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 →
Violence in Sydney and Gaza and illness in Lisbon drew the news. Australia's coverage was about twice as grief-stricken as the world's. Language across the world's news ran about as usual.
Conflict & violence
922 of its 2,530 stories (36%) were about people being harmed, usually 23%. Sydney accounted for 632 of Australia's 922 stories about harm, carried by 882 outlets. Reports of people injured ran at about three times the usual rate (299 stories). Its coverage was about twice as grief-stricken as the world's.
Health
26 of its 101 stories (26%) were about people being harmed, usually 12%. Lisbon accounted for 20 of Portugal's 26 stories about harm, carried by 30 outlets. Reports of people injured ran at more than ten times the usual rate (9 stories).
Rights & justice
Gaza accounted for 64 of Palestine's 124 stories about harm, carried by 150 outlets. Storms were named in 10 of its stories about harm, about 6 times usual, with hypothermia. Its coverage was about one and a half times as grief-stricken as the world's.
Disasters & accidents
5 of its 7 stories (71%) were about people being harmed, usually 22%.
6 more places the news pointed at
Conflict & violence
22 of its 51 stories (43%) were about people being harmed, usually 28%. Its coverage was about one and a half times as fearful as the world's.
Rights & justice
160 of its 489 stories (33%) were about people being harmed, usually 24%. Reports of refugees ran at more than ten times the usual rate (19 stories).
Conflict & violence
Reports of people injured ran at about three times the usual rate (17 stories). Its coverage was about one and a half times as fearful as the world's.
Conflict & violence
Caracas accounted for 80 of Venezuela's 244 stories about harm, carried by 97 outlets. Its coverage was about one and a half times as fearful as the world's.
Conflict & violence
Reports of arrests ran at about twice the usual rate (13 stories). Its coverage was about one and a half times as fearful as the world's.
Conflict & violence
Dhaka accounted for 62 of Bangladesh's 112 stories about harm, carried by 36 outlets. Reports of people affected ran at about twice the usual rate (16 stories).
Also named far more than usual:
covid in Ethiopia (15 of its stories, more than ten times its usual); storms in Canada (61 of its stories, about 5 times its usual); hypothermia in Israel (10 of its stories, about 9 times its usual); power cuts in US (143 of its stories, about 4 times its usual).
Read the day's briefing
It was the fourth day running that the news turned to Australia. of the day's 86,222 news stories, 18 in every 100 were about people being harmed, as usual. Ethiopia's news mentioned Covid more than ten times as often as usual. Australia's news was 36% about people being harmed, against a usual 23%. A year earlier, on 17 December 2024, 18 in every 100 stories were about people being harmed, the same as today.
18 in every 100 of the day's 86,222 news stories were about people being harmed (usually 17). Australia: 922 of its 2,530 stories (36%) were about people being harmed, usually 23%. Portugal: 26 of its 101 stories (26%) were about people being harmed, usually 12%. Palestine: Gaza accounted for 64 of Palestine's 124 stories about harm, carried by 150 outlets. Solomon Islands: 5 of its 7 stories (71%) were about people being harmed, usually 22%. Mentions of Covid ran more than ten times their usual in Ethiopia's news. Mentions of storms ran about 5 times their usual in Canada's news. Across the world, the words of the day's news were about as usual. It was the fourth day running that the news turned to Australia. A year earlier, on 17 December 2024, 18 in every 100 stories were about people being harmed, the same as today. 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: about as warm as its own usual or less Uzbekistan: about as warm as its own usual or less Uruguay: too little coverage to read Micronesia: too little coverage to read U.S. Virgin Islands: about as warm as its own usual or less Guam: about as warm as its own usual or less Puerto Rico: about as warm as its own usual or less 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: about as warm as its own usual or less 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: about as warm as its own usual or less 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: about as warm as its own usual or less Thailand: about as warm as its own usual or less Tanzania: about as warm as its own usual or less Tajikistan: about as warm as its own usual or less Taiwan: about as warm as its own usual or less Syria: about as warm as its own usual or less Switzerland: too little coverage to read Sweden: about as warm as its own usual or less Eswatini: about as warm as its own usual or less Suriname: too little coverage to read 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: too little coverage to read South Korea: about as warm as its own usual or less South Africa: about as warm as its own usual or less Somaliland: too little coverage to read Solomon Islands: too little coverage to read Slovakia: about as warm as its own usual or less Slovenia: about as warm as its own usual or less 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: about as warm as its own usual or less 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: about as warm as its own usual or less St. Lucia: about as warm as its own usual or less Rwanda: about as warm as its own usual or less Russia: about as warm as its own usual or less Romania: about as warm as its own usual or less 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: about as warm as its own usual or less Paraguay: about as warm as its own usual or less