← 19 Aug Wednesday 20 August 2025 · to 23:59 UTC 21 Aug →
What the world's news said happened to people.
Counts of coverage, not of suffering
16,378 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 road crashes in Afghanistan, people killed in Rwanda and people affected in Peru. Afghanistan's coverage was about twice as grief-stricken as the world's. Language across the world's news ran softer than usual.

Part of lifeRights & justice 26 in 100 of the stories about harm · about as usual Country that rose mostAfghanistan 70 in 100 of its 197 stories, usually 46
RegionEvery region about as usual
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 →
Disasters & accidents

Afghanistan

138 of its 197 stories (70%) were about people being harmed, usually 46%. Herat accounted for 64 of Afghanistan's 138 stories about harm, carried by 130 outlets. Reports of people injured ran at about 5 times the usual rate (35 stories). Road crashes were named in 14 of its stories about harm, more than ten times usual. Its coverage was about twice as grief-stricken as the world's.

Afghanistan over 30 days → its stories → Herat stories →
Conflict & violence

Rwanda

27 of its 43 stories (63%) were about people being harmed, usually 38%. Reports of people killed ran at about twice the usual rate (19 stories). Its coverage was about twice as angry as the world's.

Rwanda over 30 days → its stories →
6 more places the news pointed at
Disasters & accidents

Pakistan

327 of its 669 stories (49%) were about people being harmed, usually 40%. Karachi accounted for 128 of Pakistan's 327 stories about harm, carried by 78 outlets. Reports of evacuations ran at about three times the usual rate (17 stories). Drownings were named in 20 of its stories about harm, about 5 times usual, with power cuts and building collapse.

its stories →
Conflict & violence

Israel

Jerusalem accounted for 167 of Israel's 562 stories about harm, carried by 317 outlets. Reports of refugees ran at about three times the usual rate (33 stories). Its coverage was about three times as grief-stricken as the world's.

its stories →
Conflict & violence

Somalia

32 of its 44 stories (73%) were about people being harmed, usually 48%. Reports of arrests ran at about 8 times the usual rate (9 stories).

its stories →
Conflict & violence

Congo

20 of its 29 stories (69%) were about people being harmed, usually 52%. Its coverage was about one and a half times as angry as the world's.

its stories →
Conflict & violence

Iraq

26 of its 60 stories (43%) were about people being harmed, usually 32%. Reports of people affected ran at about twice the usual rate (5 stories).

its stories →
Conflict & violence

Palestine

Gaza accounted for 146 of Palestine's 169 stories about harm, carried by 301 outlets. Its coverage was about one and a half times as angry as the world's.

its stories →

Also named far more than usual: covid in Netherlands (11 of its stories, about 7 times its usual); illness in Bangladesh (15 of its stories, about 4 times its usual); drownings in Pakistan (20 of its stories, about 5 times its usual); storm surge in US (192 of its stories, about 9 times its usual); hurricane in Canada (11 of its stories, about three times its usual).

18 in 100 stories were about harm

usually 19; 18 the day before
21 in 10018 in 10022 Jul29 Jul5 Aug12 Aug20 Aug22 Jul: 19 in 10023 Jul: 19 in 10024 Jul: 18 in 10025 Jul: 18 in 10026 Jul: 19 in 10027 Jul: 19 in 10028 Jul: 19 in 10029 Jul: 19 in 10030 Jul: 20 in 10031 Jul: 19 in 1001 Aug: 19 in 1002 Aug: 19 in 1003 Aug: 21 in 1004 Aug: 19 in 1005 Aug: 19 in 1006 Aug: 19 in 1007 Aug: 18 in 1008 Aug: 19 in 1009 Aug: 20 in 10010 Aug: 20 in 10011 Aug: 19 in 10012 Aug: 19 in 10013 Aug: 19 in 10014 Aug: 19 in 10015 Aug: 18 in 10016 Aug: 19 in 10017 Aug: 20 in 10018 Aug: 19 in 10019 Aug: 18 in 10020 Aug: 18 in 100 · this day

Stories about people being harmed, in every 100 stories, the 30 days to 20 Aug. 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 16,378 stories about harm among 90,617 counted on 20 Aug.

Read the day's briefing

No day had a lower share of stories about people being harmed since 6 June 2025. Stories about people being harmed made up 18 in every 100 of the day's 90,617 stories, as usual. Mentions of Covid ran about 7 times their usual in the Netherlands' news. In Afghanistan, 70% of the news was about people being harmed, where 46% is usual. On 20 August 2024, a year earlier, the share was 19 in every 100, against 18 today.

