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What the world's news said happened to people.
Counts of coverage, not of suffering
6,939 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 →

Protests in Dhaka (Bangladesh), violence in Bekkersdal and arrests in Singapore drew the news. Bangladesh's coverage was about twice as grief-stricken as the world's. Across the world, the tone of the words was much harsher than usual.

Part of lifeRights & justice 25 in 100 of the stories about harm · about as usual Country that rose mostSouth Africa 64 in 100 of its 263 stories, usually 25
RegionOceania 32 in 100 of its stories, usually 24
Tone of the words Much harsher than usual across the world's stories about harm

What the world's news was about today

how these are picked →
Protests & strikes

Bangladesh

207 of its 435 stories (48%) were about people being harmed, usually 36%. Dhaka accounted for 113 of Bangladesh's 207 stories about harm, carried by 84 outlets. 70 of Dhaka's 113 stories were about protests or strikes. Reports of arrests ran at about three times the usual rate (70 stories). Its coverage was about twice as grief-stricken as the world's. Anger in its coverage rose to about one and a half times its own usual.

Bangladesh over 30 days → its stories → Dhaka stories →
Conflict & violence

South Africa

168 of its 263 stories (64%) were about people being harmed, usually 25%. Bekkersdal accounted for 108 of South Africa's 168 stories about harm, carried by 374 outlets. Reports of people injured ran at more than ten times the usual rate (109 stories). Its coverage was about twice as grief-stricken as the world's. Anger in its coverage rose to about twice its own usual.

South Africa over 30 days → its stories → Bekkersdal stories →
Displacement

Singapore

20 of its 73 stories (27%) were about people being harmed, usually 14%. Reports of arrests ran at about twice the usual rate (7 stories). Its coverage was about one and a half times as fearful as the world's.

Singapore over 30 days → its stories →
Rights & justice

Saudi Arabia

18 of its 90 stories (20%) were about people being harmed, usually 9%. Reports of people killed ran at about 5 times the usual rate (12 stories). Grief in its coverage rose to about one and a half times its own usual.

Saudi Arabia over 30 days → its stories →
6 more places the news pointed at
Conflict & violence

Taiwan

40 of its 100 stories (40%) were about people being harmed, usually 14%. Taipei accounted for 37 of Taiwan's 40 stories about harm, carried by 49 outlets. Reports of people injured ran at about 7 times the usual rate (29 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.

its stories →
Conflict & violence

Australia

335 of its 904 stories (37%) were about people being harmed, usually 26%. Bondi Beach accounted for 231 of Australia's 335 stories about harm, carried by 414 outlets. Reports of people injured ran at about twice the usual rate (99 stories). Its coverage was about one and a half times as fearful as the world's. Anger in its coverage rose to about one and a half times its own usual.

its stories →
Conflict & violence

Ukraine

71 of its 215 stories (33%) were about people being harmed, usually 23%. Kyiv accounted for 35 of Ukraine's 71 stories about harm, carried by 157 outlets. Reports of abductions ran at about 9 times the usual rate (6 stories). Its coverage was about one and a half times as angry as the world's.

its stories →
Conflict & violence

Palestine

Gaza accounted for 53 of Palestine's 87 stories about harm, carried by 139 outlets. Reports of evacuations ran at about 6 times the usual rate (13 stories). Its coverage was about one and a half times as grief-stricken as the world's.

its stories →
Conflict & violence

Cambodia

21 of its 30 stories (70%) were about people being harmed, usually 42%. Reports of evacuations ran at about three times the usual rate (5 stories).

its stories →
Health

Sweden

18 of its 70 stories (26%) were about people being harmed, usually 17%. Anger in its coverage rose to about one and a half times its own usual.

its stories →

Also named far more than usual: illness in Venezuela (25 of its stories, about 4 times its usual); power cuts in US (79 of its stories, about 4 times its usual); polio in India (22 of its stories, more than ten times its usual).

18 in 100 stories were about harm

usually 18; 18 the day before
21 in 10016 in 10022 Nov29 Nov6 Dec13 Dec21 Dec22 Nov: 16 in 10023 Nov: 16 in 10024 Nov: 16 in 10025 Nov: 17 in 10026 Nov: 17 in 10027 Nov: 17 in 10028 Nov: 17 in 10029 Nov: 19 in 10030 Nov: 19 in 1001 Dec: 18 in 1002 Dec: 17 in 1003 Dec: 17 in 1004 Dec: 17 in 1005 Dec: 16 in 1006 Dec: 18 in 1007 Dec: 17 in 1008 Dec: 18 in 1009 Dec: 17 in 10010 Dec: 17 in 10011 Dec: 17 in 10012 Dec: 17 in 10013 Dec: 18 in 10014 Dec: 21 in 10015 Dec: 20 in 10016 Dec: 19 in 10017 Dec: 18 in 10018 Dec: 18 in 10019 Dec: 18 in 10020 Dec: 18 in 10021 Dec: 18 in 100 · this day

Stories about people being harmed, in every 100 stories, the 30 days to 21 Dec. 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 6,939 stories about harm among 38,291 counted on 21 Dec.

