · mostly health Trinidad & Tobago58 in 100 of its 55 stories · usually 35 · mostly health Palestine55 in 100 of its 107 stories · usually 53 · mostly conflict & violence Syria55 in 100 of its 62 stories · usually 51 · mostly conflict & violence

Countries with at least 50 stories that day.

Where people protested

Washington US72 stories about protests or strikes, of its 539 Beijing China61 stories about protests or strikes, of its 138 Madison County US36 stories about protests or strikes, of its 38 Delhi India23 stories about protests or strikes, of its 268 Khartoum Sudan18 stories about protests or strikes, of its 21

Stories, not people.

Where harm was most of the news

feelings in full →
Feelings Events Harm Warmth
Zimbabwe: near the world's share or lessZambia: near the world's share or lessYemen: near the world's share or lessVietnam: near the world's share or lessVenezuela: near the world's share or lessVanuatu: no storiesUzbekistan: near the world's share or lessUruguay: near the world's share or lessMicronesia: no storiesU.S. Virgin Islands: near the world's share or lessGuam: near the world's share or lessPuerto Rico: near the world's share or lessUnited States: near the world's share or lessSouth Georgia & South Sandwich Islands: no storiesFalkland Islands: no storiesCayman Islands: near the world's share or lessIsle of Man: near the world's share or lessUnited Kingdom: near the world's share or lessUnited Arab Emirates: near the world's share or lessUkraine: near the world's share or lessTurkmenistan: near the world's share or lessTurkey: near the world's share or lessTunisia: near the world's share or lessTonga: near the world's share or lessTogo: near the world's share or lessTimor-Leste: no storiesTanzania: near the world's share or lessTajikistan: near the world's share or lessTaiwan: near the world's share or lessSwitzerland: near the world's share or lessSweden: near the world's share or lessEswatini: no storiesSuriname: near the world's share or lessSri Lanka: near the world's share or lessSpain: near the world's share or lessSouth Korea: near the world's share or lessSomaliland: no storiesSolomon Islands: near the world's share or lessSlovakia: near the world's share or lessSlovenia: near the world's share or lessSingapore: near the world's share or lessSierra Leone: near the world's share or lessSeychelles: near the world's share or lessSerbia: no storiesSenegal: near the world's share or lessSaudi Arabia: near the world's share or lessSão Tomé: no storiesSamoa: near the world's share or lessSt Vincent: near the world's share or lessSt. Lucia: near the world's share or lessRwanda: near the world's share or lessRussia: near the world's share or lessRomania: near the world's share or lessQatar: near the world's share or lessPortugal: near the world's share or lessPoland: near the world's share or lessPeru: near the world's share or lessParaguay: near the world's share or lessPapua New Guinea: near the world's share or lessPanama: near the world's share or lessPalau: no storiesPakistan: near the world's share or lessOman: near the world's share or lessNorway: near the world's share or lessNorth Korea: near the world's share or lessNiger: near the world's share or lessNicaragua: near the world's share or lessNiue: no storiesNetherlands: near the world's share or lessCuraçao: no storiesNamibia: near the world's share or lessMozambique: near the world's share or lessMorocco: near the world's share or lessWestern Sahara: no storiesMontenegro: near the world's share or lessMongolia: near the world's share or lessMoldova: near the world's share or lessMexico: near the world's share or lessMauritania: near the world's share or lessMalta: near the world's share or lessMalawi: near the world's share or lessNorth Macedonia: near the world's share or lessLuxembourg: near the world's share or lessLithuania: near the world's share or lessLibya: near the world's share or lessLiberia: near the world's share or lessLesotho: near the world's share or lessLebanon: near the world's share or lessLatvia: near the world's share or lessLaos: near the world's share or lessKyrgyzstan: near the world's share or lessKuwait: near the world's share or lessKosovo: no storiesKiribati: no storiesKenya: near the world's share or lessKazakhstan: near the world's share or lessJordan: near the world's share or lessJapan: near the world's share or lessItaly: near the world's share or lessIreland: near the world's share or lessIraq: near the world's share or lessIran: near the world's share or lessIndonesia: near the world's share or lessIndia: near the world's share or lessIceland: near the world's share or lessHungary: near the world's share or lessHonduras: near the world's share or lessHaiti: near the world's share or lessGuyana: near the world's share or lessGuinea-Bissau: near the world's share or lessGuinea: near the world's share or lessGuatemala: near the world's share or lessGrenada: near the world's share or lessGhana: near the world's share or lessGermany: near the world's share or lessGeorgia: near the world's share or lessGambia: near the world's share or lessGabon: near the world's share or lessFrance: near the world's share or lessSt Pierre & Miquelon: no storiesFrench Polynesia: no storiesNew Caledonia: no storiesFrench Southern Territories: no storiesÅland Islands: no storiesFinland: near the world's share or lessFiji: near the world's share or lessEstonia: near the world's share or lessEritrea: near the world's share or lessEquatorial Guinea: near the world's share or lessEl Salvador: near the world's share or lessEgypt: near the world's share or lessDominican Republic: near the world's share or lessDominica: near the world's share or lessDjibouti: near the world's share or lessGreenland: near the world's share or lessFaroe Islands: no storiesDenmark: near the world's share or lessCzech Republic: near the world's share or lessN. Cyprus: no storiesCyprus: near the world's share