Norway
77 of its 146 stories (53%) were about people being harmed, usually 12%. Salten accounted for 43 of Norway's 77 stories about harm, carried by 118 outlets. Reports of people injured ran at more than ten times the usual rate (10 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.
A disaster in Salten, arrests in Ukraine and people injured in Germany drew the news. Ukraine'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 mostNorway
53 in 100 of its 146 stories, usually 12
RegionOceania
23 in 100 of its stories, usually 18
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 →Ukraine
121 of its 337 stories (36%) were about people being harmed, usually 29%. Reports of arrests ran at more than ten times the usual rate (71 stories). Its coverage was about twice as grief-stricken as the world's.
Germany
163 of its 642 stories (25%) were about people being harmed, usually 19%. Reports of people injured ran at more than ten times the usual rate (98 stories). Its coverage was about one and a half times as angry as the world's.
El Salvador
21 of its 35 stories (60%) were about people being harmed, usually 39%. 6 of el Faro's 8 stories were about protests or strikes.
6 more places the news pointed at
Australia
444 of its 1,784 stories (25%) were about people being harmed, usually 17%. Reports of evacuations ran at about three times the usual rate (9 stories). Storms were named in 74 of its stories about harm, about 9 times usual, with heavy rain and power cuts.
Russia
Moscow accounted for 106 of Russia's 182 stories about harm, carried by 82 outlets. Reports of evacuations ran at about three times the usual rate (5 stories). Its coverage was about one and a half times as angry as the world's. Fear in its coverage rose to about one and a half times its own usual.
South Africa
298 of its 735 stories (41%) were about people being harmed, usually 32%. Its coverage was about twice as grief-stricken as the world's.
Ethiopia
20 of its 60 stories (33%) were about people being harmed, usually 21%. Reports of people killed ran at about twice the usual rate (10 stories).
New Caledonia
5 of its 5 stories (100%) were about people being harmed, usually 29%. Reports of people affected ran at about 4 times the usual rate (5 stories).
Syria
60 of its 95 stories (63%) were about people being harmed, usually 54%. Damascus accounted for 41 of Syria's 60 stories about harm, carried by 108 outlets.
Also named far more than usual: storms in Australia (74 of its stories, about 9 times its usual); covid in India (97 of its stories, about 4 times its usual); landslides in China (14 of its stories, about 9 times its usual); hurricane in Canada (15 of its stories, more than ten times its usual); hunger in UK (26 of its stories, about 6 times its usual).
19 in 100 stories were about harm
usually 19; 18 the day beforeStories about people being harmed, in every 100 stories, the 30 days to 23 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 17,030 stories about harm among 89,497 counted on 23 May.
Read the day's briefing
Norway stood out: 53% of its news was about people being harmed, usually 12%. 19 in every 100 of the day's 89,497 news stories were about people being harmed, as usual. In Australia's news, mentions of storms ran about 9 times their usual. On 23 May 2024, a year earlier, the share was 18 in every 100, against 19 today.
- 19 in every 100 of the day's 89,497 news stories were about people being harmed (usually 19).
- Norway: 77 of its 146 stories (53%) were about people being harmed, usually 12%.
- Ukraine: 121 of its 337 stories (36%) were about people being harmed, usually 29%.
- Germany: 163 of its 642 stories (25%) were about people being harmed, usually 19%.
- El Salvador: 21 of its 35 stories (60%) were about people being harmed, usually 39%.
- Mentions of storms ran about 9 times their usual in Australia's news.
- Mentions of Covid ran about 4 times their usual in India's news.
- Across the world, the words of the day's news were softer than usual.
- A year earlier, on 23 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 →
Sudan68 in 100 of its 75 stories · usually 67 · mostly conflict & violence Israel64 in 100 of its 1,020 stories · usually 60 · mostly conflict & violence Syria63 in 100 of its 95 stories · usually 54 · mostly conflict & violence Palestine57 in 100 of its 279 stories · usually 58 · mostly conflict & violence Norway53 in 100 of its 146 stories · usually 12 · mostly disasters & accidentsCountries with at least 50 stories that day.
Where people protested
Washington US208 stories about protests or strikes, of its 804 Chicago US70 stories about protests or strikes, of its 246 Boston US50 stories about protests or strikes, of its 151 Newark US46 stories about protests or strikes, of its 145 Jerusalem Israel43 stories about protests or strikes, of its 153Stories, 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
● San Diego US accidents & disasters · 240 stories, 449 outlets ● Coffs Harbour Australia accidents & disasters · 14 stories, 135 outlets ● Tehran Iran attacks & violence · 42 stories, 159 outlets ● Salten Norway accidents & disasters · 43 stories, 118 outlets ● Jerusalem Israel attacks & violence · 153 stories, 168 outlets ● Kerem Shalom Israel attacks & violence · 49 stories, 173 outlets ● Sydney Australia accidents & disasters · 101 stories, 148 outlets ● Damascus Syria attacks & violence · 41 stories, 108 outletsThe day in three measures
Parts of life 30 days →
Health27% 4,545 stories · about as usual Rights & justice25% 4,239 stories · about as usual Disasters & accidents18% 2,963 stories · about as usual Conflict & violence16% 2,728 stories · less than usual (usually 20%) Deaths & injuries, cause not given5% 786 stories · about as usual Shelter & services3% 572 stories · about as usual Food & livelihood3% 572 stories · about as usual Displacement2% 361 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 killed4,316 at about the usual rate Stories reporting arrests2,034 at about the usual rate Stories reporting people affected1,606 at about the usual rate Stories reporting people injured920 at about the usual rate Stories reporting abductions224 at about the usual rate Stories reporting people displaced177 at about the usual rate Stories reporting evacuations163 at about one and a half times the usual rate · most about the US and Australia Stories reporting refugees146 at about the usual rate Stories reporting people falling ill31 at about one and a half times the usual rate · most about the US and Costa RicaStories 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
● 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
The week in human impact
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These are counts of stories, not counts of suffering. Most of what happens to people is never reported at all.