← 18 Feb Sunday 19 February 2023 · to 23:59 UTC 20 Feb →
What the world's news said happened to people.
Counts of coverage, not of suffering
6,993 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 →

Rights and justice in Sofia, violence in Damascus and volcanic eruption in the Philippines drew the news. Syria's coverage was about three times as angry as the world's. Across the world, the tone of the words was harsher than usual.

Reports of abductions ran at about twice the usual rate, most often about the US and India → Help and hope: reports of people freed or reunited ran at about one and a half times the usual rate →
Part of lifeHealth 29 in 100 of the stories about harm · less than usual Country that rose mostEthiopia 60 in 100 of its 52 stories, usually 36
RegionLatin America & Caribbean 29 in 100 of its stories, usually 25
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 →
Rights & justice

Bulgaria

22 of its 45 stories (49%) were about people being harmed, usually 26%. Sofia accounted for 17 of Bulgaria's 22 stories about harm, carried by 23 outlets. Reports of arrests ran at about 4 times the usual rate (16 stories). Its coverage was about one and a half times as grief-stricken as the world's.

Conflict & violence

Syria

207 of its 259 stories (80%) were about people being harmed, usually 72%. Damascus accounted for 141 of Syria's 207 stories about harm, carried by 172 outlets. Reports of people injured ran at about twice the usual rate (107 stories). Its coverage was about three times as angry as the world's.

Disasters & accidents

Philippines

107 of its 329 stories (33%) were about people being harmed, usually 27%. Reports of people affected ran at about three times the usual rate (31 stories). Volcanic eruption was named in 15 of its stories about harm, more than ten times usual.

6 more places the news pointed at
Conflict & violence

Russia

Reports of refugees ran at about three times the usual rate (5 stories). Drought was named in 14 of its stories about harm, more than ten times usual. Its coverage was about one and a half times as angry as the world's.

Disasters & accidents

New Zealand

Reports of arrests ran at about three times the usual rate (10 stories). Natural hazards were named in 15 of its stories about harm, about 5 times usual. Grief in its coverage rose to about one and a half times its own usual.

Conflict & violence

Ethiopia

31 of its 52 stories (60%) were about people being harmed, usually 36%. Addis Ababa accounted for 21 of Ethiopia's 31 stories about harm, carried by 15 outlets.

Rights & justice

South Africa

122 of its 326 stories (37%) were about people being harmed, usually 27%. Reports of abductions ran at about 4 times the usual rate (6 stories).

Health

Mexico

31 of its 103 stories (30%) were about people being harmed, usually 21%. Respiratory illness was named in 21 of its stories about harm, more than ten times usual.

Health

Singapore

15 of its 54 stories (28%) were about people being harmed, usually 16%. Reports of people killed ran at about three times the usual rate (5 stories).

Also named far more than usual: respiratory illness in Mexico (21 of its stories, more than ten times its usual); natural hazards in New Zealand (15 of its stories, about 5 times its usual); drought in Russia (14 of its stories, more than ten times its usual); power cuts in Australia (11 of its stories, more than ten times its usual); avalanche in Canada (10 of its stories, about 5 times its usual).

20 in 100 stories were about harm

usually 20; 20 the day before
21 in 10018 in 10021 Jan28 Jan4 Feb11 Feb19 Feb21 Jan: 19 in 10022 Jan: 20 in 10023 Jan: 19 in 10024 Jan: 20 in 10025 Jan: 19 in 10026 Jan: 19 in 10027 Jan: 20 in 10028 Jan: 21 in 10029 Jan: 21 in 10030 Jan: 19 in 10031 Jan: 19 in 1001 Feb: 19 in 1002 Feb: 19 in 1003 Feb: 19 in 1004 Feb: 20 in 1005 Feb: 19 in 1006 Feb: 20 in 1007 Feb: 21 in 1008 Feb: 19 in 1009 Feb: 19 in 10010 Feb: 19 in 10011 Feb: 20 in 10012 Feb: 19 in 10013 Feb: 18 in 10014 Feb: 19 in 10015 Feb: 20 in 10016 Feb: 20 in 10017 Feb: 20 in 10018 Feb: 20 in 10019 Feb: 20 in 100 · this day

Stories about people being harmed, in every 100 stories, the 30 days to 19 Feb. 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 6,993 stories about harm among 34,324 counted on 19 Feb.

Read the day's briefing

Mentions of respiratory illness ran more than ten times their usual in Mexico's news. of the day's 34,324 news stories, 20 in every 100 were about people being harmed, as usual. the news turned to Bulgaria for the third day running. Help and hope: reports of people freed or reunited ran at about one and a half times the usual rate. Reports of abductions ran at about twice the usual rate, most often about the US and India. This week the news turned most often to Tunisia, on 6 of 7 days; help rose on 1 of them.

Written by code from the day's numbers.

