← 19 Oct Friday 20 October 2023 · to 23:59 UTC 21 Oct →
What the world's news said happened to people.
Counts of coverage, not of suffering
21,021 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 tropical storm in Barbados, protests in Ndjamena (Chad) and arrests in Haiti. Haiti's coverage was about one and a half times as grief-stricken as the world's. In the world's news as a whole, the wording was about as usual.

Help and hope: reports of people freed or reunited ran at about one and a half times the usual rate →
Part of lifeHealth 26 in 100 of the stories about harm · less than usual Country that rose mostBarbados 49 in 100 of its 61 stories, usually 19
RegionMiddle East & North Africa 55 in 100 of its stories, usually 52
Tone of the words About as usual across the world's stories about harm

What the world's news was about today

how these are picked →
Disasters & accidents

Barbados

30 of its 61 stories (49%) were about people being harmed, usually 19%. Reports of people affected ran at about 9 times the usual rate (6 stories). Tropical storm was named in 21 of its stories about harm, about 7 times usual, with storms and hurricane.

Barbados over 30 days → its stories →
Rights & justice

Haiti

36 of its 59 stories (61%) were about people being harmed, usually 45%. Reports of arrests ran at more than ten times the usual rate (19 stories). Its coverage was about one and a half times as grief-stricken as the world's.

Haiti over 30 days → its stories →
Conflict & violence

Lebanon

Beirut accounted for 30 of Lebanon's 51 stories about harm, carried by 68 outlets. Reports of people displaced ran at about 5 times the usual rate (8 stories). Its coverage was about one and a half times as fearful as the world's.

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

Guadeloupe

30 of its 33 stories (91%) were about people being harmed, usually 63%. the Leeward Islands accounted for 27 of Guadeloupe's 30 stories about harm, carried by 29 outlets. Storm surge was named in 14 of its stories about harm, more than ten times usual.

its stories →
Conflict & violence

Niger

42 of its 72 stories (58%) were about people being harmed, usually 47%. Niamey accounted for 30 of Niger's 42 stories about harm, carried by 55 outlets.

its stories →
Protests & strikes

Yemen

22 of its 32 stories (69%) were about people being harmed, usually 52%. 8 of Sanaa's 10 stories were about protests or strikes.

its stories →
Disasters & accidents

UK

Reports of evacuations ran at more than ten times the usual rate (95 stories). Power cuts were named in 33 of its stories about harm, about 7 times usual.

its stories →
Conflict & violence

Iran

Tehran accounted for 41 of Iran's 96 stories about harm, carried by 43 outlets. Its coverage was about one and a half times as fearful as the world's.

its stories →
Conflict & violence

Palestine

Gaza accounted for 416 of Palestine's 491 stories about harm, carried by 554 outlets. Its coverage was about twice as grief-stricken as the world's.

its stories →

Also named far more than usual: hurricane in Mexico (32 of its stories, about three times its usual); storm surge in Guadeloupe (14 of its stories, more than ten times its usual); poisoning in South Africa (10 of its stories, about 5 times its usual); road crashes in Australia (12 of its stories, about 4 times its usual); cyclone in India (20 of its stories, about 6 times its usual).

20 in 100 stories were about harm

usually 19; 20 the day before
23 in 10017 in 10021 Sep28 Sep5 Oct12 Oct20 Oct21 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 10016 Oct: 20 in 10017 Oct: 19 in 10018 Oct: 21 in 10019 Oct: 20 in 10020 Oct: 20 in 100 · this day

Stories about people being harmed, in every 100 stories, the 30 days to 20 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 21,021 stories about harm among 107,513 counted on 20 Oct.

Read the day's briefing

Help and hope: reports of people freed or reunited ran at about one and a half times the usual rate. of the day's 107,513 news stories, 20 in every 100 were about people being harmed, as usual. Barbados stood out: 49% of its news was about people being harmed, usually 19%. Mentions of tropical storm ran about 7 times their usual in Barbados' news. On 20 October 2022, a year earlier, the share was 19 in every 100, against 20 today.

Written by code from the day's numbers.

Where harm was most of the news all →

Israel69 in 100 of its 4,721 stories · usually 70 · mostly conflict & violence Palestine64 in 100 of its 770 stories · usually 62 · mostly conflict & violence Haiti61 in 100 of its 59 stories · usually 45 · mostly rights & justice Niger58 in 100 of its 72 stories · usually 47 · mostly conflict & violence Afghanistan57 in 100 of its 83 stories · usually 60 · mostly disasters & accidents

Countries with at least 50 stories that day.

Where people protested

Jerusalem Israel126 stories about protests or strikes, of its 441 Washington US105 stories about protests or strikes, of its 588 Tel Aviv Israel104 stories about protests or strikes, of its 396 Gaza Palestine90 stories about protests or strikes, of its 416 London UK51 stories about protests or strikes, of its 308

Stories, not people.