Written by code from the day's numbers.

Where harm was most of the news all →

Afghanistan70 in 100 of its 197 stories · usually 46 · mostly disasters & accidents Sudan59 in 100 of its 64 stories · usually 66 · mostly health Palestine59 in 100 of its 288 stories · usually 57 · mostly conflict & violence Israel58 in 100 of its 977 stories · usually 64 · mostly conflict & violence Pakistan49 in 100 of its 669 stories · usually 40 · mostly disasters & accidents

Countries with at least 50 stories that day.

Where people protested

Washington US165 stories about protests or strikes, of its 687 London UK103 stories about protests or strikes, of its 284 Jerusalem Israel35 stories about protests or strikes, of its 167 Houston US34 stories about protests or strikes, of its 79 Texas US30 stories about protests or strikes, of its 128

Stories, not people.

Where the news was warmest

feelings in full →
Feelings Events Harm Warmth
Zimbabwe: about as warm as its own usual or lessZambia: about as warm as its own usual or lessYemen: about as warm as its own usual or lessVietnam: about as warm as its own usual or lessVenezuela: about as warm as its own usual or lessVanuatu: too little coverage to readUzbekistan: about as warm as its own usual or lessUruguay: too little coverage to readMicronesia: too little coverage to readU.S. Virgin Islands: about as warm as its own usual or lessGuam: too little coverage to readPuerto Rico: about as warm as its own usual or lessUnited States: about as warm as its own usual or lessSouth Georgia & South Sandwich Islands: too little coverage to readFalkland Islands: too little coverage to readCayman Islands: too little coverage to readIsle of Man: too little coverage to readUnited Kingdom: about as warm as its own usual or lessUnited Arab Emirates: about as warm as its own usual or lessUganda: about as warm as its own usual or lessTurkmenistan: too little coverage to readTurkey: about as warm as its own usual or lessTunisia: too little coverage to readTrinidad & Tobago: about as warm as its own usual or lessTonga: about as warm as its own usual or lessTogo: about as warm as its own usual or lessTimor-Leste: too little coverage to readThailand: about as warm as its own usual or lessTanzania: about as warm as its own usual or lessTajikistan: too little coverage to readTaiwan: about as warm as its own usual or lessSyria: about as warm as its own usual or lessSwitzerland: about as warm as its own usual or lessSweden: about as warm as its own usual or lessEswatini: about as warm as its own usual or lessSuriname: too little coverage to readSri Lanka: about as warm as its own usual or lessSpain: about as warm as its own usual or lessSouth Korea: about as warm as its own usual or lessSouth Africa: about as warm as its own usual or lessSomalia: about as warm as its own usual or lessSomaliland: too little coverage to readSolomon Islands: about as warm as its own usual or lessSlovakia: about as warm as its own usual or lessSlovenia: too little coverage to readSingapore: about as warm as its own usual or lessSierra Leone: about as warm as its own usual or lessSeychelles: too little coverage to readSerbia: too little coverage to readSenegal: about as warm as its own usual or lessSaudi Arabia: about as warm as its own usual or lessSão Tomé: too little coverage to readSamoa: too little coverage to readSt Vincent: too little coverage to readSt. Lucia: about as warm as its own usual or lessRwanda: about as warm as its own usual or lessRomania: too little coverage to readQatar: about as warm as its own usual or lessPortugal: about as warm as its own usual or lessPoland: about as warm as its own usual or lessPhilippines: about as warm as its own usual or lessPeru: too little coverage to readParaguay: too little coverage to readPapua New Guinea: about as warm as its own usual or lessPanama: about as warm as its own usual or lessPalau: too little coverage to readPakistan: about as warm as its own usual or lessOman: about as warm as its own usual or lessNorway: about as warm as its own usual or lessNorth Korea: about as warm as its own usual or lessNiger: about as warm as its own usual or lessNicaragua: about as warm as its own usual or lessNew Zealand: about as warm as its own usual or lessNiue: too little coverage to readNetherlands: too little coverage to readCuraçao: too little coverage to readNepal: about as warm as its own usual or lessNamibia: about as warm as its own usual or lessMozambique: about as warm as its own usual or lessMorocco: about as warm as its own usual or lessWestern Sahara: too little coverage to readMontenegro: too little coverage to readMongolia: too little coverage to readMoldova: about as warm as its own usual or lessMexico: about as warm as its own usual or lessMauritius: about as warm as its own usual or lessMauritania: too little coverage to readMalta: about as warm as its own usual or lessMali: about as warm as its own usual or lessMalaysia: about as warm as its own usual or lessMalawi: about as warm as its own usual or lessMadagascar: about as warm as its own usual or lessNorth Macedonia: too little coverage to readLuxembourg: about as warm as its own usual or lessLithuania: too little coverage to readLibya: too little coverage to readLiberia: about as warm as its own usual or lessLesotho: about as warm as its own usual or lessLebanon: about as warm as its own usual or lessLatvia: about as warm as its own usual or lessLaos: about as warm as its own usual or lessKyrgyzstan: about as warm as its own usual or lessKuwait: about as warm as its own usual or lessKosovo: too little coverage to readKiribati: too little coverage to readKazakhstan: about as warm as its own usual or lessJordan: about as warm as its own usual or lessJamaica: about as warm as its own usual or lessItaly: about as warm as its own usual or lessIsrael: about as warm as its own usual or lessPalestine: about as warm as its own usual or lessIreland: about as warm as its own usual or lessIraq: about as warm as its own usual or lessIran: about as warm as its own usual or lessIndonesia: about as warm as its own usual or lessIndia: too little coverage to readIceland: about as warm as its own usual or lessHungary: about as warm as its own usual or lessHonduras: about as warm as its own usual or lessHaiti: about as warm as its own usual or lessGuyana: about as warm as its own usual or lessGuinea-Bissau: too