← 14 Oct Sunday 15 October 2023 · to 23:59 UTC 16 Oct →
What the world's news said happened to people.
Counts of coverage, not of suffering
11,866 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 evacuations in Israel, people killed in Malta and people displaced in Cairo. Israel's coverage was about one and a half times as angry as the world's. Across the world, the tone of the words was much harsher than usual.

Reports of abductions ran at about three times the usual rate, most often about Israel and Nigeria → Reports of evacuations ran at about 6 times the usual rate, most often about Israel and Palestine → Reports of people displaced ran at about twice the usual rate, most often about Israel and Palestine → Help and hope: reports of people freed or reunited ran at about three times the usual rate →
Part of lifeConflict & violence 30 in 100 of the stories about harm · much more than usual Country that rose mostSaudi Arabia 32 in 100 of its 161 stories, usually 14
RegionMiddle East & North Africa 61 in 100 of its stories, usually 48
Tone of the words Much harsher than usual across the world's stories about harm

What the world's news was about today

how these are picked →
Conflict & violence

Israel

3,011 of its 4,136 stories (73%) were about people being harmed, usually 67%. Reports of evacuations ran at about three times the usual rate (416 stories). Wildfires were named in 24 of its stories about harm, about 5 times usual, with cholera. Its coverage was about one and a half times as angry as the world's.

Israel over 30 days → its stories →
Rights & justice

Malta

18 of its 60 stories (30%) were about people being harmed, usually 15%. Reports of people killed ran at about twice the usual rate (7 stories). Anger in its coverage rose to about one and a half times its own usual.

Malta over 30 days → its stories →
Displacement

Egypt

55 of its 165 stories (33%) were about people being harmed, usually 23%. Cairo accounted for 39 of Egypt's 55 stories about harm, carried by 61 outlets. Reports of refugees ran at about 9 times the usual rate (8 stories).

Egypt over 30 days → its stories → Cairo stories →
Disasters & accidents

Congo

15 of its 20 stories (75%) were about people being harmed, usually 38%. Reports of people affected ran at about three times the usual rate (13 stories).

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

Saudi Arabia

52 of its 161 stories (32%) were about people being harmed, usually 14%. Riyadh accounted for 40 of Saudi Arabia's 52 stories about harm, carried by 49 outlets. Reports of people killed ran at about three times the usual rate (27 stories).

its stories →
Conflict & violence

France

87 of its 398 stories (22%) were about people being harmed, usually 16%. Reports of people injured ran at about 4 times the usual rate (23 stories). Anger in its coverage rose to about one and a half times its own usual.

its stories →
Conflict & violence

Palestine

Gaza accounted for 312 of Palestine's 368 stories about harm, carried by 471 outlets. Reports of evacuations ran at about three times the usual rate (53 stories). Its coverage was about one and a half times as grief-stricken as the world's.

its stories →
Rights & justice

Jamaica

27 of its 88 stories (31%) were about people being harmed, usually 21%. Reports of abductions ran at more than ten times the usual rate (5 stories).

its stories →
Rights & justice

Sri Lanka

25 of its 80 stories (31%) were about people being harmed, usually 22%. Reports of arrests ran at about 4 times the usual rate (14 stories).

its stories →
Rights & justice

Sudan

32 of its 41 stories (78%) were about people being harmed, usually 66%. Khartoum accounted for 17 of Sudan's 32 stories about harm, carried by 50 outlets.

its stories →

Also named far more than usual: flooding in Vietnam (64 of its stories, about 4 times its usual); illness in Poland (12 of its stories, about 5 times its usual); illness in Iran (16 of its stories, about 4 times its usual); road crashes in Ireland (14 of its stories, about 4 times its usual); landslides in New Zealand (10 of its stories, about 4 times its usual).

22 in 100 stories were about harm

usually 19; 21 the day before
23 in 10017 in 10016 Sep23 Sep30 Sep7 Oct15 Oct16 Sep: 19 in 10017 Sep: 18 in 10018 Sep: 18 in 10019 Sep: 18 in 10020 Sep: 18 in 10021 Sep: 18 in 10022 Sep: 17 in 10023 Sep: 18 in 10024 Sep: 18 in 10025 Sep: 18 in 10026 Sep: 17 in 10027 Sep: 17 in 10028 Sep: 17 in 10029 Sep: 18 in 10030 Sep: 18 in 1001 Oct: 18 in 1002 Oct: 18 in 1003 Oct: 18 in 1004 Oct: 18 in 1005 Oct: 18 in 1006 Oct: 18 in 1007 Oct: 22 in 1008 Oct: 23 in 1009 Oct: 22 in 10010 Oct: 21 in 10011 Oct: 21 in 10012 Oct: 20 in 10013 Oct: 20 in 10014 Oct: 21 in 10015 Oct: 22 in 100 · this day

Stories about people being harmed, in every 100 stories, the 30 days to 15 Oct. 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 11,866 stories about harm among 54,448 counted on 15 Oct.

Read the day's briefing

On the side of help, reports of people freed or reunited ran at about three times the usual rate. Abductions were reported at about three times the usual rate, most often about Israel and Nigeria. Mentions of flooding ran about 4 times their usual in Vietnam's news. of the day's 54,448 news stories, 22 in every 100 were about people being harmed, above the usual 19. This week the news turned most often to Afghanistan, on 4 of 7 days; help rose on 7 of them.

Written by code from the day's numbers.

Where harm was most of the news all →

Israel73 in 100 of its 4,136 stories · usually 67 · mostly conflict & violence Palestine64 in 100 of its 579 stories · usually 59 · mostly conflict & violence Afghanistan61 in 100 of its 260 stories · usually 60 · mostly disasters & accidents Syria48 in 100 of its 52 stories · usually 59 · mostly conflict & violence Iran42 in 100 of its 175 stories · usually 55 · mostly conflict & violence

Countries with at least 50 stories that day.