Papua New Guinea: about as warm as its own usual or less 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: about as warm as its own usual or less Nicaragua: about as warm as its own usual or less New Zealand: about as warm as its own usual or less Niue: too little coverage to read Netherlands: about as warm as its own usual or less Curaçao: too little coverage to read Nepal: too little coverage to read Namibia: about as warm as its own usual or less Mozambique: about as warm as its own usual or less Morocco: about as warm as its own usual or less Western Sahara: too little coverage to read Montenegro: too little coverage to read Mongolia: about as warm as its own usual or less Moldova: about as warm as its own usual or less Mexico: about as warm as its own usual or less Mauritius: too little coverage to read Mauritania: about as warm as its own usual or less Malta: about as warm as its own usual or less Mali: too little coverage to read 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: about as warm as its own usual or less Lithuania: about as warm as its own usual or less 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: about as warm as its own usual or less 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: about as warm as its own usual or less 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 Italy: about as warm as its own usual or less Palestine: 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 India: 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: about as warm as its own usual or less Haiti: too little coverage to read Guyana: about as warm as its own usual or less Guinea-Bissau: about as warm as its own usual or less Guinea: too little coverage to read Guatemala: too little coverage to read Grenada: too little coverage to read Greece: about as warm as its own usual or less Ghana: 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: about as warm as its own usual or less Gabon: too little coverage to read France: about as warm as its own usual or less St Pierre & Miquelon: too little coverage to read French Polynesia: about as warm as its own usual or less New Caledonia: too little coverage to read 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 Estonia: too little coverage to read Eritrea: about as warm as its own usual or less Equatorial Guinea: too little coverage to read 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: too little coverage to read 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: about as warm as its own usual or less Cuba: about as warm as its own usual or less Croatia: too little coverage to read Côte d'Ivoire: about as warm as its own usual or less 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 China: about as warm as its own usual or less Chile: about as warm as its own usual or less Chad: about as warm as its own usual or less 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: about as warm as its own usual or less 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: too little coverage to read Bosnia and Herzegovina: about as warm as its own usual or less Bolivia: too little coverage to read Bhutan: too little coverage to read Benin: about as warm as its own usual or less Belize: about as warm as its own usual or less Belgium: about as warm as its own usual or less Belarus: about as warm as its own usual or less Barbados: about as warm as its own usual or less Bahrain: about as warm as its own usual or less Bahamas: about as warm as its own usual or less Azerbaijan: too little coverage to read 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: about as warm as its own usual or less Argentina: about as warm as its own usual or less Antigua & Barbuda: too little coverage to read Angola: too little coverage to read Andorra: too little coverage to read Algeria: too little coverage to read Albania: too little coverage to read Afghanistan: about as warm as its own usual or less Jammu & Kashmir: about as warm as its own usual or less Aksai Chin: about as warm as its own usual or less Gaza: about as warm as its own usual or less West Bank: 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 East Jerusalem: 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: about as warm as its own usual or less 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: about as warm as its own usual or less 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: about as warm as its own usual or less San Marino: too little coverage to read St Kitts & Nevis: about as warm as its own usual or less Cook Islands: too little coverage to read Aruba: about as warm as its own usual or less Nauru: too little coverage to read Monaco: about as warm as its own usual or less Maldives: too little coverage to read 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 Somalia: warmth about its own usual Israel: warmth about its own usual Indonesia: warmth about its own usual Ethiopia: warmth about its own usual Hong Kong: warmth about one and a half times its own usual Bangladesh: warmth about one and a half times its own usual Adwa, Ethiopia -- health: 14 stories, carried by 22 outlets Utah, US -- conflict & violence: 10 stories, carried by 12 outlets Dhaka, Bangladesh -- conflict & violence: 62 stories, carried by 36 outlets Brussels, Belgium -- health: 11 stories, carried by 12 outlets Georgia, US -- health: 24 stories, carried by 56 outlets Kaduna, Nigeria -- rights & justice: 13 stories, carried by 10 outlets Accra, Ghana -- rights & justice: 18 stories, carried by 11 outlets Bristol, UK -- rights & justice: 35 stories, carried by 28 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?
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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.