← 19 Dec Tuesday 20 December 2022 · to 23:59 UTC 21 Dec →
What the world's news said happened to people.
Counts of coverage, not of suffering
15,082 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 rights and justice in Stutthof, violence in Damascus and storms in Thailand. Poland's coverage was about three times as grief-stricken as the world's. Taken together, the world's news read softer than usual.

Part of lifeHealth 34 in 100 of the stories about harm · about as usual Country that rose mostPoland 48 in 100 of its 125 stories, usually 20
RegionMiddle East & North Africa 29 in 100 of its stories, usually 25
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 →
Rights & justice

Poland

60 of its 125 stories (48%) were about people being harmed, usually 20%. Stutthof accounted for 46 of Poland's 60 stories about harm, carried by 134 outlets. Reports of arrests ran at about 8 times the usual rate (13 stories). Hunger was named in 16 of its stories about harm, more than ten times usual. Its coverage was about three times as grief-stricken as the world's.

Poland over 30 days → its stories → Stutthof stories →
Conflict & violence

Syria

83 of its 119 stories (70%) were about people being harmed, usually 56%. Damascus accounted for 38 of Syria's 83 stories about harm, carried by 53 outlets. Reports of arrests ran at about three times the usual rate (20 stories). Its coverage was about twice as angry as the world's.

Syria over 30 days → its stories → Damascus stories →
Disasters & accidents

Thailand

113 of its 248 stories (46%) were about people being harmed, usually 25%. Reports of people affected ran at about 6 times the usual rate (71 stories). Storms were named in 49 of its stories about harm, about 7 times usual.

Thailand over 30 days → its stories →
6 more places the news pointed at
Conflict & violence

Pakistan

279 of its 744 stories (38%) were about people being harmed, usually 28%. Reports of abductions ran at about 5 times the usual rate (28 stories). Its coverage was about twice as fearful as the world's.

its stories →
Conflict & violence

Kashmir

37 of its 92 stories (40%) were about people being harmed, usually 31%. Reports of people killed ran at about twice the usual rate (23 stories). Its coverage was about three times as fearful as the world's. Grief in its coverage rose to about one and a half times its own usual.

its stories →
Protests & strikes

Iran

Tehran accounted for 63 of Iran's 126 stories about harm, carried by 149 outlets. 46 of Tehran's 63 stories were about protests or strikes. Its coverage was about twice as angry as the world's.

its stories →
Rights & justice

Bahrain

19 of its 45 stories (42%) were about people being harmed, usually 12%. Its coverage was about one and a half times as angry as the world's.

its stories →
Health

Nepal

23 of its 47 stories (49%) were about people being harmed, usually 24%. Reports of people killed ran at about twice the usual rate (10 stories).

its stories →
Disasters & accidents

Malaysia

114 of its 305 stories (37%) were about people being harmed, usually 24%. Reports of evacuations ran at about 8 times the usual rate (9 stories).

its stories →

Also named far more than usual: covid in Indonesia (15 of its stories, about three times its usual); covid in Israel (29 of its stories, about three times its usual); snowstorms in Canada (53 of its stories, about 6 times its usual); snowstorms in US (368 of its stories, about 4 times its usual); storms in China (13 of its stories, about 4 times its usual).

20 in 100 stories were about harm

usually 19; 20 the day before
21 in 10018 in 10021 Nov28 Nov5 Dec12 Dec20 Dec21 Nov: 19 in 10022 Nov: 19 in 10023 Nov: 20 in 10024 Nov: 19 in 10025 Nov: 18 in 10026 Nov: 19 in 10027 Nov: 19 in 10028 Nov: 20 in 10029 Nov: 20 in 10030 Nov: 20 in 1001 Dec: 19 in 1002 Dec: 19 in 1003 Dec: 19 in 1004 Dec: 19 in 1005 Dec: 19 in 1006 Dec: 19 in 1007 Dec: 19 in 1008 Dec: 19 in 1009 Dec: 19 in 10010 Dec: 20 in 10011 Dec: 20 in 10012 Dec: 20 in 10013 Dec: 20 in 10014 Dec: 20 in 10015 Dec: 20 in 10016 Dec: 20 in 10017 Dec: 21 in 10018 Dec: 20 in 10019 Dec: 20 in 10020 Dec: 20 in 100 · this day

Stories about people being harmed, in every 100 stories, the 30 days to 20 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 15,082 stories about harm among 73,582 counted on 20 Dec.

Read the day's briefing

Poland stood out: 48% of its news was about people being harmed, usually 20%. 20 in every 100 of the day's 73,582 news stories were about people being harmed, above the usual 19. On 20 December 2021, a year earlier, the share was 27 in every 100, against 20 today.

Written by code from the day's numbers.

Where harm was most of the news all →

Syria70 in 100 of its 119 stories · usually 56 · mostly conflict & violence Rwanda57 in 100 of its 63 stories · usually 48 · mostly conflict & violence Palestine56 in 100 of its 57 stories · usually 51 · mostly conflict & violence Poland48 in 100 of its 125 stories · usually 20 · mostly rights & justice Iraq46 in 100 of its 78 stories · usually 44 · mostly conflict & violence

Countries with at least 50 stories that day.