Where people protested

Jerusalem Israel73 stories about protests or strikes, of its 343 Gaza Palestine67 stories about protests or strikes, of its 312 Tel Aviv Israel65 stories about protests or strikes, of its 400 Sderot Israel55 stories about protests or strikes, of its 244 London UK52 stories about protests or strikes, of its 175

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: 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: too little coverage to readUnited 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: about as warm as its own usual or lessIsle 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: too little coverage to readTurkey: about as warm as its own usual or lessTunisia: too little coverage to readTrinidad & Tobago: about as warm as its own usual or lessTonga: too little coverage to readTogo: too little coverage to readTimor-Leste: about as warm as its own usual or lessThailand: about as warm as its own usual or lessTanzania: too little coverage to readTajikistan: 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 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: too little coverage to readSlovenia: too little coverage to readSingapore: about as warm as its own usual or lessSierra Leone: about as warm as its own usual or lessSeychelles: too little coverage to readSerbia: 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: 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: about as warm as its own usual or lessQatar: about as warm as its own usual or lessPortugal: too little coverage to readPhilippines: 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: too little coverage to readNorth Korea: about as warm as its own usual or lessNigeria: about as warm as its own usual or lessNiger: too little coverage to readNicaragua: 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: too little coverage to readMozambique: about as warm as its own usual or lessMorocco: about as warm as its own usual or lessWestern Sahara: too little coverage to readMontenegro: too little coverage to readMongolia: too little coverage to readMoldova: too little coverage to readMexico: about as warm as its own usual or lessMauritius: too little coverage to readMauritania: about as warm as its own usual or lessMalta: 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: too little coverage to readLithuania: too little coverage to readLibya: too little coverage to readLiberia: 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: too little coverage to readKosovo: 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 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: 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: too little coverage to readGuinea: 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: too little coverage to readGambia: about as warm as its own usual or lessGabon: about as warm as its own usual or lessFrance: 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: too little coverage to readEquatorial Guinea: about as warm as its own usual or lessEl Salvador: too little coverage to readEgypt: 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 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: too little coverage to readCosta Rica: too little coverage to readDR 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: 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: 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: too little coverage to readBhutan: 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: 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: too little coverage to readAzerbaijan: 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: 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 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 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: too little coverage to readSan Marino: too little coverage to readSt Kitts & Nevis: too little coverage to readCook Islands: too little coverage to readAruba: about as warm as its own usual or lessNauru: too little coverage to readMonaco: about as warm as its own usual or lessMaldives: too little coverage to readLiechtenstein: too little coverage to readWallis & Futuna: too little coverage to readSt. Martin: too little coverage to readSt. Barthélemy: too little coverage to readMacao: too little coverage to readNorfolk Island: too little coverage to readSint Maarten: too little coverage to readChristmas Island: about as warm as its own usual or lessGibraltar: too little coverage to readMayotte: too little coverage to readPoland: warmth about its own usualNew Zealand: warmth about its own usualMali: warmth about its own usualPalestine: warmth about its own usualCanada: warmth about its own usualPalestine: warmth about its own usualPalestine: warmth about its own usualPalestine: warmth about its own usualPalm Springs, US -- health: 11 stories, carried by 91 outletsMichigan, US -- rights & justice: 12 stories, carried by 14 outletsNorth Waziristan, Pakistan -- conflict & violence: 11 stories, carried by 19 outletsWest Midlands, UK -- health: 20 stories, carried by 15 outletsMelbourne, Australia -- rights & justice: 19 stories, carried by 23 outletsWellington, New Zealand -- disasters & accidents: 25 stories, carried by 21 outletsNorthern Ireland, UK -- health: 14 stories, carried by 10 outletsToronto, Canada -- health: 27 stories, carried by 48 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

● Palm Springs US about one and a half times as warm as the day's news · health · 11 stories ● Michigan US about one and a half times as warm as the day's news · rights & justice · 12 stories ● North Waziristan Pakistan about one and a half times as warm as the day's news · conflict & violence · 11 stories ● West Midlands UK about one and a half times as warm as the day's news · health · 20 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 →

Conflict & violence30% 3,489 stories · much more than usual (usually 17%) Health22% 2,575 stories · much less than usual (usually 29%) Rights & justice19% 2,175 stories · less than usual (usually 23%) Disasters & accidents12% 1,392 stories · less than usual (usually 15%) Displacement7% 863 stories · more than usual (usually 3%) Deaths & injuries, cause not given4% 495 stories · about as usual Shelter & services4% 428 stories · about as usual Food & livelihood3% 307 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 killed4,164 at about one and a half times the usual rate · most about Israel and the US Stories reporting people affected1,493 at about one and a half times the usual rate · most about Israel and the US Stories reporting people injured1,329 at about twice the usual rate · most about Israel and the US Stories reporting arrests979 at about the usual rate Stories reporting abductions737 at about three times the usual rate · most about Israel and Nigeria Stories reporting evacuations552 at about 6 times the usual rate · most about Israel and Palestine Stories reporting people displaced279 at about twice the usual rate · most about Israel and Palestine Stories reporting refugees228 at about one and a half times the usual rate · most about Israel and Palestine Stories reporting people falling ill6 at about half the usual rate · most about the UK and India

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 harsher than usual. Filled dot: today. Ring: usual.

● Angerabout one and a half times usual
● Warmthabout as usual
● Griefabout one and a half times usual
● Feara little more than 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 →

Unlock a year of trends, free. Follow up to 5 countries, with a bell when their news changes, and 👍 vote for Pro — ten years of the archive, any period, daily alerts.

Create a free account

Sign in · a username, an email and a password.

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.