Saudi Arabia
209 of its 538 stories (39%) were about people being harmed, usually 23%. Reports of people displaced ran at about three times the usual rate (13 stories). Its coverage was about twice as angry as the world's.
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.
Most of the day's attention went to people displaced in Saudi Arabia, people injured in South Africa and protests in Istanbul (Türkiye). Saudi Arabia's coverage was about twice as angry as the world's. Worldwide, the words used were much softer than usual.
Part of lifeHealth
24 in 100 of the stories about harm · about as usual
Country that rose mostSaudi Arabia
39 in 100 of its 538 stories, usually 23
RegionMiddle East & North Africa
35 in 100 of its stories, usually 33
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 →South Africa
214 of its 628 stories (34%) were about people being harmed, usually 24%. Reports of people injured ran at about 4 times the usual rate (20 stories). Its coverage was about one and a half times as grief-stricken as the world's.
Türkiye
52 of its 152 stories (34%) were about people being harmed, usually 24%. 12 of Istanbul's 23 stories were about protests or strikes. Reports of arrests ran at about three times the usual rate (30 stories).
Vanuatu
14 of its 19 stories (74%) were about people being harmed, usually 32%. Reports of people affected ran at about twice the usual rate (12 stories).
6 more places the news pointed at
Yemen
78 of its 99 stories (79%) were about people being harmed, usually 62%. Reports of refugees ran at about 4 times the usual rate (10 stories). Its coverage was about twice as angry as the world's.
Vatican City
11 of its 21 stories (52%) were about people being harmed, usually 21%. Covid was named in 11 of its stories about harm, more than ten times usual.
Jordan
25 of its 101 stories (25%) were about people being harmed, usually 12%. Reports of people injured ran at about 5 times the usual rate (6 stories).
Sudan
34 of its 47 stories (72%) were about people being harmed, usually 62%. Its coverage was about one and a half times as fearful as the world's.
Iran
Reports of people affected ran at about three times the usual rate (36 stories). Its coverage was about one and a half times as angry as the world's.
Israel
Jerusalem accounted for 68 of Israel's 217 stories about harm, carried by 61 outlets. Its coverage was about twice as grief-stricken as the world's.
Also named far more than usual: covid in Vatican City (11 of its stories, more than ten times its usual); volcanic eruption in Italy (14 of its stories, about 6 times its usual); natural hazards in Nepal (13 of its stories, about 4 times its usual); tsunami in Japan (11 of its stories, about three times its usual); covid in France (10 of its stories, about 4 times its usual).
18 in 100 stories were about harm
usually 20; 19 the day beforeStories about people being harmed, in every 100 stories, the 30 days to 14 Sep. 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 11,225 stories about harm among 61,728 counted on 14 Sep.
Read the day's briefing
No day had a lower share of stories about people being harmed since 4 July 2026. Stories about people being harmed made up 18 in every 100 of the day's 61,728 stories, below the usual 20. Mentions of Covid ran more than ten times their usual in Vatican City's news. In Saudi Arabia, 39% of the news was about people being harmed, where 23% is usual. On 14 September 2025, a year earlier, the share was 19 in every 100, against 18 today.
- 18 in every 100 of the day's 61,728 news stories were about people being harmed (usually 20).
- Saudi Arabia: 209 of its 538 stories (39%) were about people being harmed, usually 23%.
- South Africa: 214 of its 628 stories (34%) were about people being harmed, usually 24%.
- Türkiye: 52 of its 152 stories (34%) were about people being harmed, usually 24%.
- Vanuatu: 14 of its 19 stories (74%) were about people being harmed, usually 32%.
- Mentions of Covid ran more than ten times their usual in Vatican City's news.
- Mentions of volcanic eruption ran about 6 times their usual in Italy's news.
- Across the world, the words of the day's news were much softer than usual.
- It was the lowest share of stories about people being harmed since 4 July 2026.
- A year earlier, on 14 September 2025, 19 in every 100 stories were about people being harmed, against 18 today.
Written by code from the day's numbers.
Where harm was most of the news all →
Yemen79 in 100 of its 99 stories · usually 62 · mostly conflict & violence Nepal65 in 100 of its 120 stories · usually 85 · mostly disasters & accidents Israel49 in 100 of its 446 stories · usually 48 · mostly conflict & violence Palestine48 in 100 of its 183 stories · usually 57 · mostly conflict & violence Indonesia48 in 100 of its 265 stories · usually 47 · mostly disasters & accidentsCountries with at least 50 stories that day.
Where people protested
Washington US47 stories about protests or strikes, of its 273 London UK29 stories about protests or strikes, of its 187 Gaza Palestine26 stories about protests or strikes, of its 67 Delhi India26 stories about protests or strikes, of its 157 Moscow Russia22 stories about protests or strikes, of its 66Stories, 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
● Kyiv Ukraine attacks & violence · 83 stories, 338 outlets ● Wausau US accidents & disasters · 41 stories, 156 outlets ● Surabaya Indonesia accidents & disasters · 51 stories, 163 outlets ● Miami US accidents & disasters · 105 stories, 248 outlets ● Odesa Ukraine attacks & violence · 16 stories, 116 outlets ● Moscow Russia attacks & violence · 66 stories, 99 outlets ● Paris France disease & outbreaks · 62 stories, 141 outlets ● Gaza Palestine attacks & violence · 67 stories, 117 outletsThe day in three measures
Parts of life 30 days →
Health24% 2,688 stories · about as usual Rights & justice21% 2,340 stories · about as usual Disasters & accidents19% 2,062 stories · less than usual (usually 23%) Conflict & violence15% 1,640 stories · about as usual Deaths & injuries, cause not given8% 931 stories · about as usual Food & livelihood5% 583 stories · about as usual Shelter & services4% 409 stories · about as usual Displacement3% 326 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 killed3,204 at about the usual rate Stories reporting people affected1,373 at about the usual rate Stories reporting arrests1,126 at about the usual rate Stories reporting people injured852 at about the usual rate Stories reporting people displaced154 at about one and a half times the usual rate · most about Yemen and the US Stories reporting evacuations120 at about two-thirds of the usual rate · most about the US and Ukraine Stories reporting abductions96 at about two-thirds of the usual rate · most about Nigeria and the US Stories reporting refugees74 at about the usual rate Stories reporting people falling ill19 at about two-thirds of the usual rate · most about the US and IndiaStories 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.
● 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 · 18 Oct – 24 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.