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.
How to read these numbers →
Deaths in Kotmale, protests in Dhaka (Bangladesh) and violence in Jerusalem drew the news. Israel's coverage was about twice as grief-stricken as the world's. Across the world, the tone of the words was about as usual.
Deaths & injuries, cause not given
65 of its 102 stories (64%) were about people being harmed, usually 24%. Kotmale accounted for 33 of Sri Lanka's 65 stories about harm, carried by 68 outlets. Reports of people injured ran at more than ten times the usual rate (55 stories). Its coverage was about twice as grief-stricken as the world's.
Protests & strikes
99 of its 239 stories (41%) were about people being harmed, usually 31%. Dhaka accounted for 45 of Bangladesh's 99 stories about harm, carried by 32 outlets. 24 of Dhaka's 45 stories were about protests or strikes. Reports of people killed ran at about twice the usual rate (38 stories).
Conflict & violence
Jerusalem accounted for 96 of Israel's 346 stories about harm, carried by 204 outlets. Reports of people displaced ran at about twice the usual rate (56 stories). Illness was named in 39 of its stories about harm, about 4 times usual. Its coverage was about twice as grief-stricken as the world's.
Disasters & accidents
7 of its 8 stories (88%) were about people being harmed, usually 46%. Reports of people injured ran at about three times the usual rate (5 stories).
6 more places the news pointed at
Disasters & accidents
10 of its 13 stories (77%) were about people being harmed, usually 51%. Reports of people injured ran at about 5 times the usual rate (5 stories).
Conflict & violence
Accidents were named in 11 of its stories about harm, more than ten times usual. Its coverage was about one and a half times as fearful as the world's.
Conflict & violence
Reports of evacuations ran at about 4 times the usual rate (6 stories). Its coverage was about twice as fearful as the world's.
Protests & strikes
3 of Warsaw's 5 stories were about protests or strikes. Reports of people affected ran at about three times the usual rate (5 stories).
Health
Reports of refugees ran at about 4 times the usual rate (15 stories). House fires were named in 10 of its stories about harm, about three times usual.
Health
Reports of people displaced ran at about three times the usual rate (16 stories). Heatwave was named in 11 of its stories about harm, about three times usual, with heatstroke.
Also named far more than usual:
earthquake in China (14 of its stories, about three times its usual); house fires in UK (10 of its stories, about three times its usual); accidents in India (11 of its stories, more than ten times its usual); heatwave in US (11 of its stories, about three times its usual).
Read the day's briefing
Reports of peace efforts, a sign of help, ran at about three times the usual rate. 19 in every 100 of the day's 43,511 news stories were about people being harmed, as usual. In Sri Lanka, 64% of the news was about people being harmed, where 24% is usual. On 11 May 2024, a year earlier, the share was 18 in every 100, against 19 today. This week the news turned most often to Sri Lanka, on 3 of 7 days; help rose on 3 of them.
19 in every 100 of the day's 43,511 news stories were about people being harmed (usually 19). Sri Lanka: 65 of its 102 stories (64%) were about people being harmed, usually 24%. Bangladesh: 99 of its 239 stories (41%) were about people being harmed, usually 31%. Israel: Jerusalem accounted for 96 of Israel's 346 stories about harm, carried by 204 outlets. DR Congo: 7 of its 8 stories (88%) were about people being harmed, usually 46%. Help and hope: reports of peace efforts ran at about three times the usual rate. Mentions of the earthquake ran about three times their usual in China's news. Mentions of house fires ran about three times their usual in the UK's news. Across the world, the words of the day's news were about as usual. A year earlier, on 11 May 2024, 18 in every 100 stories were about people being harmed, against 19 today. This week the news turned most often to Sri Lanka, on 3 of 7 days; help rose on 3 of them. Written by code from the day's numbers.
