Global Risk Briefing, August 22, 2026: coverage of Terrorism is surging

Analytical Briefing: Media Coverage Trends - August 22, 2026

This briefing provides an analytical overview of media coverage data as of August 22, 2026. The analysis is based on 39 topics with data out of 42 topics tracked across 197 countries tracked.

Surging Topics

Four topics are identified as surging in media coverage. The topic with the highest surge score is Terrorism at 10.6, with a volume of 0.35. Following this, Myanmar Civil War shows a surge score of 7.4 and a volume of 0.01. Maritime Piracy has a surge score of 6.6 and a volume of 0.002. The DR Congo Conflict is also surging with a score of 4.5 and a volume of 0.004.

Movers in Coverage

Five topics demonstrated significant week-over-week (WoW) changes in coverage. South China Sea coverage rose by 496.2%. Terrorism coverage also rose by 377.0%. Trade War & Tariffs coverage rose by 154.6%. Myanmar Civil War coverage rose by 138.4%. In contrast, Serbia–Kosovo coverage fell by 83.4%.

Most Covered Topics

The five most covered topics by volume are identified. Terrorism is the most covered topic with a volume of 0.35. Trade War & Tariffs follows with a volume of 0.062. Sanctions has a volume of 0.051. Iran War & Succession is covered at a volume of 0.043. NATO has a coverage volume of 0.039.

Countries with Darkest Tone

Five countries are noted for having the darkest media tone. Malawi has a tone of -6.08. Somalia follows with a tone of -5.76. Eritrea has a tone of -4.89. Yemen is reported with a tone of -4.65. Ukraine has a tone of -4.44.