← 19 May Tuesday 20 May 2025 · to 23:59 UTC 21 May →
What the world's news said happened to people.
Counts of coverage, not of suffering
18,258 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 day's news pointed at illness in Geneva, rights and justice in Colombo and violence in Tripoli. Sri Lanka's coverage was about twice as grief-stricken as the world's. Taken together, the world's news read much softer than usual.

Part of lifeHealth 31 in 100 of the stories about harm · more than usual Country that rose mostTanzania 58 in 100 of its 62 stories, usually 23
RegionLatin America & Caribbean 27 in 100 of its stories, usually 25
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 →
Health

Switzerland

91 of its 278 stories (33%) were about people being harmed, usually 17%. Geneva accounted for 59 of Switzerland's 91 stories about harm, carried by 86 outlets. Covid was named in 43 of its stories about harm, about 7 times usual. Its coverage was about one and a half times as warm as the world's.

Switzerland over 30 days → its stories → Geneva stories →
Rights & justice

Sri Lanka

65 of its 155 stories (42%) were about people being harmed, usually 28%. Colombo accounted for 35 of Sri Lanka's 65 stories about harm, carried by 30 outlets. Reports of arrests ran at about three times the usual rate (20 stories). Its coverage was about twice as grief-stricken as the world's.

Sri Lanka over 30 days → its stories → Colombo stories →
Disasters & accidents

Mexico

118 of its 375 stories (31%) were about people being harmed, usually 23%. Reports of people killed ran at about three times the usual rate (74 stories). Its coverage was about one and a half times as grief-stricken as the world's.

Mexico over 30 days → its stories →
6 more places the news pointed at
Health

France

Reports of evacuations ran at about 8 times the usual rate (7 stories). Road crashes were named in 12 of its stories about harm, about 10 times usual. Its coverage was about twice as grief-stricken as the world's.

its stories →
Protests & strikes

Mali

3 of Mopti's 4 stories were about protests or strikes. Reports of arrests ran at about twice the usual rate (8 stories). Its coverage was about one and a half times as grief-stricken as the world's.

its stories →
Conflict & violence

India

Reports of refugees ran at about 4 times the usual rate (13 stories). Covid was named in 100 of its stories about harm, about 4 times usual, with flu. Its coverage was about one and a half times as fearful as the world's.

its stories →
Conflict & violence

Pakistan

Reports of arrests ran at about twice the usual rate (47 stories). Heatwave was named in 17 of its stories about harm, about 5 times usual. Its coverage was about twice as fearful as the world's.

its stories →
Protests & strikes

Tanzania

36 of its 62 stories (58%) were about people being harmed, usually 23%. 16 of Dar es Salaam's 18 stories were about protests or strikes.

its stories →
Conflict & violence

Sierra Leone

17 of its 30 stories (57%) were about people being harmed, usually 30%. Reports of abductions ran at more than ten times the usual rate (15 stories).

its stories →

Also named far more than usual: flu in Brazil (20 of its stories, about 6 times its usual); natural hazards in Venezuela (16 of its stories, about 6 times its usual); covid in India (100 of its stories, about 4 times its usual); road crashes in France (12 of its stories, about 10 times its usual); heatwave in Pakistan (17 of its stories, about 5 times its usual).

19 in 100 stories were about harm

usually 19; 19 the day before
21 in 10017 in 10021 Apr28 Apr5 May12 May20 May21 Apr: 19 in 10022 Apr: 18 in 10023 Apr: 19 in 10024 Apr: 19 in 10025 Apr: 18 in 10026 Apr: 20 in 10027 Apr: 21 in 10028 Apr: 19 in 10029 Apr: 18 in 10030 Apr: 18 in 1001 May: 18 in 1002 May: 18 in 1003 May: 19 in 1004 May: 19 in 1005 May: 19 in 1006 May: 18 in 1007 May: 20 in 1008 May: 19 in 1009 May: 18 in 10010 May: 19 in 10011 May: 19 in 10012 May: 18 in 10013 May: 18 in 10014 May: 18 in 10015 May: 17 in 10016 May: 18 in 10017 May: 20 in 10018 May: 19 in 10019 May: 19 in 10020 May: 19 in 100 · this day

Stories about people being harmed, in every 100 stories, the 30 days to 20 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 18,258 stories about harm among 98,525 counted on 20 May.

