← 20 Oct Saturday 21 October 2023 · to 23:59 UTC 22 Oct →
What the world's news said happened to people.
Counts of coverage, not of suffering
12,042 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 →

Heavy rain in Denmark, protests in Ndjamena (Chad) and violence in Mogadishu drew the news. Somalia's coverage was about one and a half times as angry as the world's. Everywhere we counted, the words were about as usual.

Reports of abductions ran at about three times the usual rate, most often about Israel and the US → 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 25 in 100 of the stories about harm · much more than usual Country that rose mostOman 33 in 100 of its 54 stories, usually 9
RegionMiddle East & North Africa 58 in 100 of its stories, usually 53
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

Denmark

23 of its 54 stories (43%) were about people being harmed, usually 21%. Reports of people killed ran at about 6 times the usual rate (16 stories). Heavy rain was named in 16 of its stories about harm, more than ten times usual, with power cuts and storm surge.

Denmark over 30 days → its stories →
Rights & justice

Qatar

27 of its 108 stories (25%) were about people being harmed, usually 10%. Reports of abductions ran at more than ten times the usual rate (11 stories).

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

Israel

Reports of people displaced ran at about three times the usual rate (210 stories). Accidents were named in 52 of its stories about harm, about 9 times usual. Its coverage was about one and a half times as grief-stricken as the world's.

its stories →
Disasters & accidents

Oman

18 of its 54 stories (33%) were about people being harmed, usually 9%. Cyclone was named in 10 of its stories about harm, more than ten times usual.

its stories →
Disasters & accidents

Ghana

75 of its 217 stories (35%) were about people being harmed, usually 23%. Reports of people affected ran at about twice the usual rate (11 stories).

its stories →
Disasters & accidents

Mexico

89 of its 262 stories (34%) were about people being harmed, usually 25%. Hurricane was named in 53 of its stories about harm, about 5 times usual, with tropical storm, landslides and heavy rain.

its stories →
Disasters & accidents

Guadeloupe

18 of its 19 stories (95%) were about people being harmed, usually 68%. the Leeward Islands accounted for 16 of Guadeloupe's 18 stories about harm, carried by 14 outlets.

its stories →
Rights & justice

Haiti

18 of its 29 stories (62%) were about people being harmed, usually 45%. Reports of arrests ran at about three times the usual rate (5 stories).

its stories →

Also named far more than usual: hurricane in Mexico (53 of its stories, about 5 times its usual); illness in Spain (36 of its stories, about 4 times its usual); cyclone in Oman (10 of its stories, more than ten times its usual); covid in Bangladesh (12 of its stories, about three times its usual); illness in Ukraine (10 of its stories, about three times its usual).

20 in 100 stories were about harm

usually 19; 20 the day before
23 in 10017 in 10022 Sep29 Sep6 Oct13 Oct21 Oct22 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 10021 Oct: 20 in 100 · this day

Stories about people being harmed, in every 100 stories, the 30 days to 21 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 12,042 stories about harm among 60,595 counted on 21 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. Stories about people being harmed made up 20 in every 100 of the day's 60,595 stories, as usual. Reports of abductions ran at about three times the usual rate, most often about Israel and the US. In Denmark, 43% of the news was about people being harmed, where 21% is usual. A year earlier, on 21 October 2022, 19 in every 100 stories were about people being harmed, against 20 today.

Written by code from the day's numbers.

Where harm was most of the news all →

Israel73 in 100 of its 2,910 stories · usually 70 · mostly conflict & violence Palestine63 in 100 of its 642 stories · usually 62 · mostly conflict & violence Iran55 in 100 of its 97 stories · usually 50 · mostly conflict & violence Afghanistan49 in 100 of its 84 stories · usually 60 · mostly disasters & accidents Denmark43 in 100 of its 54 stories · usually 21 · mostly disasters & accidents

Countries with at least 50 stories that day.

