← 25 Dec Tuesday 26 December 2023 · to 23:59 UTC 27 Dec →
What the world's news said happened to people.
Counts of coverage, not of suffering
12,451 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 violence in Erbil, evacuations in Russia and people injured in Indonesia. Iraq's coverage was about three times as angry as the world's. Taken together, the world's news read much harsher than usual.

Part of lifeHealth 26 in 100 of the stories about harm · less than usual Country that rose mostIraq 85 in 100 of its 263 stories, usually 41
RegionSub-Saharan Africa 33 in 100 of its stories, usually 25
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

Iraq

224 of its 263 stories (85%) were about people being harmed, usually 41%. Erbil accounted for 107 of Iraq's 224 stories about harm, carried by 155 outlets. Reports of people injured ran at about 8 times the usual rate (153 stories). Outbreaks were named in 22 of its stories about harm, about 4 times usual. Its coverage was about three times as angry as the world's.

Iraq over 30 days → its stories → Erbil stories →
Rights & justice

Russia

246 of its 785 stories (31%) were about people being harmed, usually 25%. Reports of evacuations ran at about 4 times the usual rate (6 stories). Poisoning was named in 68 of its stories about harm, about 4 times usual.

Russia over 30 days → its stories →
Disasters & accidents

Indonesia

63 of its 167 stories (38%) were about people being harmed, usually 30%. Reports of people injured ran at about 4 times the usual rate (19 stories). Its coverage was about one and a half times as grief-stricken as the world's.

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

Syria

54 of its 65 stories (83%) were about people being harmed, usually 49%. Damascus accounted for 35 of Syria's 54 stories about harm, carried by 54 outlets. Reports of people killed ran at about twice the usual rate (37 stories). Its coverage was about twice as grief-stricken as the world's.

its stories →
Conflict & violence

Kashmir

97 of its 153 stories (63%) were about people being harmed, usually 38%. Reports of arrests ran at about twice the usual rate (31 stories). Its coverage was about one and a half times as fearful as the world's.

its stories →
Conflict & violence

Nigeria

399 of its 1,125 stories (35%) were about people being harmed, usually 22%. Reports of people injured ran at about 5 times the usual rate (88 stories). Its coverage was about twice as grief-stricken as the world's. Anger in its coverage rose to about twice its own usual.

its stories →
Conflict & violence

Türkiye

93 of its 257 stories (36%) were about people being harmed, usually 22%. Ankara accounted for 58 of Türkiye's 93 stories about harm, carried by 354 outlets. Its coverage was about one and a half times as fearful as the world's.

its stories →
Conflict & violence

Uganda

20 of its 42 stories (48%) were about people being harmed, usually 29%. Reports of people killed ran at about 4 times the usual rate (17 stories). Its coverage was about twice as grief-stricken as the world's.

its stories →
Conflict & violence

Ukraine

232 of its 630 stories (37%) were about people being harmed, usually 28%. Reports of evacuations ran at more than ten times the usual rate (26 stories). Its coverage was about one and a half times as angry as the world's.

its stories →

Also named far more than usual: earthquake in Japan (15 of its stories, about 4 times its usual); snowstorms in US (157 of its stories, about 6 times its usual); outbreaks in Australia (15 of its stories, about 4 times its usual); cholera in Palestine (10 of its stories, more than ten times its usual); earthquake in India (18 of its stories, about three times its usual).

19 in 100 stories were about harm

usually 19; 19 the day before
20 in 10018 in 10027 Nov4 Dec11 Dec18 Dec26 Dec27 Nov: 19 in 10028 Nov: 19 in 10029 Nov: 19 in 10030 Nov: 19 in 1001 Dec: 19 in 1002 Dec: 20 in 1003 Dec: 19 in 1004 Dec: 18 in 1005 Dec: 18 in 1006 Dec: 18 in 1007 Dec: 19 in 1008 Dec: 18 in 1009 Dec: 19 in 10010 Dec: 20 in 10011 Dec: 18 in 10012 Dec: 18 in 10013 Dec: 18 in 10014 Dec: 18 in 10015 Dec: 18 in 10016 Dec: 19 in 10017 Dec: 19 in 10018 Dec: 19 in 10019 Dec: 19 in 10020 Dec: 19 in 10021 Dec: 18 in 10022 Dec: 18 in 10023 Dec: 19 in 10024 Dec: 19 in 10025 Dec: 19 in 10026 Dec: 19 in 100 · this day

Stories about people being harmed, in every 100 stories, the 30 days to 26 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 12,451 stories about harm among 65,736 counted on 26 Dec.