Where the news was warmest

feelings in full →
Feelings Events Harm Warmth
Zambia: 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 lessVanuatu: about as warm as its own usual or lessUzbekistan: too little coverage to readUruguay: too little coverage to readMicronesia: 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 lessUganda: about as warm as its own usual or lessTurkmenistan: about as warm as its own usual or lessTunisia: about as warm as its own usual or lessTrinidad & Tobago: too little coverage to readTonga: about as warm as its own usual or lessTogo: about as warm as its own usual or lessTimor-Leste: too little coverage to readThailand: 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: too little coverage to readSouth 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: 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: too little coverage to readSerbia: too little coverage to readSenegal: too little coverage to readSaudi 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: too little coverage to readSt. 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: 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: too little coverage to readPanama: too little coverage to readPalau: too little coverage to readPakistan: about as warm as its own usual or lessOman: too little coverage to readNorway: about as warm as its own usual or lessNorth 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 lessNew Zealand: 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: 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: too little coverage to readMauritius: 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: about as warm as its own usual or lessLuxembourg: about as warm as its own usual or lessLithuania: 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: about as warm as its own usual or lessLaos: about as warm as its own usual or lessKyrgyzstan: too little coverage to readKuwait: 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: too little coverage to readIsrael: 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: about as warm as its own usual or lessHungary: about as warm as its own usual or lessHonduras: too little coverage to readHaiti: about as warm as its own usual or lessGuyana: about as warm as its own usual or lessGuinea-Bissau: too little coverage to readGuinea: too little coverage to readGuatemala: too little coverage to readGrenada: 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: too little coverage to readEquatorial 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: too little coverage to readCosta Rica: about as warm as its own usual or lessDR Congo: too little coverage to readCongo: 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: 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: 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: about as warm as its own usual or lessBhutan: about as warm as its own usual or lessBenin: too little coverage to readBelize: about as warm as its own usual or lessBelarus: about as warm as its own usual or lessBarbados: too little coverage to readBahrain: 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: about as warm as its own usual or lessAntigua & 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 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 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: about as warm as its own usual or lessChagos Islands: too little coverage to readSt. Helena: too little coverage to readPitcairn: too little coverage to readAnguilla: too little coverage to readBritish 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: about as warm as its own usual or lessAruba: about as warm as its own usual or lessNauru: too little coverage to readMonaco: about as warm as its own usual or lessMaldives: 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 readZimbabwe: warmth about its own usualVenezuela: warmth about its own usualUkraine: warmth about its own usualTürkiye: warmth about its own usualLibya: warmth about its own usualItaly: warmth about its own usualPalestine: warmth about its own usualGreece: warmth about its own usualBelgium: warmth about its own usualBangladesh: warmth about its own usualAfghanistan: warmth about its own usualPalestine: warmth about its own usualPalestine: warmth about its own usualUkraine: warmth about its own usualPalestine: warmth about its own usualBermuda: warmth about its own usualIdaho, US -- health: 11 stories, carried by 11 outletsWisconsin, US -- health: 10 stories, carried by 10 outletsBrussels, Belgium -- health: 26 stories, carried by 23 outletsTelangana, India -- shelter & services: 11 stories, carried by 12 outletsRome, Italy -- rights & justice: 26 stories, carried by 58 outletsSussex, UK -- health: 25 stories, carried by 15 outletsGeneva, Switzerland -- health: 15 stories, carried by 17 outletsBeijing, China -- conflict & violence: 84 stories, carried by 104 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

● Idaho US about twice as warm as the day's news · health · 11 stories ● Wisconsin US about one and a half times as warm as the day's news · health · 10 stories ● Brussels Belgium about one and a half times as warm as the day's news · health · 26 stories ● Telangana India about one and a half times as warm as the day's news · shelter & services · 11 stories ● Rome Italy about one and a half times as warm as the day's news · rights & justice · 26 stories

The day in three measures

Parts of life 30 days →

Health26% 5,284 stories · less than usual (usually 28%) Conflict & violence23% 4,778 stories · more than usual (usually 20%) Rights & justice23% 4,737 stories · about as usual Disasters & accidents13% 2,733 stories · about as usual Deaths & injuries, cause not given5% 956 stories · about as usual Food & livelihood4% 792 stories · about as usual Shelter & services4% 725 stories · about as usual Displacement3% 643 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 killed5,802 at about the usual rate Stories reporting people affected2,396 at about the usual rate Stories reporting arrests2,044 at about the usual rate Stories reporting abductions1,167 at about twice the usual rate · most about Israel and the US Stories reporting people injured1,159 at about two-thirds of the usual rate · most about Israel and the US Stories reporting evacuations422 at about one and a half times the usual rate · most about Israel and the UK Stories reporting people displaced396 at about one and a half times the usual rate · most about Israel and Palestine Stories reporting refugees284 at about the usual rate Stories reporting people falling ill14 at about two-thirds of the usual rate · most about South Africa and the US

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 about as 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.