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 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: no storiesUnited Kingdom: near the world's share or lessUnited Arab Emirates: near the world's share or lessUganda: near the world's share or lessTurkmenistan: near the world's share or lessTrinidad & Tobago: near the world's share or lessTonga: no storiesTogo: near the world's share or lessTimor-Leste: no storiesThailand: near the world's share or lessTanzania: 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: near the world's share or lessSuriname: near the world's share or lessSouth Sudan: near the world's share or lessSudan: 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: no storiesSlovenia: 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: no storiesSt 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 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 storiesNorway: near the world's share or lessNorth Korea: near the world's share or lessNigeria: 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 storiesNepal: near the world's share or lessNamibia: 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 lessMauritius: near the world's share or lessMauritania: no storiesMalta: near the world's share or lessMali: near the world's share or lessMalaysia: near the world's share or lessMalawi: near the world's share or lessMadagascar: 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: no storiesLebanon: 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 storiesKazakhstan: near the world's share or lessJordan: near the world's share or lessJapan: near the world's share or lessJamaica: 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 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 lessGuyana: near the world's share or lessGuinea-Bissau: no storiesGuinea: no storiesGuatemala: near the world's share or lessGrenada: near the world's share or lessGreece: 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 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: no storiesEquatorial Guinea: near the world's share or lessEl Salvador: near the world's share or lessEgypt: near the world's share or lessEcuador: 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: no storiesCongo: near the world's share or lessComoros: no storiesColombia: near the world's share or lessChina: near the world's share or lessHong Kong: near the world's share or lessChile: near the world's share or lessChad: near the world's share or lessCentral African Republic: no storiesCape Verde: no storiesCanada: near the world's share or lessCameroon: near the world's share or lessCambodia: near the world's share or lessMyanmar: near the world's share or lessBurundi: near the world's share or lessBrunei: 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: no storiesBelgium: 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: no storiesAlgeria: near the world's share or lessAlbania: near the world's share or lessJammu & Kashmir: near the world's share or lessAksai Chin: near the world's share or lessWestern Sahara (Moroccan-controlled): no storiesWestern Sahara (Free Zone): no storiesAzad Kashmir & Gilgit-Baltistan: near the world's share or lessSiachen Glacier: near the world's share or lessAzad Kashmir & Gilgit-Baltistan: 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: no storiesPitcairn: no storiesAnguilla: no storiesBermuda: near the world's share or lessBritish Virgin Islands: no storiesTurks & Caicos Islands: no storiesMontserrat: near the world's share or lessJersey: 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: no storiesAruba: no storiesNauru: near the world's share or lessMonaco: near the world's share or lessMaldives: near the world's share or lessLiechtenstein: near the world's share or lessWallis & 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: no storiesYemen: 71 in 100 of its 7 stories were about people being harmed (the world's: 20)Ukraine: 29 in 100 of its 492 stories were about people being harmed (the world's: 20)Türkiye: 70 in 100 of its 357 stories were about people being harmed (the world's: 20)Tunisia: 57 in 100 of its 35 stories were about people being harmed (the world's: 20)Syria: 80 in 100 of its 259 stories were about people being harmed (the world's: 20)Sri Lanka: 29 in 100 of its 75 stories were about people being harmed (the world's: 20)South Africa: 37 in 100 of its 326 stories were about people being harmed (the world's: 20)Somalia: 70 in 100 of its 10 stories were about people being harmed (the world's: 20)Philippines: 33 in 100 of its 329 stories were about people being harmed (the world's: 20)Peru: 50 in 100 of its 12 stories were about people being harmed (the world's: 20)Pakistan: 35 in 100 of its 566 stories were about people being harmed (the world's: 20)Oman: 43 in 100 of its 23 stories were about people being harmed (the world's: 20)New Zealand: 38 in 100 of its 288 stories were about people being harmed (the world's: 20)Mexico: 30 in 100 of its 103 stories were about people being harmed (the world's: 20)Kenya: 34 in 100 of its 101 stories were about people being harmed (the world's: 20)Israel: 30 in 100 of its 360 stories were about people being harmed (the world's: 20)Palestine: 44 in 100 of its 32 stories were about people being harmed (the world's: 20)Iran: 43 in 100 of its 125 stories were about people being harmed (the world's: 20)Haiti: 71 in 100 of its 7 stories were about people being harmed (the world's: 20)New Caledonia: 80 in 100 of its 5 stories were about people being harmed (the world's: 20)Ethiopia: 60 in 100 of its 52 stories were about people being harmed (the world's: 20)Cuba: 46 in 100 of its 13 stories were about people being harmed (the world's: 20)Burkina Faso: 90 in 100 of its 10 stories were about people being harmed (the world's: 20)Bulgaria: 49 in 100 of its 45 stories were about people being harmed (the world's: 20)Brazil: 39 in 100 of its 87 stories were about people being harmed (the world's: 20)Bangladesh: 34 in 100 of its 199 stories were about people being harmed (the world's: 20)Afghanistan: 46 in 100 of its 99 stories were about people being harmed (the world's: 20)Palestine: 44 in 100 of its 32 stories were about people being harmed (the world's: 20)Palestine: 44 in 100 of its 32 stories were about people being harmed (the world's: 20)Ukraine: 29 in 100 of its 492 stories were about people being harmed (the world's: 20)Palestine: 44 in 100 of its 32 stories were about people being harmed (the world's: 20)
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 20 in 100 that day. Stronger colour: further above. A country with few stories is drawn closer to the world's. Click a country.

The day in three measures

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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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.