Sri Lanka
55 of its 121 stories (45%) were about people being harmed, usually 23%. Reports of people killed ran at about three times the usual rate (34 stories). Its coverage was about twice as grief-stricken 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 news turned to people killed in Sri Lanka, protests in Dhaka (Bangladesh) and violence in Budapest. Sri Lanka's coverage was about twice as grief-stricken as the world's. In the world's news as a whole, the wording was softer than usual.
Part of lifeHealth
27 in 100 of the stories about harm · about as usual
Country that rose mostSri Lanka
45 in 100 of its 121 stories, usually 23
RegionSouth Asia
35 in 100 of its stories, usually 30
Tone of the words
Softer than usual
across the world's stories about harm
What the world's news was about today
how these are picked →Bangladesh
82 of its 170 stories (48%) were about people being harmed, usually 31%. Dhaka accounted for 45 of Bangladesh's 82 stories about harm, carried by 26 outlets. 26 of Dhaka's 45 stories were about protests or strikes.
Hungary
26 of its 72 stories (36%) were about people being harmed, usually 21%. Budapest accounted for 19 of Hungary's 26 stories about harm, carried by 24 outlets. Reports of arrests ran at more than ten times the usual rate (20 stories).
Canada
Reports of evacuations ran at about 4 times the usual rate (15 stories). Drought was named in 14 of its stories about harm, about three times usual, with storms.
6 more places the news pointed at
Libya
25 of its 33 stories (76%) were about people being harmed, usually 35%. Reports of arrests ran at about 4 times the usual rate (12 stories).
Mali
11 of its 21 stories (52%) were about people being harmed, usually 29%. 7 of Bamako's 7 stories were about protests or strikes.
India
Reports of evacuations ran at about twice the usual rate (9 stories). Its coverage was about twice as fearful as the world's.
Pakistan
Reports of evacuations ran at about 4 times the usual rate (7 stories). Its coverage was about twice as fearful as the world's.
Sudan
Port Sudan accounted for 15 of Sudan's 39 stories about harm, carried by 14 outlets. Its coverage was about one and a half times as angry as the world's.
Palestine
Gaza accounted for 96 of Palestine's 139 stories about harm, carried by 68 outlets. Its coverage was about twice as grief-stricken as the world's. Fear in its coverage rose to about one and a half times its own usual.
Also named far more than usual: heavy rain in Peru (10 of its stories, more than ten times its usual); heatwave in US (24 of its stories, about three times its usual).
18 in 100 stories were about harm
usually 19; 19 the day beforeStories about people being harmed, in every 100 stories, the 30 days to 9 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 15,637 stories about harm among 89,091 counted on 9 May.
Read the day's briefing
Mentions of heavy rain ran more than ten times their usual in Peru's news. of the day's 89,091 news stories, 18 in every 100 were about people being harmed, as usual. Sri Lanka stood out: 45% of its news was about people being harmed, usually 23%. On 9 May 2024, a year earlier, the share was 18 in every 100, the same as today.
- 18 in every 100 of the day's 89,091 news stories were about people being harmed (usually 19).
- Sri Lanka: 55 of its 121 stories (45%) were about people being harmed, usually 23%.
- Bangladesh: 82 of its 170 stories (48%) were about people being harmed, usually 31%.
- Hungary: 26 of its 72 stories (36%) were about people being harmed, usually 21%.
- Canada: Reports of evacuations ran at about 4 times the usual rate (15 stories).
- Mentions of heavy rain ran more than ten times their usual in Peru's news.
- Mentions of the drought ran about three times their usual in Canada's news.
- Across the world, the words of the day's news were softer than usual.
- A year earlier, on 9 May 2024, 18 in every 100 stories were about people being harmed, the same as today.
Written by code from the day's numbers.
Where harm was most of the news all →
Sudan76 in 100 of its 51 stories · usually 72 · mostly conflict & violence Palestine63 in 100 of its 221 stories · usually 61 · mostly conflict & violence Israel53 in 100 of its 619 stories · usually 59 · mostly conflict & violence Afghanistan50 in 100 of its 62 stories · usually 44 · mostly rights & justice Bangladesh48 in 100 of its 170 stories · usually 31 · mostly rights & justiceCountries with at least 50 stories that day.
Where people protested
Washington US107 stories about protests or strikes, of its 528 Newark US106 stories about protests or strikes, of its 204 Chicago US45 stories about protests or strikes, of its 200 Boston US41 stories about protests or strikes, of its 153 Islamabad Pakistan34 stories about protests or strikes, of its 267Stories, 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
● Moscow Russia attacks & violence · 133 stories, 307 outlets ● Newark US protests & strikes · 204 stories, 311 outlets ● Islamabad Pakistan attacks & violence · 267 stories, 166 outlets ● Lahore Pakistan attacks & violence · 86 stories, 98 outlets ● New Delhi India attacks & violence · 290 stories, 116 outlets ● Beirut Lebanon attacks & violence · 11 stories, 65 outlets ● Assen Netherlands attacks & violence · 5 stories, 132 outlets ● Mumbai India attacks & violence · 93 stories, 125 outletsThe day in three measures
Parts of life 30 days →
Health27% 4,206 stories · about as usual Rights & justice25% 3,754 stories · about as usual Conflict & violence20% 3,130 stories · more than usual (usually 18%) Disasters & accidents14% 2,105 stories · about as usual Deaths & injuries, cause not given5% 759 stories · about as usual Food & livelihood3% 515 stories · about as usual Shelter & services3% 504 stories · about as usual Displacement2% 334 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 killed3,711 at about the usual rate Stories reporting arrests1,816 at about the usual rate Stories reporting people affected1,397 at about the usual rate Stories reporting people injured862 at about two-thirds of the usual rate · most about the US and India Stories reporting abductions211 at about the usual rate Stories reporting people displaced128 at about two-thirds of the usual rate · most about Sudan and Israel Stories reporting refugees128 at about the usual rate Stories reporting evacuations74 at about two-thirds of the usual rate · most about Canada and the US Stories reporting people falling ill16 at about two-thirds of the usual rate · most about the US and the UKStories 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 softer than usual. Filled dot: today. Ring: usual.
● Angerabout as usual
● Warmthabout as usual
● Griefa little less 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
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These are counts of stories, not counts of suffering. Most of what happens to people is never reported at all.