Ethiopia
30 of its 36 stories (83%) were about people being harmed, usually 58%. Tigray accounted for 20 of Ethiopia's 30 stories about harm, carried by 61 outlets. Hunger was named in 14 of its stories about harm, about 5 times 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.
The news turned to illness in Tigray, the earthquake in New Zealand and protests in Ottawa (Canada). Everywhere we counted, the words were harsher than usual.
Part of lifeHealth
50 in 100 of the stories about harm · much less than usual
Country that rose mostSingapore
51 in 100 of its 90 stories, usually 27
RegionEvery region
about as usual
Tone of the words
Harsher than usual
across the world's stories about harm
What the world's news was about today
how these are picked →New Zealand
109 of its 235 stories (46%) were about people being harmed, usually 36%. Reports of people injured ran at about twice the usual rate (5 stories). Earthquake was named in 11 of its stories about harm, about 6 times usual.
Canada
136 of Ottawa's 158 stories were about protests or strikes. Anger in its coverage rose to about twice its own usual.
Thailand
Bangkok accounted for 28 of Thailand's 57 stories about harm, carried by 195 outlets. Reports of people affected ran at about three times the usual rate (14 stories).
6 more places the news pointed at
Syria
73 of its 92 stories (79%) were about people being harmed, usually 65%. Reports of abductions ran at about three times the usual rate (7 stories). Its coverage was about twice as angry as the world's.
Singapore
46 of its 90 stories (51%) were about people being harmed, usually 27%. Reports of evacuations ran at more than ten times the usual rate (8 stories).
DR Congo
10 of its 10 stories (100%) were about people being harmed, usually 40%. Its coverage was about twice as grief-stricken as the world's.
Congo
11 of its 13 stories (85%) were about people being harmed, usually 39%. Its coverage was about twice as grief-stricken as the world's.
Lebanon
27 of its 58 stories (47%) were about people being harmed, usually 36%. Beirut accounted for 18 of Lebanon's 27 stories about harm, carried by 35 outlets.
Mexico
57 of its 158 stories (36%) were about people being harmed, usually 29%. Its coverage was about one and a half times as grief-stricken as the world's.
Also named far more than usual: snowstorms in US (404 of its stories, about three times its usual); storms in UK (75 of its stories, more than ten times its usual); wildfires in Australia (12 of its stories, about three times its usual).
26 in 100 stories were about harm
usually 28; 25 the day beforeStories about people being harmed, in every 100 stories, the 30 days to 29 Jan. 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 12,576 stories about harm among 48,561 counted on 29 Jan.
Read the day's briefing
For the second day running, the news turned to Ethiopia. Ethiopia stood out: 83% of its news was about people being harmed, usually 58%. 26 in every 100 of the day's 48,561 news stories were about people being harmed, below the usual 28. On 29 January 2021, a year earlier, the share was 26 in every 100, the same as today.
- 26 in every 100 of the day's 48,561 news stories were about people being harmed (usually 28).
- Ethiopia: 30 of its 36 stories (83%) were about people being harmed, usually 58%.
- New Zealand: 109 of its 235 stories (46%) were about people being harmed, usually 36%.
- Canada: 136 of Ottawa's 158 stories were about protests or strikes.
- Thailand: Bangkok accounted for 28 of Thailand's 57 stories about harm, carried by 195 outlets.
- Mentions of the hunger ran about 5 times their usual in Ethiopia's news.
- Mentions of snowstorms ran about three times their usual in the US's news.
- Across the world, the words of the day's news were harsher than usual.
- It was the second day running that the news turned to Ethiopia.
- A year earlier, on 29 January 2021, 26 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 →
Syria79 in 100 of its 92 stories · usually 65 · mostly conflict & violence Yemen62 in 100 of its 52 stories · usually 69 · mostly conflict & violence Kashmir54 in 100 of its 110 stories · usually 53 · mostly conflict & violence Iran53 in 100 of its 139 stories · usually 39 · mostly conflict & violence Hong Kong52 in 100 of its 65 stories · usually 51 · mostly healthCountries with at least 50 stories that day.
Where people protested
Ottawa Canada136 stories about protests or strikes, of its 158 Washington US40 stories about protests or strikes, of its 254 Washington US33 stories about protests or strikes, of its 134 Delhi India28 stories about protests or strikes, of its 182 Jerusalem Israel21 stories about protests or strikes, of its 40Stories, 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
● Boston US accidents & disasters · 279 stories, 775 outlets ● Ottawa Canada protests & strikes · 158 stories, 188 outlets ● Raqqa Syria attacks & violence · 13 stories, 130 outlets ● Moscow Russia attacks & violence · 98 stories, 250 outlets ● Fern Hollow US accidents & disasters · 35 stories, 100 outlets ● Bangkok Thailand accidents & disasters · 28 stories, 195 outlets ● Caracas Venezuela protests & strikes · 5 stories, 77 outlets ● Northern Ireland UK accidents & disasters · 52 stories, 111 outletsThe day in three measures
Parts of life 30 days →
Health50% 6,269 stories · much less than usual (usually 58%) Rights & justice16% 2,020 stories · about as usual Disasters & accidents16% 1,975 stories · more than usual (usually 11%) Conflict & violence8% 1,017 stories · about as usual Deaths & injuries, cause not given3% 390 stories · about as usual Shelter & services3% 344 stories · about as usual Food & livelihood2% 307 stories · about as usual Displacement1% 134 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 killed2,874 at about the usual rate Stories reporting arrests924 at about the usual rate Stories reporting people affected907 at about the usual rate Stories reporting people injured579 at about the usual rate Stories reporting people displaced96 at about one and a half times the usual rate · most about the US and India Stories reporting abductions88 at about two-thirds of the usual rate · most about Nigeria and the US Stories reporting evacuations53 at about the usual rate Stories reporting refugees45 at about two-thirds of the usual rate · most about Afghanistan and the US Stories reporting people falling ill8 at about half the usual rate · most about the US and DenmarkStories 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 harsher 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
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These are counts of stories, not counts of suffering. Most of what happens to people is never reported at all.