Zimbabwe: about as warm as its own usual or less Zambia: about as warm as its own usual or less Yemen: about as warm as its own usual or less Vietnam: about as warm as its own usual or less Venezuela: about as warm as its own usual or less Vanuatu: too little coverage to read Uzbekistan: too little coverage to read Uruguay: too little coverage to read Micronesia: too little coverage to read U.S. Virgin Islands: too little coverage to read Guam: about as warm as its own usual or less Puerto Rico: too little coverage to read United States: about as warm as its own usual or less South Georgia & South Sandwich Islands: too little coverage to read Falkland Islands: too little coverage to read Cayman Islands: too little coverage to read Isle of Man: too little coverage to read United Kingdom: about as warm as its own usual or less United Arab Emirates: about as warm as its own usual or less Ukraine: about as warm as its own usual or less Uganda: about as warm as its own usual or less Turkmenistan: too little coverage to read Turkey: about as warm as its own usual or less Tunisia: about as warm as its own usual or less Trinidad & Tobago: about as warm as its own usual or less Tonga: about as warm as its own usual or less Togo: too little coverage to read Timor-Leste: too little coverage to read Thailand: about as warm as its own usual or less Tanzania: about as warm as its own usual or less Tajikistan: too little coverage to read Taiwan: about as warm as its own usual or less Syria: about as warm as its own usual or less Switzerland: about as warm as its own usual or less Sweden: about as warm as its own usual or less Eswatini: too little coverage to read Suriname: about as warm as its own usual or less South Sudan: about as warm as its own usual or less Sudan: about as warm as its own usual or less Sri Lanka: about as warm as its own usual or less Spain: about as warm as its own usual or less South Korea: about as warm as its own usual or less South Africa: about as warm as its own usual or less Somalia: about as warm as its own usual or less Somaliland: too little coverage to read Solomon Islands: about as warm as its own usual or less Slovakia: about as warm as its own usual or less Slovenia: too little coverage to read Singapore: about as warm as its own usual or less Sierra Leone: about as warm as its own usual or less Seychelles: too little coverage to read Serbia: too little coverage to read Senegal: too little coverage to read Saudi Arabia: about as warm as its own usual or less São Tomé: too little coverage to read Samoa: too little coverage to read St Vincent: too little coverage to read St. Lucia: too little coverage to read Rwanda: about as warm as its own usual or less Russia: about as warm as its own usual or less Romania: too little coverage to read Qatar: about as warm as its own usual or less Portugal: about as warm as its own usual or less Poland: about as warm as its own usual or less Philippines: about as warm as its own usual or less Peru: too little coverage to read Paraguay: too little coverage to read Papua New Guinea: too little coverage to read Panama: about as warm as its own usual or less Palau: too little coverage to read Pakistan: about as warm as its own usual or less Oman: about as warm as its own usual or less Norway: about as warm as its own usual or less North Korea: about as warm as its own usual or less Nigeria: about as warm as its own usual or less Niger: too little coverage to read Nicaragua: too little coverage to read New Zealand: about as warm as its own usual or less Niue: too little coverage to read Netherlands: too little coverage to read Curaçao: too little coverage to read Nepal: about as warm as its own usual or less Namibia: about as warm as its own usual or less Mozambique: too little coverage to read Morocco: about as warm as its own usual or less Western Sahara: too little coverage to read Montenegro: too little coverage to read Mongolia: too little coverage to read Moldova: too little coverage to read Mexico: about as warm as its own usual or less Mauritius: about as warm as its own usual or less Mauritania: about as warm as its own usual or less Malta: about as warm as its own usual or less Mali: about as warm as its own usual or less Malaysia: about as warm as its own usual or less Malawi: about as warm as its own usual or less Madagascar: too little coverage to read North Macedonia: too little coverage to read Luxembourg: too little coverage to read Lithuania: too little coverage to read Libya: about as warm as its own usual or less Liberia: about as warm as its own usual or less Lesotho: about as warm as its own usual or less Lebanon: about as warm as its own usual or less Latvia: too little coverage to read Laos: about as warm as its own usual or less Kyrgyzstan: too little coverage to read Kuwait: about as warm as its own usual or less Kosovo: too little coverage to read Kiribati: too little coverage to read Kenya: about as warm as its own usual or less Kazakhstan: too little coverage to read Jordan: about as warm as its own usual or less Japan: about as warm as its own usual or less Jamaica: about as warm as its own usual or less Israel: about as warm as its own usual or less Ireland: about as warm as its own usual or less Iraq: about as warm as its own usual or less Iran: about as warm as its own usual or less Indonesia: about as warm as its own usual or less Iceland: about as warm as its own usual or less Hungary: about as warm as its own usual or less Honduras: too little coverage to read Haiti: about as warm as its own usual or less Guyana: about as warm as its own usual or less Guinea-Bissau: too little coverage to read Guinea: too little coverage to read Guatemala: about as warm as its own usual or less Grenada: too little coverage to read Greece: about as warm as its own usual or less Germany: about as warm as its own usual or less Georgia: about as warm as its own usual or less Gambia: too little