Global Risk Briefing, August 23, 2026: coverage of Sahel Insurgency is surging

Analytical Briefing: Media Coverage Trends - August 23, 2026

This briefing provides an analytical overview of global media coverage trends as of August 23, 2026, based on data tracking 42 topics and 197 countries. Data was available for 36 topics.

Surging Topics

Five topics demonstrated significant upward movement in media attention, indicated by their Z-scores. The top surging topic was Sahel Insurgency with a Z-score of "6.7" and a volume of "0.006". Following closely was DR Congo Conflict, registering a Z-score of "6.6" and a volume of "0.006". Trade War & Tariffs also surged with a Z-score of "3.6" and a notably higher volume of "0.51". Food Security had a Z-score of "2.5" and a volume of "0.019", while Myanmar Civil War showed a Z-score of "2.1" and a volume of "0.006".

Significant Movers (Week-over-Week)

Several topics experienced substantial week-over-week increases in coverage. Trade War & Tariffs rose by "514.3%". South China Sea coverage rose by "477.2%". The Myanmar Civil War saw an increase of "162.6%". Sanctions coverage rose by "152.6%", and Somalia Conflict coverage rose by "119.3%".

Most Covered Topics

The topic receiving the highest volume of media coverage was Trade War & Tariffs, with a volume of "0.51". Iran War & Succession was the second most covered topic, with a volume of "0.132". Israel–Gaza had a volume of "0.107". Sanctions registered a volume of "0.082", and Cyberattacks had a volume of "0.038".

Countries with Darkest Media Tone

The countries associated with the most negative media tone were Niger, with a tone of "-5.69". Liberia followed with a tone of "-4.47". Suriname registered a tone of "-4.27". Azerbaijan had a tone of "-4.08", and Turkmenistan had a tone of "-3.91".