Iraq
41 of its 69 stories (59%) were about people being harmed, usually 40%. Reports of people injured ran at about twice the usual rate (16 stories). Its coverage was about twice as angry as the world's.
What the world's news said happened to people.
Counts of coverage, not of suffering
We measure how the world's news covered people being harmed — and the help and hope within it.
The day's news pointed at people injured in Iraq and South Sudan and people killed in Belize. Iraq's coverage was about twice as angry as the world's. In the world's news as a whole, the wording was much softer than usual.
Part of lifeHealth
32 in 100 of the stories about harm · more than usual
Country that rose mostNetherlands
30 in 100 of its 368 stories, usually 17
RegionCentral Asia
16 in 100 of its stories, usually 14
Tone of the words
Much softer than usual
across the world's stories about harm
What the world's news was about today
how these are picked →South Sudan
18 of its 26 stories (69%) were about people being harmed, usually 43%. Reports of people injured ran at about three times the usual rate (10 stories). Its coverage was about one and a half times as angry as the world's.
Belize
16 of its 42 stories (38%) were about people being harmed, usually 22%. Reports of people killed ran at about twice the usual rate (6 stories).
Rwanda
24 of its 58 stories (41%) were about people being harmed, usually 29%.
6 more places the news pointed at
Guinea-Bissau
15 of its 34 stories (44%) were about people being harmed, usually 20%. Bissau accounted for 15 of Guinea-Bissau's 15 stories about harm, carried by 51 outlets. Reports of arrests ran at about 7 times the usual rate (10 stories).
Pakistan
Reports of people displaced ran at about three times the usual rate (6 stories). Malaria was named in 15 of its stories about harm, more than ten times usual, with storms and heatwave. Its coverage was about one and a half times as fearful as the world's.
Iran
Tehran accounted for 23 of Iran's 59 stories about harm, carried by 57 outlets. Reports of arrests ran at about twice the usual rate (20 stories). Its coverage was about one and a half times as fearful as the world's.
Afghanistan
63 of its 110 stories (57%) were about people being harmed, usually 41%. Its coverage was about one and a half times as fearful as the world's.
Syria
57 of its 82 stories (70%) were about people being harmed, usually 53%. House fires were named in 31 of its stories about harm, more than ten times usual.
Gambia
18 of its 43 stories (42%) were about people being harmed, usually 21%. Its coverage was about one and a half times as grief-stricken as the world's. Anger in its coverage rose to about one and a half times its own usual.
Also named far more than usual: house fires in Syria (31 of its stories, more than ten times its usual); flooding in Ethiopia (11 of its stories, about 6 times its usual); drought in United Arab Emirates (23 of its stories, about 4 times its usual); malaria in Pakistan (15 of its stories, more than ten times its usual); outbreaks in Nigeria (21 of its stories, about three times its usual).
19 in 100 stories were about harm
usually 19; 19 the day beforeStories about people being harmed, in every 100 stories, the 30 days to 1 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 19,655 stories about harm among 106,199 counted on 1 Dec.
Read the day's briefing
Mentions of house fires ran more than ten times their usual in Syria's news. of the day's 106,199 news stories, 19 in every 100 were about people being harmed, as usual. Iraq stood out: 59% of its news was about people being harmed, usually 40%. A year earlier, on 1 December 2022, 19 in every 100 stories were about people being harmed, the same as today. Over November, 19 in every 100 stories were about people being harmed, against 19 in November 2022.
- 19 in every 100 of the day's 106,199 news stories were about people being harmed (usually 19).
- Iraq: 41 of its 69 stories (59%) were about people being harmed, usually 40%.
- South Sudan: 18 of its 26 stories (69%) were about people being harmed, usually 43%.
- Belize: 16 of its 42 stories (38%) were about people being harmed, usually 22%.
- Rwanda: 24 of its 58 stories (41%) were about people being harmed, usually 29%.
- Mentions of house fires ran more than ten times their usual in Syria's news.
- Mentions of flooding ran about 6 times their usual in Ethiopia's news.
- Across the world, the words of the day's news were much softer than usual.
- A year earlier, on 1 December 2022, 19 in every 100 stories were about people being harmed, the same as today.
- Over November, 19 in every 100 stories were about people being harmed, against 19 in November 2022.
Written by code from the day's numbers.
Where harm was most of the news all →
Israel75 in 100 of its 2,407 stories · usually 73 · mostly conflict & violence Syria70 in 100 of its 82 stories · usually 53 · mostly rights & justice Iraq59 in 100 of its 69 stories · usually 40 · mostly conflict & violence Afghanistan57 in 100 of its 110 stories · usually 41 · mostly conflict & violence Iran50 in 100 of its 117 stories · usually 49 · mostly conflict & violenceCountries with at least 50 stories that day.
Where people protested
Washington US137 stories about protests or strikes, of its 712 Jerusalem Israel108 stories about protests or strikes, of its 542 Moscow Russia58 stories about protests or strikes, of its 146 New York US36 stories about protests or strikes, of its 230 Manhattan US35 stories about protests or strikes, of its 153Stories, not people.
Where it happened
feelings in full →
Attacks & violenceAccidents & disastersPeople displacedDeaths, cause not givenProtests & strikesDisease & outbreaks
The day's biggest events: attacks, accidents and disasters, people displaced, protests, outbreaks. Bigger dot: more stories. Ranked by the share of the day's outlets that reported it and how clearly it was about one thing, the same way for every place and year; the news data does not say who attacked whom, so both sides of a war appear where the news put them. Click a dot for its stories.
Biggest events
● Dubai United Arab Emirates accidents & disasters · 125 stories, 311 outlets ● Gaza Palestine attacks & violence · 199 stories, 285 outlets ● Sderot Israel attacks & violence · 84 stories, 249 outlets ● Moscow Russia attacks & violence · 146 stories, 210 outlets ● Tel Aviv Israel attacks & violence · 83 stories, 150 outlets ● South Island New Zealand protests & strikes · 10 stories, 75 outlets ● New Delhi India attacks & violence · 149 stories, 160 outlets ● Burlington US attacks & violence · 22 stories, 122 outletsThe day in three measures
Parts of life 30 days →
Health32% 6,110 stories · more than usual (usually 27%) Rights & justice27% 5,252 stories · more than usual (usually 25%) Conflict & violence14% 2,784 stories · less than usual (usually 18%) Disasters & accidents13% 2,457 stories · about as usual Deaths & injuries, cause not given4% 815 stories · about as usual Food & livelihood4% 786 stories · about as usual Shelter & services4% 709 stories · about as usual Displacement2% 391 stories · about as usualOf the stories about people being harmed, what part of life each was about. The mark is usual.
Harm reported 30 days →
Stories reporting people killed4,909 at about the usual rate Stories reporting arrests2,452 at about the usual rate Stories reporting people affected1,911 at about the usual rate Stories reporting abductions1,236 at about the usual rate Stories reporting people injured967 at about two-thirds of the usual rate · most about Israel and the US Stories reporting people displaced280 at about the usual rate Stories reporting refugees221 at about two-thirds of the usual rate · most about Israel and the US Stories reporting evacuations115 at about a third of the usual rate · most about Israel and India Stories reporting people falling ill29 at about one and a half times the usual rate · most about the US and ChinaStories 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 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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These are counts of stories, not counts of suffering. Most of what happens to people is never reported at all.