Where people protested

Washington US148 stories about protests or strikes, of its 590 London UK54 stories about protests or strikes, of its 225 Tehran Iran46 stories about protests or strikes, of its 63 Northern Ireland UK34 stories about protests or strikes, of its 68 Beijing China27 stories about protests or strikes, of its 235

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: too little coverage to readVenezuela: about as warm as its own usual or lessVanuatu: about as warm as its own usual or lessUzbekistan: 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: about as warm as its own usual or lessUnited States: too little coverage to readSouth 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: 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: too little coverage to readTogo: too little coverage to readTimor-Leste: too little coverage to readThailand: too little coverage to readTanzania: about as warm as its own usual or lessTajikistan: 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: about as warm as its own usual or lessSuriname: 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 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: too little coverage to readSlovakia: 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 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: 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: too little coverage to readRwanda: about as warm as its own usual or lessRussia: about as warm as its own usual or lessRomania: about as warm as its own usual or lessQatar: 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 readOman: too little coverage to readNorway: too little coverage to readNorth 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: too little coverage to readCuraçao: 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: too little coverage to readMauritania: 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: too little coverage to readLuxembourg: 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: too little coverage to readKenya: 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 lessIndia: about as warm as its own usual or lessIceland: too little coverage to readHungary: about as warm as its own usual or lessHonduras: about as warm as its own usual or lessHaiti: about as warm as its own usual or lessGuyana: about as warm as its own usual or lessGuinea-Bissau: about as warm as its own usual or lessGuinea: about as warm as its own usual or lessGuatemala: about as warm as its own usual or lessGrenada: too little coverage to readGreece: 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: too little coverage to readNew 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: too little coverage to readEritrea: about as warm as its own usual or lessEquatorial Guinea: too little coverage to readEl Salvador: about as warm as its own usual or lessEgypt: 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: too little coverage to readDjibouti: about as warm as its own usual or lessGreenland: too little coverage to readFaroe Islands: too little coverage to readDenmark: 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 lessCuba: about as warm as its own usual or lessCroatia: about as warm as its own usual or lessCôte 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 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: 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: about as warm as its own usual or lessMyanmar: 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: too little coverage to readBotswana: 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: too little coverage to readBenin: about as warm as its own usual or lessBelize: 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 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: too little coverage to readAntigua & Barbuda: about as warm as its own usual or lessAngola: 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): 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 lessCrimea: 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: too little coverage to readMarshall Islands: about as warm as its own usual or lessNorthern 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: too little coverage to readAruba: 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: about as warm as its own usual or lessMayotte: too little coverage to readSpain: warmth about its own usualPakistan: warmth about its own usualIran: warmth about its own usualIndonesia: warmth about its own usualCongo: warmth about its own usualBelgium: warmth about its own usualArizona, US -- rights & justice: 34 stories, carried by 18 outletsBeirut, Lebanon -- rights & justice: 15 stories, carried by 35 outletsMiami, US -- deaths & injuries, cause not given: 59 stories, carried by 68 outletsLanarkshire, UK -- health: 28 stories, carried by 10 outletsMelbourne, Australia -- rights & justice: 19 stories, carried by 14 outletsBannu, Pakistan -- conflict & violence: 90 stories, carried by 89 outletsArewa, Nigeria -- rights & justice: 13 stories, carried by 10 outletsBaghdad, Iraq -- conflict & violence: 24 stories, carried by 99 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

● Arizona US about one and a half times as warm as the day's news · rights & justice · 34 stories ● Beirut Lebanon about one and a half times as warm as the day's news · rights & justice · 15 stories ● Miami US about one and a half times as warm as the day's news · deaths & injuries, cause not given · 59 stories ● Lanarkshire UK about one and a half times as warm as the day's news · health · 28 stories ● Melbourne Australia about one and a half times as warm as the day's news · rights & justice · 19 stories

The day in three measures

Parts of life 30 days →

Health34% 5,038 stories · about as usual Rights & justice22% 3,277 stories · about as usual Disasters & accidents18% 2,699 stories · more than usual (usually 14%) Conflict & violence10% 1,441 stories · about as usual Food & livelihood5% 747 stories · about as usual Deaths & injuries, cause not given5% 706 stories · about as usual Shelter & services5% 673 stories · about as usual Displacement2% 287 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 killed3,340 at about the usual rate Stories reporting arrests1,451 at about the usual rate Stories reporting people affected1,415 at about the usual rate Stories reporting people injured812 at about the usual rate Stories reporting refugees239 at about one and a half times the usual rate · most about the US and Syria Stories reporting abductions147 at about one and a half times the usual rate · most about the US and Pakistan Stories reporting people displaced85 at about two-thirds of the usual rate · most about the US and Nigeria Stories reporting evacuations58 at about the usual rate

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

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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.