Where people protested

Gaza Palestine79 stories about protests or strikes, of its 346 Tel Aviv Israel77 stories about protests or strikes, of its 320 Nahal Oz Israel62 stories about protests or strikes, of its 198 Jerusalem Israel61 stories about protests or strikes, of its 216 Washington US52 stories about protests or strikes, of its 344

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: too little coverage to readYemen: 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: about as warm as its own usual or lessUzbekistan: too little coverage to readUruguay: 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: 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: 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: too little coverage to readTurkey: about as warm as its own usual or lessTunisia: about as warm as its own usual or lessTrinidad & Tobago: too little coverage to readTonga: too little coverage to readTogo: too little coverage to readTimor-Leste: too little coverage to readThailand: about as warm as its own usual or lessTanzania: 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 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: 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: about as warm as its own usual or lessRwanda: too little coverage to readRussia: 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: 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: 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: too little coverage to readMongolia: too little coverage to readMoldova: about as warm as its own usual or lessMexico: too little coverage to readMauritius: about as warm as its own usual or lessMauritania: too little coverage to readMalta: about as warm as its own usual or lessMali: too little coverage to readMalaysia: about as warm as its own usual or lessMalawi: about as warm as its own usual or lessMadagascar: too little coverage to readNorth Macedonia: too little coverage to readLuxembourg: too little coverage to readLithuania: 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: too little coverage to readLebanon: 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 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 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: 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: 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: about as warm as its own usual or lessEl 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: too little coverage to readCôte d'Ivoire: too little coverage to readCosta Rica: too little coverage to readDR Congo: about as warm as its own usual or lessCongo: too little coverage to readComoros: too little coverage to readColombia: about as warm as its own usual or lessChina: about as warm as its own usual or lessHong Kong: too little coverage to readChile: too little coverage to readChad: about as warm as its own usual or lessCentral African Republic: too little coverage to readCape Verde: too little coverage to readCanada: about as warm as its own usual or lessCameroon: too little coverage to readCambodia: 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: too little coverage to readBosnia and Herzegovina: too little coverage to readBolivia: about as warm as its own usual or lessBhutan: 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: 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: too little coverage to readAndorra: too little coverage to readAlgeria: too little coverage to readAlbania: too little coverage to readJammu & 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: about as warm as its own usual or lessMarshall Islands: too little coverage to readNorthern 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: too little coverage to readBritish Virgin Islands: about as warm as its own usual or lessTurks & 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: about as warm as its own usual or lessCook 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: 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 readBangladesh: warmth about its own usualAfghanistan: warmth about its own usualDoha, Qatar -- rights & justice: 15 stories, carried by 20 outletsIllinois, US -- rights & justice: 10 stories, carried by 12 outletsEssex, US -- rights & justice: 10 stories, carried by 68 outletsBedfordshire, UK -- health: 17 stories, carried by 17 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

● Doha Qatar about one and a half times as warm as the day's news · rights & justice · 15 stories ● Illinois US about one and a half times as warm as the day's news · rights & justice · 10 stories ● Essex US about one and a half times as warm as the day's news · rights & justice · 10 stories ● Bedfordshire UK about one and a half times as warm as the day's news · health · 17 stories

The day in three measures

Parts of life 30 days →

Conflict & violence25% 3,001 stories · much more than usual (usually 20%) Rights & justice24% 2,797 stories · about as usual Health23% 2,774 stories · less than usual (usually 28%) Disasters & accidents13% 1,589 stories · about as usual Deaths & injuries, cause not given5% 558 stories · about as usual Shelter & services4% 453 stories · about as usual Displacement3% 348 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 killed3,788 at about the usual rate Stories reporting people affected1,451 at about the usual rate Stories reporting arrests1,179 at about the usual rate Stories reporting abductions1,094 at about three times the usual rate · most about Israel and the US Stories reporting people injured762 at about the usual rate Stories reporting people displaced355 at about twice the usual rate · most about Israel and Palestine Stories reporting evacuations192 at about the usual rate Stories reporting refugees168 at about the usual rate Stories reporting people falling ill7 at about two-thirds of the usual rate · most about the US and Israel

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.