Global Risk Briefing, August 3, 2026: coverage of Sudan Civil War is surging

Analytical Briefing: Media Coverage Trends - August 3, 2026

This briefing provides an analytical overview of media coverage trends as of August 3, 2026, based on data tracking 42 topics and 197 countries. Data is available for 39 topics.

Surging Topics

Three topics are identified as surging in media coverage. The topic with the highest Z-score is Sudan Civil War at 9.3, with a volume of 0.013. Critical Minerals is surging with a Z-score of 3.7 and a volume of 0.048. Elections Watch also shows a surge, with a Z-score of 2.1 and a volume of 0.026.

Movers: Week-over-Week Changes

Five topics experienced significant week-over-week increases in coverage. Migration & Borders rose by 3770.9%. Israel–Gaza coverage rose by 317.2%. Elections Watch rose by 295.0%. Israel–Iran Confrontation rose by 282.9%. Ethiopia Conflict coverage rose by 134.4%.

Most Covered Topics

The most covered topic is Iran War & Succession, with a volume of 0.179. Israel–Gaza is the second most covered, at 0.092. Terrorism has a coverage volume of 0.061. Critical Minerals and Energy Security both have a coverage volume of 0.048.

Countries with Darkest Media Tone

The countries with the most negative media tone are Eswatini at -7.19, Sudan at -5.85, and Liechtenstein at -5.71. Marshall Islands has a tone of -5.02, and Afghanistan has a tone of -4.99.