Sri Lanka
39 of its 83 stories (47%) were about people being harmed, usually 21%. Colombo accounted for 29 of Sri Lanka's 39 stories about harm, carried by 20 outlets. Reports of people killed ran at about three times the usual rate (17 stories).
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.
Most of the day's attention went to rights and justice in Colombo, people displaced in Pakistan and protests in Dhaka (Bangladesh). Pakistan's coverage was about twice as fearful as the world's. Taken together, the world's news read about as usual.
Part of lifeHealth
26 in 100 of the stories about harm · about as usual
Country that rose mostSri Lanka
47 in 100 of its 83 stories, usually 21
RegionSouth Asia
33 in 100 of its stories, usually 28
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 →Pakistan
567 of its 1,109 stories (51%) were about people being harmed, usually 38%. Reports of people displaced ran at about 5 times the usual rate (8 stories). Its coverage was about twice as fearful as the world's. Anger in its coverage rose to about one and a half times its own usual.
Bangladesh
96 of its 249 stories (39%) were about people being harmed, usually 30%. Dhaka accounted for 57 of Bangladesh's 96 stories about harm, carried by 60 outlets. 30 of Dhaka's 57 stories were about protests or strikes.
Indonesia
Reports of people injured ran at about 9 times the usual rate (16 stories). Anger in its coverage rose to about one and a half times its own usual.
6 more places the news pointed at
India
Reports of evacuations ran at about three times the usual rate (9 stories). Rabies was named in 11 of its stories about harm, about 5 times usual. Its coverage was about one and a half times as fearful as the world's.
Sudan
Port Sudan accounted for 64 of Sudan's 113 stories about harm, carried by 142 outlets. Power cuts were named in 16 of its stories about harm, more than ten times usual. Its coverage was about twice as angry as the world's.
Palestine
Gaza accounted for 103 of Palestine's 139 stories about harm, carried by 246 outlets. Reports of arrests ran at about twice the usual rate (34 stories). Its coverage was about twice as grief-stricken as the world's.
Rwanda
29 of its 43 stories (67%) were about people being harmed, usually 49%. Reports of refugees ran at about three times the usual rate (5 stories).
Belarus
12 of its 36 stories (33%) were about people being harmed, usually 17%. Reports of arrests ran at about twice the usual rate (6 stories).
Peru
20 of its 59 stories (34%) were about people being harmed, usually 22%. Reports of abductions ran at about three times the usual rate (5 stories).
Also named far more than usual: power cuts in Sudan (16 of its stories, more than ten times its usual); flooding in Mexico (12 of its stories, about 8 times its usual); poisoning in Australia (19 of its stories, about 4 times its usual); food poisoning in US (52 of its stories, about 4 times its usual); rabies in India (11 of its stories, about 5 times its usual).
18 in 100 stories were about harm
usually 18; 19 the day beforeStories about people being harmed, in every 100 stories, the 30 days to 6 May. 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 16,491 stories about harm among 93,685 counted on 6 May.
Read the day's briefing
Help and hope: reports of volunteers ran at about one and a half times the usual rate. of the day's 93,685 news stories, 18 in every 100 were about people being harmed, as usual. Sudan's news mentioned power cuts more than ten times as often as usual. Sri Lanka's news was 47% about people being harmed, against a usual 21%. On 6 May 2024, a year earlier, the share was 19 in every 100, against 18 today.
- 18 in every 100 of the day's 93,685 news stories were about people being harmed (usually 18).
- Sri Lanka: 39 of its 83 stories (47%) were about people being harmed, usually 21%.
- Pakistan: 567 of its 1,109 stories (51%) were about people being harmed, usually 38%.
- Bangladesh: 96 of its 249 stories (39%) were about people being harmed, usually 30%.
- Indonesia: Reports of people injured ran at about 9 times the usual rate (16 stories).
- Help and hope: reports of volunteers ran at about one and a half times the usual rate.
- Mentions of power cuts ran more than ten times their usual in Sudan's news.
- Mentions of flooding ran about 8 times their usual in Mexico's news.
- Across the world, the words of the day's news were about as usual.
- A year earlier, on 6 May 2024, 19 in every 100 stories were about people being harmed, against 18 today.
Written by code from the day's numbers.
Where harm was most of the news all →
Sudan68 in 100 of its 165 stories · usually 71 · mostly conflict & violence Yemen64 in 100 of its 170 stories · usually 65 · mostly conflict & violence Israel61 in 100 of its 987 stories · usually 59 · mostly conflict & violence Palestine59 in 100 of its 237 stories · usually 62 · mostly conflict & violence Kashmir55 in 100 of its 186 stories · usually 62 · mostly conflict & violenceCountries with at least 50 stories that day.
Where people protested
Washington US108 stories about protests or strikes, of its 551 Newark US76 stories about protests or strikes, of its 170 Islamabad Pakistan44 stories about protests or strikes, of its 189 New Delhi India40 stories about protests or strikes, of its 293 Gaza Palestine36 stories about protests or strikes, of its 103Stories, 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
● Islamabad Pakistan attacks & violence · 189 stories, 275 outlets ● Berlin Germany attacks & violence · 109 stories, 231 outlets ● Brenham US accidents & disasters · 46 stories, 177 outlets ● Moscow Russia attacks & violence · 122 stories, 171 outlets ● Ben Gurion Israel attacks & violence · 166 stories, 167 outlets ● Gaza Palestine attacks & violence · 103 stories, 246 outlets ● San Diego US accidents & disasters · 90 stories, 196 outlets ● Port Sudan Sudan attacks & violence · 64 stories, 142 outletsThe day in three measures
Parts of life 30 days →
Health26% 4,217 stories · about as usual Rights & justice25% 4,042 stories · about as usual Conflict & violence19% 3,103 stories · about as usual Disasters & accidents15% 2,458 stories · about as usual Deaths & injuries, cause not given5% 800 stories · about as usual Shelter & services4% 597 stories · about as usual Food & livelihood3% 472 stories · about as usual Displacement3% 469 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 killed3,959 at about the usual rate Stories reporting arrests1,888 at about the usual rate Stories reporting people affected1,682 at about the usual rate Stories reporting people injured1,124 at about the usual rate Stories reporting abductions241 at about the usual rate Stories reporting people displaced219 at about the usual rate Stories reporting refugees178 at about one and a half times the usual rate · most about Sudan and the US Stories reporting evacuations112 at about the usual rate Stories reporting people falling ill24 at about the usual rateStories 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
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These are counts of stories, not counts of suffering. Most of what happens to people is never reported at all.