little coverage to readGuinea: about as warm as its own usual or lessGrenada: too little coverage to readGreece: about as warm as its own usual or lessGhana: about as warm as its own usual or lessGermany: about as warm as its own usual or lessGeorgia: too little coverage to readGambia: about as warm as its own usual or lessGabon: about as warm as its own usual or lessFrance: about as warm as its own usual or lessSt Pierre & Miquelon: too little coverage to readFrench Polynesia: about as warm as its own usual or lessNew Caledonia: too little coverage to readFrench Southern Territories: too little coverage to readÅland Islands: too little coverage to readFinland: about as warm as its own usual or lessFiji: about as warm as its own usual or lessEthiopia: about as warm as its own usual or lessEstonia: too little coverage to readEritrea: too little coverage to readEquatorial Guinea: too little coverage to readEl Salvador: about as warm as its own usual or lessEgypt: about as warm as its own usual or lessEcuador: about as warm as its own usual or lessDominican Republic: about as warm as its own usual or lessDominica: too little coverage to readDjibouti: too little coverage to readGreenland: too little coverage to readFaroe Islands: too little coverage to readCzech Republic: about as warm as its own usual or lessN. Cyprus: too little coverage to readCyprus: about as warm as its own usual or lessCuba: about as warm as its own usual or lessCroatia: about as warm as its own usual or lessCôte d'Ivoire: too little coverage to readCosta Rica: too little coverage to readDR Congo: about as warm as its own usual or lessCongo: about as warm as its own usual or lessComoros: too little coverage to readColombia: about as warm as its own usual or lessChina: about as warm as its own usual or lessHong Kong: about as warm as its own usual or lessChile: about as warm as its own usual or lessChad: too little coverage to readCentral African Republic: too little coverage to readCape Verde: about as warm as its own usual or lessCanada: about as warm as its own usual or lessCameroon: about as warm as its own usual or lessCambodia: about as warm as its own usual or lessMyanmar: about as warm as its own usual or lessBurundi: too little coverage to readBurkina Faso: about as warm as its own usual or lessBulgaria: about as warm as its own usual or lessBrunei: too little coverage to readBrazil: about as warm as its own usual or lessBotswana: about as warm as its own usual or lessBosnia and Herzegovina: too little coverage to readBolivia: about as warm as its own usual or lessBhutan: about as warm as its own usual or lessBenin: too little coverage to readBelize: too little coverage to readBelgium: about as warm as its own usual or lessBelarus: about as warm as its own usual or lessBarbados: about as warm as its own usual or lessBangladesh: about as warm as its own usual or lessBahrain: about as warm as its own usual or lessBahamas: about as warm as its own usual or lessAzerbaijan: about as warm as its own usual or lessAustria: about as warm as its own usual or lessAustralia: about as warm as its own usual or lessHeard & McDonald Islands: too little coverage to readArmenia: about as warm as its own usual or lessArgentina: too little coverage to readAntigua & Barbuda: about as warm as its own usual or lessAngola: about as warm as its own usual or lessAndorra: too little coverage to readAlgeria: too little coverage to readAlbania: too little coverage to readAfghanistan: about as warm as its own usual or lessJammu & Kashmir: too little coverage to readAksai Chin: about as warm as its own usual or lessGaza: about as warm as its own usual or lessWest Bank: about as warm as its own usual or lessWestern Sahara (Moroccan-controlled): too little coverage to readWestern Sahara (Free Zone): too little coverage to readAzad Kashmir & Gilgit-Baltistan: too little coverage to readSiachen Glacier: too little coverage to readEast Jerusalem: about as warm as its own usual or lessAzad Kashmir & Gilgit-Baltistan: too little coverage to readVatican City: too little coverage to readMarshall Islands: too little coverage to readNorthern Mariana Islands: too little coverage to readAmerican Samoa: too little coverage to readChagos Islands: too little coverage to readSt. Helena: too little coverage to readPitcairn: too little coverage to readAnguilla: too little coverage to readBermuda: about as warm as its own usual or lessBritish Virgin Islands: too little coverage to readTurks & Caicos Islands: about as warm as its own usual or lessMontserrat: too little coverage to readJersey: about as warm as its own usual or lessGuernsey: too little coverage to readSan Marino: too little coverage to readSt Kitts & Nevis: too little coverage to readCook Islands: too little coverage to readAruba: about as warm as its own usual or lessNauru: too little coverage to readMonaco: too little coverage to readMaldives: about as warm as its own usual or lessLiechtenstein: about as warm as its own usual or lessWallis & Futuna: too little coverage to readSt. Martin: too little coverage to readSt. Barthélemy: too little coverage to readMacao: about as warm as its own usual or lessNorfolk Island: too little coverage to readSint Maarten: too little coverage to readChristmas Island: too little coverage to readGibraltar: about as warm as its own usual or lessMayotte: too little coverage to readUkraine: warmth about its own usualSouth Sudan: warmth about its own usualSudan: warmth about its own usualRussia: warmth about one and a half times its own usualNigeria: warmth about its own usualKenya: warmth about its own usualJapan: warmth about its own usualGuatemala: warmth about its own usualDenmark: warmth about its own usualUkraine: warmth about its own usualRhode Island, US -- health: 15 stories, carried by 56 outletsCamp Mystic, US -- disasters & accidents: 36 stories, carried by 105 outletsKyiv, Ukraine -- conflict & violence: 51 stories, carried by 104 outletsSaskatchewan, Canada -- disasters & accidents: 16 stories, carried by 26 outletsMoscow, Russia -- conflict & violence: 75 stories, carried by 103 outletsKatsina, Nigeria -- conflict & violence: 32 stories, carried by 31 outletsAnambra, Nigeria -- rights & justice: 18 stories, carried by 10 outletsYorkshire, UK -- health: 35 stories, carried by 147 outlets
Warmer than its own usual The warmest eventsAbout as warm or lessToo little news