Read the day's briefing

Switzerland's news mentioned Covid about 7 times as often as usual. 19 in every 100 of the day's 98,525 news stories were about people being harmed, as usual. In Switzerland, 33% of the news was about people being harmed, where 17% is usual. A year earlier, on 20 May 2024, 18 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 →

Sudan62 in 100 of its 77 stories · usually 67 · mostly conflict & violence Israel58 in 100 of its 1,285 stories · usually 60 · mostly conflict & violence Tanzania58 in 100 of its 62 stories · usually 23 · mostly rights & justice Palestine52 in 100 of its 234 stories · usually 59 · mostly conflict & violence Syria49 in 100 of its 162 stories · usually 54 · mostly conflict & violence

Countries with at least 50 stories that day.

Where people protested

Washington US152 stories about protests or strikes, of its 840 Newark US59 stories about protests or strikes, of its 171 London UK42 stories about protests or strikes, of its 272 Jerusalem Israel25 stories about protests or strikes, of its 146 Hollywood US25 stories about protests or strikes, of its 177

Stories, not people.

Where harm was most of the news

feelings in full →
Feelings Events Harm Warmth
Zimbabwe: near the world's share or lessZambia: near the world's share or lessVietnam: near the world's share or lessVanuatu: near the world's share or lessUzbekistan: near the world's share or lessUruguay: near the world's share or lessMicronesia: near the world's share or lessU.S. Virgin Islands: near the world's share or lessGuam: near the world's share or lessPuerto Rico: near the world's share or lessSouth Georgia & South Sandwich Islands: no storiesFalkland Islands: near the world's share or lessCayman Islands: near the world's share or lessIsle of Man: near the world's share or lessUnited Kingdom: near the world's share or lessUnited Arab Emirates: near the world's share or lessUkraine: near the world's share or lessTurkmenistan: near the world's share or lessTurkey: near the world's share or lessTunisia: near the world's share or lessTonga: near the world's share or lessTogo: near the world's share or lessTimor-Leste: near the world's share or lessThailand: near the world's share or lessTajikistan: near the world's share or lessTaiwan: near the world's share or lessSweden: near the world's share or lessEswatini: near the world's share or lessSuriname: near the world's share or lessSpain: near the world's share or lessSouth Korea: near the world's share or lessSomaliland: no storiesSolomon Islands: near the world's share or lessSlovakia: near the world's share or lessSlovenia: near the world's share or lessSingapore: near the world's share or lessSeychelles: near the world's share or lessSerbia: no storiesSenegal: near the world's share or lessSaudi Arabia: near the world's share or lessSão Tomé: no storiesSamoa: near the world's share or lessSt Vincent: near the world's share or lessSt. Lucia: near the world's share or lessRussia: near the world's share or lessRomania: near the world's share or lessQatar: near the world's share or lessPortugal: near the world's share or lessPoland: near the world's share or lessPhilippines: near the world's share or lessPeru: near the world's share or lessParaguay: near the world's share or lessPanama: near the world's share or lessPalau: no storiesOman: near the world's share or lessNorway: near the world's share or lessNorth Korea: near the world's share or lessNiger: near the world's share or lessNicaragua: near the world's share or lessNew Zealand: near the world's share or lessNiue: near the world's share or lessNetherlands: near the world's share or lessCuraçao: no storiesNamibia: near the world's share or lessMozambique: near the world's share or lessMorocco: near the world's share or lessWestern Sahara: near the world's share or lessMontenegro: near the world's share or lessMongolia: near the world's share or lessMoldova: near the world's share or lessMauritius: near the world's share or lessMauritania: near the world's share or lessMalta: near the world's share or lessMalaysia: near the world's share or lessMalawi: near the world's share or lessMadagascar: near the world's share or lessNorth Macedonia: near the world's share or lessLuxembourg: near the world's share or lessLithuania: near the world's share or lessLiberia: near the world's share or lessLesotho: near the world's share or lessLatvia: near the world's share or lessLaos: near the world's share or lessKyrgyzstan: near the world's share or lessKuwait: near the world's share or lessKosovo: no storiesKiribati: near the world's share or lessKenya: near the world's share or lessKazakhstan: near the world's share or lessJordan: near the world's share or lessJapan: near the world's share or lessItaly: near the world's share or lessIreland: near the world's share or lessIran: near the world's share or lessIndonesia: near the world's share or lessIceland: near the world's share or lessHungary: near the world's share or lessHonduras: near the world's share or lessGuyana: near the world's share or lessGuinea-Bissau: near the world's share or lessGuinea: near the world's share or lessGuatemala: near the world's share or lessGrenada: near the world's share or lessGreece: near the world's share or lessGhana: near the world's share or lessGermany: near the world's share or lessGambia: near the world's share or lessGabon: near the world's share or lessFrance: near the world's share or lessSt Pierre & Miquelon: no storiesFrench Polynesia: near the world's share or lessNew Caledonia: near the world's share or lessFrench Southern Territories: no storiesÅland Islands: no storiesFiji: near the world's share or lessEthiopia: near the world's share or lessEstonia: near the world's share or lessEritrea: near the world's share or lessEquatorial Guinea: near the world's share or lessEgypt: near the world's share or lessEcuador: near the world's share or lessDominican Republic: near the world's share or lessDominica: near the world's share or lessDjibouti: near the world's share or lessGreenland: near the world's share or lessFaroe Islands: near the world's share or lessCzech Republic: near the world's share or lessN. Cyprus: no storiesCyprus: near the world's share or lessCuba: near the world's share or lessCôte d'Ivoire: near the world's share or lessCosta Rica: near the world's share or lessCongo: near the world's share or lessComoros: near the world's share or lessChina: near the world's share or lessHong Kong: near the world's share or lessChile: near the world's share or lessChad: near the world's share or lessCentral African Republic: near the world's share or lessCape Verde: near the world's share or lessCanada: near the world's share or lessBurundi: near the world's share or