coverage to read Gabon: about as warm as its own usual or less St Pierre & Miquelon: too little coverage to read French Polynesia: too little coverage to read New Caledonia: about as warm as its own usual or less French Southern Territories: too little coverage to read Åland Islands: too little coverage to read Finland: about as warm as its own usual or less Fiji: about as warm as its own usual or less Ethiopia: about as warm as its own usual or less Estonia: too little coverage to read Eritrea: too little coverage to read Equatorial Guinea: about as warm as its own usual or less El Salvador: about as warm as its own usual or less Egypt: about as warm as its own usual or less Ecuador: about as warm as its own usual or less Dominican Republic: about as warm as its own usual or less Dominica: about as warm as its own usual or less Djibouti: too little coverage to read Greenland: about as warm as its own usual or less Faroe Islands: too little coverage to read Denmark: about as warm as its own usual or less Czech Republic: about as warm as its own usual or less N. Cyprus: too little coverage to read Cyprus: too little coverage to read Cuba: about as warm as its own usual or less Croatia: about as warm as its own usual or less Côte d'Ivoire: too little coverage to read Costa Rica: about as warm as its own usual or less DR Congo: about as warm as its own usual or less Congo: about as warm as its own usual or less Comoros: too little coverage to read Colombia: about as warm as its own usual or less Hong Kong: about as warm as its own usual or less Chile: about as warm as its own usual or less Chad: too little coverage to read Central African Republic: too little coverage to read Cape Verde: too little coverage to read Canada: about as warm as its own usual or less Cameroon: too little coverage to read Cambodia: about as warm as its own usual or less Myanmar: about as warm as its own usual or less Burundi: too little coverage to read Burkina Faso: about as warm as its own usual or less Bulgaria: about as warm as its own usual or less Brunei: too little coverage to read Brazil: about as warm as its own usual or less Botswana: about as warm as its own usual or less Bosnia and Herzegovina: too little coverage to read Bolivia: about as warm as its own usual or less Bhutan: about as warm as its own usual or less Benin: too little coverage to read Belize: about as warm as its own usual or less Belgium: about as warm as its own usual or less Belarus: too little coverage to read Barbados: about as warm as its own usual or less Bahrain: about as warm as its own usual or less Bahamas: too little coverage to read Azerbaijan: about as warm as its own usual or less Austria: about as warm as its own usual or less Australia: about as warm as its own usual or less Heard & McDonald Islands: too little coverage to read Armenia: too little coverage to read Argentina: about as warm as its own usual or less Antigua & Barbuda: about as warm as its own usual or less Angola: too little coverage to read Andorra: too little coverage to read Algeria: too little coverage to read Albania: about as warm as its own usual or less Afghanistan: about as warm as its own usual or less Jammu & Kashmir: about as warm as its own usual or less Western Sahara (Moroccan-controlled): too little coverage to read Western Sahara (Free Zone): too little coverage to read Azad Kashmir & Gilgit-Baltistan: about as warm as its own usual or less Siachen Glacier: about as warm as its own usual or less Crimea: about as warm as its own usual or less Azad Kashmir & Gilgit-Baltistan: about as warm as its own usual or less Vatican City: too little coverage to read Marshall Islands: too little coverage to read Northern Mariana Islands: too little coverage to read American Samoa: too little coverage to read Chagos Islands: too little coverage to read St. Helena: too little coverage to read Pitcairn: too little coverage to read Anguilla: too little coverage to read Bermuda: too little coverage to read British Virgin Islands: too little coverage to read Turks & Caicos Islands: too little coverage to read Montserrat: too little coverage to read Jersey: about as warm as its own usual or less Guernsey: too little coverage to read San Marino: too little coverage to read St Kitts & Nevis: too little coverage to read Cook Islands: too little coverage to read Aruba: too little coverage to read Nauru: about as warm as its own usual or less Monaco: about as warm as its own usual or less Maldives: about as warm as its own usual or less Liechtenstein: too little coverage to read Wallis & Futuna: too little coverage to read St. Martin: too little coverage to read St. Barthélemy: too little coverage to read Macao: too little coverage to read Norfolk Island: too little coverage to read Sint Maarten: too little coverage to read Christmas Island: too little coverage to read Gibraltar: too little coverage to read Mayotte: too little coverage to read Italy: warmth about its own usual Palestine: warmth about its own usual India: warmth about its own usual Ghana: warmth about its own usual France: warmth about its own usual China: warmth about its own usual Bangladesh: warmth about its own usual China: warmth about its own usual Palestine: warmth about its own usual Palestine: warmth about its own usual Palestine: warmth about its own usual Vancouver, Canada -- disasters & accidents: 11 stories, carried by 20 outlets Ajit, India -- conflict & violence: 27 stories, carried by 24 outlets Pathankot, India -- conflict & violence: 11 stories, carried by 13 outlets Bangkok, Thailand -- disasters & accidents: 13 stories, carried by 10 outlets Ottawa, Canada -- health: 10 stories, carried by 22 outlets
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.
The day in three measures
harsh warm
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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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.