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.

Warmest news

● Russia warmth about one and a half times usual

Warmest events

● Rhode Island US about one and a half times as warm as the day's news · health · 15 stories ● Camp Mystic US about one and a half times as warm as the day's news · disasters & accidents · 36 stories ● Kyiv Ukraine about one and a half times as warm as the day's news · conflict & violence · 51 stories ● Saskatchewan Canada about one and a half times as warm as the day's news · disasters & accidents · 16 stories ● Moscow Russia about one and a half times as warm as the day's news · conflict & violence · 75 stories

The day in three measures

Parts of life 30 days →

Rights & justice26% 4,184 stories · about as usual Health26% 4,158 stories · about as usual Disasters & accidents22% 3,498 stories · about as usual Conflict & violence12% 1,861 stories · about as usual Deaths & injuries, cause not given4% 685 stories · about as usual Food & livelihood4% 599 stories · about as usual Shelter & services4% 590 stories · about as usual Displacement3% 482 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 killed3,516 at about the usual rate Stories reporting arrests2,099 at about the usual rate Stories reporting people affected1,877 at about the usual rate Stories reporting people injured819 at about two-thirds of the usual rate · most about the US and Israel Stories reporting abductions337 at about the usual rate Stories reporting refugees217 at about one and a half times the usual rate · most about the UK and Israel Stories reporting people displaced215 at about the usual rate Stories reporting evacuations183 at about two-thirds of the usual rate · most about the US and India Stories reporting people falling ill34 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 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

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.