lessBulgaria: near the world's share or lessBrunei: near the world's share or lessBrazil: near the world's share or lessBotswana: near the world's share or lessBosnia and Herzegovina: near the world's share or lessBolivia: near the world's share or lessBhutan: near the world's share or lessBenin: near the world's share or lessBelize: near the world's share or lessBelgium: near the world's share or lessBelarus: near the world's share or lessBarbados: near the world's share or lessBahrain: near the world's share or lessAzerbaijan: near the world's share or lessAustria: near the world's share or lessAustralia: near the world's share or lessHeard & McDonald Islands: no storiesArgentina: near the world's share or lessAntigua & Barbuda: near the world's share or lessAndorra: no storiesAlgeria: near the world's share or lessAlbania: near the world's share or lessAksai Chin: near the world's share or lessWestern Sahara (Moroccan-controlled): near the world's share or lessWestern Sahara (Free Zone): near the world's share or lessCrimea: near the world's share or lessVatican City: near the world's share or lessMarshall Islands: near the world's share or lessNorthern Mariana Islands: no storiesAmerican Samoa: near the world's share or lessChagos Islands: near the world's share or lessSt. Helena: near the world's share or lessPitcairn: near the world's share or lessAnguilla: no storiesBermuda: near the world's share or lessBritish Virgin Islands: near the world's share or lessTurks & Caicos Islands: no storiesMontserrat: near the world's share or lessGuernsey: near the world's share or lessSan Marino: near the world's share or lessSt Kitts & Nevis: no storiesCook Islands: near the world's share or lessAruba: near the world's share or lessNauru: no storiesMonaco: near the world's share or lessMaldives: near the world's share or lessLiechtenstein: no storiesWallis & Futuna: no storiesSt. Martin: near the world's share or lessSt. Barthélemy: no storiesMacao: near the world's share or lessNorfolk Island: no storiesSint Maarten: no storiesChristmas Island: no storiesGibraltar: near the world's share or lessMayotte: no storiesYemen: 55 in 100 of its 11 stories were about people being harmed (the world's: 19)Venezuela: 42 in 100 of its 152 stories were about people being harmed (the world's: 19)US: 23 in 100 of its 27,576 stories were about people being harmed (the world's: 19)Uganda: 35 in 100 of its 65 stories were about people being harmed (the world's: 19)Trinidad & Tobago: 31 in 100 of its 68 stories were about people being harmed (the world's: 19)Tanzania: 58 in 100 of its 62 stories were about people being harmed (the world's: 19)Syria: 49 in 100 of its 162 stories were about people being harmed (the world's: 19)Switzerland: 33 in 100 of its 278 stories were about people being harmed (the world's: 19)South Sudan: 33 in 100 of its 30 stories were about people being harmed (the world's: 19)Sudan: 62 in 100 of its 77 stories were about people being harmed (the world's: 19)Sri Lanka: 42 in 100 of its 155 stories were about people being harmed (the world's: 19)South Africa: 33 in 100 of its 632 stories were about people being harmed (the world's: 19)Somalia: 72 in 100 of its 29 stories were about people being harmed (the world's: 19)Sierra Leone: 57 in 100 of its 30 stories were about people being harmed (the world's: 19)Rwanda: 31 in 100 of its 32 stories were about people being harmed (the world's: 19)Papua New Guinea: 30 in 100 of its 73 stories were about people being harmed (the world's: 19)Pakistan: 39 in 100 of its 969 stories were about people being harmed (the world's: 19)Nigeria: 25 in 100 of its 1,240 stories were about people being harmed (the world's: 19)Nepal: 41 in 100 of its 54 stories were about people being harmed (the world's: 19)Mexico: 31 in 100 of its 375 stories were about people being harmed (the world's: 19)Mali: 35 in 100 of its 31 stories were about people being harmed (the world's: 19)Libya: 69 in 100 of its 29 stories were about people being harmed (the world's: 19)Lebanon: 48 in 100 of its 40 stories were about people being harmed (the world's: 19)Jamaica: 29 in 100 of its 127 stories were about people being harmed (the world's: 19)Israel: 58 in 100 of its 1,285 stories were about people being harmed (the world's: 19)Palestine: 52 in 100 of its 234 stories were about people being harmed (the world's: 19)Iraq: 31 in 100 of its 36 stories were about people being harmed (the world's: 19)India: 24 in 100 of its 5,088 stories were about people being harmed (the world's: 19)Haiti: 47 in 100 of its 17 stories were about people being harmed (the world's: 19)Georgia: 44 in 100 of its 27 stories were about people being harmed (the world's: 19)Finland: 28 in 100 of its 99 stories were about people being harmed (the world's: 19)El Salvador: 66 in 100 of its 47 stories were about people being harmed (the world's: 19)Denmark: 31 in 100 of its 96 stories were about people being harmed (the world's: 19)Croatia: 46 in 100 of its 13 stories were about people being harmed (the world's: 19)DR Congo: 67 in 100 of its 6 stories were about people being harmed (the world's: 19)Colombia: 31 in 100 of its 51 stories were about people being harmed (the world's: 19)Cameroon: 47 in 100 of its 34 stories were about people being harmed (the world's: 19)Cambodia: 37 in 100 of its 51 stories were about people being harmed (the world's: 19)Myanmar: 58 in 100 of its 12 stories were about people being harmed (the world's: 19)Burkina Faso: 54 in 100 of its 13 stories were about people being harmed (the world's: 19)Bangladesh: 25 in 100 of its 302 stories were about people being harmed (the world's: 19)Bahamas: 28 in 100 of its 72 stories were about people being harmed (the world's: 19)Armenia: 31 in 100 of its 58 stories were about people being harmed (the world's: 19)Angola: 47 in 100 of its 19 stories were about people being harmed (the world's: 19)Afghanistan: 49 in 100 of its 107 stories were about people being harmed (the world's: 19)Kashmir: 35 in 100 of its 106 stories were about people being harmed (the world's: 19)Palestine: 52 in 100 of its 234 stories were about people being harmed (the world's: 19)Palestine: 52 in 100 of its 234 stories were about people being harmed (the world's: 19)Kashmir: 35 in 100 of its 106 stories were about people being harmed (the world's: 19)Kashmir: 35 in 100 of its 106 stories were about people being harmed (the world's: 19)Palestine: 52 in 100 of its 234 stories were about people being harmed (the world's: 19)Kashmir: 35 in 100 of its 106 stories were about people being harmed (the world's: 19)Jersey: 31 in 100 of its 72 stories were about people being harmed (the world's: 19)
A quarter or more above the world's share Near the world's or lessNo stories