Read the day's briefing

For the third day running, the news turned to Bangladesh. Stories about people being harmed made up 18 in every 100 of the day's 38,291 stories, as usual. Mentions of power cuts ran about 4 times their usual in the US's news. In Bangladesh, 48% of the news was about people being harmed, where 36% is usual. A year earlier, on 21 December 2024, 19 in every 100 stories were about people being harmed, against 18 today. This week the news turned most often to Australia, on 3 of 7 days.

Written by code from the day's numbers.

Where harm was most of the news all →

South Africa64 in 100 of its 263 stories · usually 25 · mostly conflict & violence Palestine59 in 100 of its 148 stories · usually 55 · mostly conflict & violence Syria56 in 100 of its 71 stories · usually 55 · mostly conflict & violence Israel53 in 100 of its 324 stories · usually 49 · mostly conflict & violence Sri Lanka50 in 100 of its 88 stories · usually 54 · mostly disasters & accidents

Countries with at least 50 stories that day.

Where people protested

Dhaka Bangladesh70 stories about protests or strikes, of its 113 Bondi Beach Australia57 stories about protests or strikes, of its 231 Washington US40 stories about protests or strikes, of its 230 Mymensingh Bangladesh22 stories about protests or strikes, of its 45 Islamabad Pakistan20 stories about protests or strikes, of its 47

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: no storiesMicronesia: no storiesU.S. Virgin Islands: near the world's share or lessGuam: near the world's share or lessPuerto Rico: near the world's share or lessUnited States: near the world's share or lessSouth Georgia & South Sandwich Islands: no storiesFalkland Islands: no storiesCayman Islands: near the world's share or lessIsle of Man: no storiesUnited Kingdom: near the world's share or lessUnited Arab Emirates: near the world's share or lessUganda: 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 lessTrinidad & Tobago: 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 lessTanzania: near the world's share or lessTajikistan: near the world's share or lessSwitzerland: near the world's share or lessSweden: near the world's share or lessEswatini: no storiesSuriname: near the world's share or lessSouth Sudan: 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 lessSierra Leone: near the world's share or lessSeychelles: no storiesSerbia: 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 lessRwanda: 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 lessPapua New Guinea: 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: no storiesNetherlands: near the world's share or lessCuraçao: no storiesNepal: near the world's share or lessNamibia: near the world's share or lessMozambique: near the world's share or lessMorocco: near the world's share or lessWestern Sahara: no storiesMontenegro: near the world's share or lessMongolia: near the world's share or lessMoldova: near the world's share or lessMexico: near the world's share or lessMauritius: near the world's share or lessMauritania: no storiesMalta: near the world's share or lessMali: 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 lessLibya: 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: no storiesKazakhstan: 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 lessIndia: 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 lessHaiti: near the world's share or lessGuyana: near the world's share or lessGuinea-Bissau: no storiesGuinea: near the world's share or lessGuatemala: near the world's share or lessGrenada: no storiesGreece: near the world's share or lessGhana: near the world's share or lessGermany: near the world's share or lessGeorgia: near the world's share or lessGambia: near the world's share or lessGabon: no storiesFrance: near the world's share or lessSt Pierre & Miquelon: no storiesFrench Polynesia: near the world's share or lessNew Caledonia: no storiesFrench Southern Territories: no storiesÅland Islands: no storiesFinland: near the world's share or lessFiji: near the world's share or lessEthiopia: near the world's share or lessEstonia: near the world's share or lessEritrea: no storiesEquatorial Guinea: no storiesEl Salvador: 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 lessDenmark: near the world's share or lessN. Cyprus: no storiesCyprus: near the world's share or lessCroatia: near the world's share or lessCôte d'Ivoire: near the world's share or lessCosta Rica: near the world's share or lessDR Congo: near the world's share or lessCongo: near the world's share or lessComoros: no storiesColombia: 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 lessCameroon: near the world's share or lessMyanmar: near the world's share or lessBurundi: near the world's share or lessBurkina Faso: 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 lessBahamas: near the world's share or lessAzerbaijan: near the world's share or lessAustria: near the world's share or lessHeard & McDonald Islands: no storiesArmenia: near the world's share or lessArgentina: near the world's share or lessAntigua & Barbuda: near the world's share or lessAngola: 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): no storiesWestern Sahara (Free Zone): no storiesVatican City: no storiesMarshall Islands: near the world's share or lessNorthern Mariana Islands: near the world's share or lessAmerican Samoa: near the world's share or lessChagos Islands: no storiesSt. Helena: no storiesPitcairn: no storiesAnguilla: no storiesBermuda: near the world's share or lessBritish Virgin Islands: near the world's share or lessTurks & Caicos Islands: no storiesMontserrat: no storiesJersey: near the world's share or lessGuernsey: no storiesSan Marino: near the world's share or lessSt Kitts & Nevis: near the world's share or lessCook Islands: no storiesAruba: no storiesNauru: no storiesMonaco: near the world's share or lessMaldives: near the world's share or lessLiechtenstein: no storiesWallis & Futuna: no storiesSt. Martin: no storiesSt. Barthélemy: no storiesMacao: near the world's share or lessNorfolk Island: near the world's share or lessSint Maarten: no storiesChristmas Island: no storiesGibraltar: near the world's share or lessMayotte: no storiesYemen: 58 in 100 of its 12 stories were about people being harmed (the world's: 18)Venezuela: 49 in 100 of its 251 stories were about people being harmed (the world's: 18)Ukraine: 33 in 100 of its 215 stories were about people being harmed (the world's: 18)Thailand: 43 in 100 of its 60 stories were about people being harmed (the world's: 18)Taiwan: 40 in 100 of its 100 stories were about people being harmed (the world's: 18)Syria: 56 in 100 of its 71 stories were about people being harmed (the world's: 18)Sudan: 74 in 100 of its 42 stories were about people being harmed (the world's: 18)Sri Lanka: 50 in 100 of its 88 stories were about people being harmed (the world's: 18)South Africa: 64 in 100 of its 263 stories were about people being harmed (the world's: 18)Somalia: 35 in 100 of its 23 stories were about people being harmed (the world's: 18)Singapore: 27 in 100 of its 73 stories were about people being harmed (the world's: 18)Russia: 26 in 100 of its 341 stories were about people being harmed (the world's: 18)Pakistan: 36 in 100 of its 316 stories were about people being harmed (the world's: 18)Nigeria: 29 in 100 of its 668 stories were about people being harmed (the world's: 18)Lebanon: 34 in 100 of its 41 stories were about people being harmed (the world's: 18)Kenya: 28 in 100 of its 110 stories were about people being harmed (the world's: 18)Jamaica: 27 in 100 of its 98 stories were about people being harmed (the world's: 18)Israel: 53 in 100 of its 324 stories were about people being harmed (the world's: 18)Palestine: 59 in 100 of its 148 stories were about people being harmed (the world's: 18)Iraq: 36 in 100 of its 50 stories were about people being harmed (the world's: 18)Iran: 35 in 100 of its 82 stories were about people being harmed (the world's: 18)Indonesia: 36 in 100 of its 91 stories were about people being harmed (the world's: 18)Czechia: 42 in 100 of its 19 stories were about people being harmed (the world's: 18)Cuba: 43 in 100 of its 47 stories were about people being harmed (the world's: 18)Cambodia: 70 in 100 of its 30 stories were about people being harmed (the world's: 18)Bangladesh: 48 in 100 of its 435 stories were about people being harmed (the world's: 18)Australia: 37 in 100 of its 904 stories were about people being harmed (the world's: 18)Afghanistan: 46 in 100 of its 57 stories were about people being harmed (the world's: 18)Kashmir: 33 in 100 of its 84 stories were about people being harmed (the world's: 18)Palestine: 59 in 100 of its 148 stories were about people being harmed (the world's: 18)Palestine: 59 in 100 of its 148 stories were about people being harmed (the world's: 18)Kashmir: 33 in 100 of its 84 stories were about people being harmed (the world's: 18)Kashmir: 33 in 100 of its 84 stories were about people being harmed (the world's: 18)Ukraine: 33 in 100 of its 215 stories were about people being harmed (the world's: 18)Palestine: 59 in 100 of its 148 stories were about people being harmed (the world's: 18)Kashmir: 33 in 100 of its 84 stories were about people being harmed (the world's: 18)
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 18 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