Read the day's briefing

In Iraq, 85% of the news was about people being harmed, where 41% is usual. Stories about people being harmed made up 19 in every 100 of the day's 65,736 stories, as usual. A year earlier, on 26 December 2022, 22 in every 100 stories were about people being harmed, against 19 today.

Written by code from the day's numbers.

Where harm was most of the news all →

Iraq85 in 100 of its 263 stories · usually 41 · mostly conflict & violence Syria83 in 100 of its 65 stories · usually 49 · mostly conflict & violence Israel68 in 100 of its 1,451 stories · usually 72 · mostly conflict & violence Palestine66 in 100 of its 356 stories · usually 61 · mostly conflict & violence Kashmir63 in 100 of its 153 stories · usually 38 · mostly conflict & violence

Countries with at least 50 stories that day.

Where people protested

Washington US59 stories about protests or strikes, of its 312 Gaza Palestine44 stories about protests or strikes, of its 190 Tel Aviv Israel33 stories about protests or strikes, of its 153 Manhattan US28 stories about protests or strikes, of its 68 London UK27 stories about protests or strikes, of its 137

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 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: 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: about as warm as its own usual or lessUnited 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: about as warm as its own usual or lessTonga: about as warm as its own usual or lessTogo: too little coverage to readTimor-Leste: too little coverage to readThailand: too little coverage to readTanzania: 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: about as warm as its own usual or lessSouth 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: too little coverage to readSt. Lucia: too little coverage to readRwanda: 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: about as warm as its own usual or lessPalau: 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: 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: 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: 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: 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: 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: 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: about as warm as its own usual or lessGuinea: about as warm as its own usual or lessGuatemala: about as warm as its own usual or lessGrenada: about as warm as its own usual or lessGreece: 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: too little coverage to readGabon: too little coverage to readFrance: about as warm as its own usual or lessSt Pierre & Miquelon: too little coverage to readFrench Polynesia: about as warm as its own usual or lessNew Caledonia: about as warm as its own usual or lessFrench Southern Territories: too little coverage to readÅland Islands: too little coverage to readFinland: about as warm as its own usual or lessFiji: too little coverage to readEthiopia: 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: too little coverage to readDominican 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: 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 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 lessCanada: 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: too little coverage to readBrunei: 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: 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: too little coverage to readAngola: too little coverage to readAndorra: 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 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: too little coverage to readMarshall 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: 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: about as warm as its own usual or lessAruba: too little coverage to readNauru: too little coverage to readMonaco: too little coverage to readMaldives: 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: too little coverage to readNorfolk Island: too little coverage to readSint Maarten: too little coverage to readChristmas Island: too little coverage to readGibraltar: too little coverage to readMayotte: too little coverage to readYemen: warmth about its own usualChina: warmth about its own usualChina: warmth about its own usualMontana, US -- health: 17 stories, carried by 20 outletsSanaa, Yemen -- conflict & violence: 11 stories, carried by 16 outletsFlorida, US -- health: 23 stories, carried by 24 outletsToronto, Canada -- health: 32 stories, carried by 96 outletsPune, India -- health: 10 stories, carried by 11 outletsMelbourne, Australia -- health: 24 stories, carried by 23 outletsKaduna, Nigeria -- rights & justice: 25 stories, carried by 19 outletsAnbar, Iraq -- conflict & violence: 14 stories, carried by 25 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

● Montana US about twice as warm as the day's news · health · 17 stories ● Sanaa Yemen about twice as warm as the day's news · conflict & violence · 11 stories ● Florida US about one and a half times as warm as the day's news · health · 23 stories ● Toronto Canada about one and a half times as warm as the day's news · health · 32 stories ● Pune India about one and a half times as warm as the day's news · health · 10 stories

The day in three measures

Parts of life 30 days →

Health26% 3,218 stories · less than usual (usually 29%) Conflict & violence20% 2,492 stories · more than usual (usually 17%) Rights & justice20% 2,387 stories · less than usual (usually 25%) Disasters & accidents18% 2,182 stories · more than usual (usually 15%) Deaths & injuries, cause not given5% 616 stories · about as usual Food & livelihood4% 444 stories · about as usual Shelter & services3% 425 stories · about as usual Displacement3% 425 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 killed3,474 at about the usual rate Stories reporting people affected1,610 at about the usual rate Stories reporting arrests1,315 at about the usual rate Stories reporting people injured1,293 at about one and a half times the usual rate · most about Israel and the US Stories reporting abductions539 at about the usual rate Stories reporting people displaced289 at about the usual rate Stories reporting refugees225 at about the usual rate Stories reporting evacuations107 at about the usual rate Stories reporting people falling ill10 at about two-thirds of the usual rate · most about the US and France

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.

● Angera little more than usual
● Warmthabout as usual
● Griefa little more than 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.