Each country shaded by how much of its news was about people being harmed, against the world's 19 in 100 that day. Stronger colour: further above. A country with few stories is drawn closer to the world's. Click a country.

Most of its news about harm

● Israel 58 in 100 of its 1,285 stories · mostly conflict & violence ● Palestine 52 in 100 of its 234 stories · mostly conflict & violence ● Sudan 62 in 100 of its 77 stories · mostly conflict & violence ● Syria 49 in 100 of its 162 stories · mostly conflict & violence ● Tanzania 58 in 100 of its 62 stories · mostly rights & justice ● Afghanistan 49 in 100 of its 107 stories · mostly conflict & violence

Stories, not people. Countries with at least 50 stories.

The day in three measures

Parts of life 30 days →

Health31% 5,496 stories · more than usual (usually 26%) Rights & justice24% 4,334 stories · about as usual Disasters & accidents18% 3,293 stories · more than usual (usually 16%) Conflict & violence13% 2,380 stories · much less than usual (usually 20%) Deaths & injuries, cause not given4% 802 stories · about as usual Shelter & services4% 738 stories · about as usual Food & livelihood3% 538 stories · about as usual Displacement2% 374 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 killed4,102 at about the usual rate Stories reporting arrests2,086 at about the usual rate Stories reporting people affected1,762 at about the usual rate Stories reporting people injured865 at about two-thirds of the usual rate · most about the US and Israel Stories reporting abductions359 at about the usual rate Stories reporting refugees205 at about the usual rate Stories reporting people displaced175 at about the usual rate Stories reporting evacuations125 at about the usual rate Stories reporting people falling ill26 at about the usual rate

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 softer than usual. Filled dot: today. Ring: usual.

● Angera little less than usual
● Warmthabout as usual
● Griefa little less than usual
● Feara little less than 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.