● South Africa 64 in 100 of its 263 stories · mostly conflict & violence ● Palestine 59 in 100 of its 148 stories · mostly conflict & violence ● Israel 53 in 100 of its 324 stories · mostly conflict & violence ● Bangladesh 48 in 100 of its 435 stories · mostly rights & justice ● Venezuela 49 in 100 of its 251 stories · mostly disasters & accidents ● Syria 56 in 100 of its 71 stories · mostly conflict & violence

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

The day in three measures

Parts of life 30 days →

Rights & justice25% 1,671 stories · about as usual Health21% 1,455 stories · less than usual (usually 26%) Disasters & accidents19% 1,328 stories · about as usual Conflict & violence19% 1,269 stories · more than usual (usually 15%) Deaths & injuries, cause not given6% 400 stories · about as usual Shelter & services5% 321 stories · about as usual Food & livelihood3% 198 stories · about as usual Displacement3% 177 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 killed2,020 at about the usual rate Stories reporting arrests765 at about the usual rate Stories reporting people affected755 at about the usual rate Stories reporting people injured643 at about one and a half times the usual rate · most about South Africa and the US Stories reporting people displaced100 at about the usual rate Stories reporting abductions96 at about the usual rate Stories reporting evacuations64 at about the usual rate Stories reporting refugees51 at about two-thirds of the usual rate · most about the US and Palestine Stories reporting people falling ill6 at about two-thirds of the usual rate · most about the US and Canada

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

● Angera little more than usual
● Warmthabout as usual
● Griefa little more 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.