or lessCroatia: near the world's share or lessCôte d'Ivoire: near the world's share or lessCosta Rica: near the world's share or lessDR Congo: near the world's share or lessCongo: near the world's share or lessComoros: near the world's share or lessColombia: near the world's share or lessChina: near the world's share or lessChile: near the world's share or lessChad: near the world's share or lessCentral African Republic: near the world's share or lessCape Verde: no storiesCameroon: near the world's share or lessCambodia: near the world's share or lessBurundi: near the world's share or lessBurkina Faso: near the world's share or lessBulgaria: near the world's share or lessBrunei: near the world's share or lessBrazil: near the world's share or lessBotswana: near the world's share or lessBosnia and Herzegovina: near the world's share or lessBolivia: near the world's share or lessBhutan: near the world's share or lessBenin: near the world's share or lessBelize: near the world's share or lessBelgium: near the world's share or lessBelarus: near the world's share or lessBarbados: near the world's share or lessBahrain: near the world's share or lessBahamas: near the world's share or lessAzerbaijan: near the world's share or lessAustria: near the world's share or lessAustralia: near the world's share or lessHeard & McDonald Islands: no storiesArmenia: near the world's share or lessArgentina: near the world's share or lessAntigua & Barbuda: near the world's share or lessAngola: near the world's share or lessAndorra: near the world's share or lessAlgeria: near the world's share or lessAlbania: near the world's share or lessAksai Chin: near the world's share or lessWestern Sahara (Moroccan-controlled): no storiesWestern Sahara (Free Zone): no storiesCrimea: near the world's share or lessVatican City: near the world's share or lessMarshall Islands: near the world's share or lessNorthern Mariana Islands: no storiesAmerican Samoa: no storiesChagos Islands: no storiesSt. Helena: near the world's share or lessPitcairn: no storiesAnguilla: no storiesBritish Virgin Islands: near the world's share or lessTurks & Caicos Islands: no storiesMontserrat: no storiesJersey: near the world's share or lessGuernsey: near the world's share or lessSan Marino: no storiesSt Kitts & Nevis: near the world's share or lessCook Islands: near the world's share or lessAruba: near the world's share or lessNauru: no storiesMonaco: near the world's share or lessMaldives: near the world's share or lessLiechtenstein: no storiesWallis & Futuna: no storiesSt. Martin: no storiesSt. Barthélemy: no storiesMacao: near the world's share or lessNorfolk Island: no storiesSint Maarten: no storiesChristmas Island: no storiesGibraltar: near the world's share or lessMayotte: near the world's share or lessUganda: 61 in 100 of its 54 stories were about people being harmed (the world's: 28)Trinidad & Tobago: 58 in 100 of its 55 stories were about people being harmed (the world's: 28)Thailand: 45 in 100 of its 192 stories were about people being harmed (the world's: 28)Syria: 55 in 100 of its 62 stories were about people being harmed (the world's: 28)South Sudan: 71 in 100 of its 21 stories were about people being harmed (the world's: 28)Sudan: 75 in 100 of its 32 stories were about people being harmed (the world's: 28)South Africa: 47 in 100 of its 464 stories were about people being harmed (the world's: 28)Somalia: 63 in 100 of its 27 stories were about people being harmed (the world's: 28)Philippines: 51 in 100 of its 468 stories were about people being harmed (the world's: 28)Nigeria: 38 in 100 of its 948 stories were about people being harmed (the world's: 28)New Zealand: 42 in 100 of its 212 stories were about people being harmed (the world's: 28)Nepal: 45 in 100 of its 38 stories were about people being harmed (the world's: 28)Mauritius: 71 in 100 of its 14 stories were about people being harmed (the world's: 28)Mali: 56 in 100 of its 27 stories were about people being harmed (the world's: 28)Malaysia: 52 in 100 of its 298 stories were about people being harmed (the world's: 28)Madagascar: 80 in 100 of its 10 stories were about people being harmed (the world's: 28)Jamaica: 39 in 100 of its 99 stories were about people being harmed (the world's: 28)Israel: 42 in 100 of its 263 stories were about people being harmed (the world's: 28)Palestine: 55 in 100 of its 107 stories were about people being harmed (the world's: 28)Greece: 52 in 100 of its 111 stories were about people being harmed (the world's: 28)Ethiopia: 49 in 100 of its 41 stories were about people being harmed (the world's: 28)Ecuador: 89 in 100 of its 27 stories were about people being harmed (the world's: 28)Cuba: 50 in 100 of its 30 stories were about people being harmed (the world's: 28)Hong Kong: 42 in 100 of its 102 stories were about people being harmed (the world's: 28)Canada: 39 in 100 of its 1,279 stories were about people being harmed (the world's: 28)Myanmar: 51 in 100 of its 37 stories were about people being harmed (the world's: 28)Bangladesh: 74 in 100 of its 284 stories were about people being harmed (the world's: 28)Afghanistan: 49 in 100 of its 199 stories were about people being harmed (the world's: 28)Kashmir: 48 in 100 of its 84 stories were about people being harmed (the world's: 28)Palestine: 55 in 100 of its 107 stories were about people being harmed (the world's: 28)Palestine: 55 in 100 of its 107 stories were about people being harmed (the world's: 28)Kashmir: 48 in 100 of its 84 stories were about people being harmed (the world's: 28)Kashmir: 48 in 100 of its 84 stories were about people being harmed (the world's: 28)Palestine: 55 in 100 of its 107 stories were about people being harmed (the world's: 28)Kashmir: 48 in 100 of its 84 stories were about people being harmed (the world's: 28)Bermuda: 52 in 100 of its 21 stories were about people being harmed (the world's: 28)
A quarter or more above the world's share Near the world's or lessNo stories

Each country shaded by how much of its news was about people being harmed, against the world's 28 in 100 that day. Stronger colour: further above. A country with few stories is drawn closer to the world's. Click a country.

Most of its news about harm

● Bangladesh 74 in 100 of its 284 stories · mostly disasters & accidents ● Philippines 51 in 100 of its 468 stories · mostly health ● Malaysia 52 in 100 of its 298 stories · mostly disasters & accidents ● Palestine 55 in 100 of its 107 stories · mostly conflict & violence ● South Africa 47 in 100 of its 464 stories · mostly health ● Uganda 61 in 100 of its 54 stories · mostly health

Stories, not people. Countries with at least 50 stories.

The day in three measures

Parts of life 30 days →

Health62% 9,555 stories · more than usual (usually 58%) Rights & justice13% 1,963 stories · less than usual (usually 16%) Disasters & accidents11% 1,689 stories · about as usual Conflict & violence6% 993 stories · about as usual Deaths & injuries, cause not given3% 450 stories · about as usual Shelter & services2% 352 stories · about as usual Food & livelihood2% 279 stories · about as usual Displacement1% 225 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 killed3,484 at about the usual rate Stories reporting people affected1,117 at about the usual rate Stories reporting arrests966 at about the usual rate Stories reporting people injured900 at about one and a half times the usual rate · most about the US and Bangladesh Stories reporting people displaced108 at about one and a half times the usual rate · most about the US and the Philippines Stories reporting evacuations89 at about the usual rate Stories reporting refugees82 at about two-thirds of the usual rate · most about the US and Afghanistan Stories reporting abductions69 at about the usual rate Stories reporting people falling ill6 at about two-thirds of the usual rate · most about the US and the UK

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
● 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.