diff --git a/backend/app/sync/runner.py b/backend/app/sync/runner.py
index be7cef0b..695977cc 100644
--- a/backend/app/sync/runner.py
+++ b/backend/app/sync/runner.py
@@ -152,16 +152,22 @@ def run_rss_poll(db: Session, channels: list[Channel] | None = None) -> dict[str
             progress.report(done, total, "rss_poll")
     fallback = run_feed_fallback(db, unread)
     if failed:
+        # The fallback's count rides on this line because this is the one the stored log keeps (an
+        # INFO line outside a request never reaches `log_events`): the console should show whether
+        # the uploads came in another way.
         log.warning(
-            "RSS poll: %d/%d channels could not be polled",
+            "RSS poll: %d/%d channels could not be polled; %d read through the API instead",
             failed,
             total,
+            fallback["read"],
             extra=logs.event(
                 "sync.rss.failed",
                 failed=failed,
                 total=total,
                 reasons=dict(reasons),
                 examples=examples,
+                fallback_read=fallback["read"],
+                fallback_new=fallback["new"],
             ),
         )
     if total and failed == total:
diff --git a/backend/tests/test_sync_guards.py b/backend/tests/test_sync_guards.py
index a43dbafd..824f62d9 100644
--- a/backend/tests/test_sync_guards.py
+++ b/backend/tests/test_sync_guards.py
@@ -235,7 +235,9 @@ class TestRssPollResult:
         with pytest.raises(RuntimeError, match="read-only transaction"):
             self._run(monkeypatch, fetch=lambda cid: [{"id": "v"}], apply_=boom)
 
-    def test_only_the_unreadable_feeds_go_to_the_api_and_what_it_reads_counts(self, monkeypatch):
+    def test_only_the_unreadable_feeds_go_to_the_api_and_what_it_reads_counts(
+        self, monkeypatch, caplog
+    ):
         # A feed that answered 404 is the fallback's; a channel whose rows failed to STORE is not —
         # the API would hand the same rows to the same broken write.
         seen = []
@@ -262,6 +264,9 @@ class TestRssPollResult:
         )
         assert seen == ["UC_dark"]
         assert out == {"new": 4, "failed": 2, "fallback": 1}
+        # ...and the one line the stored log keeps says so (an INFO line outside a request is not).
+        (warning,) = [r for r in caplog.records if getattr(r, "event", None) == "sync.rss.failed"]
+        assert warning.attrs["fallback_read"] == 1 and warning.attrs["fallback_new"] == 3
 
     def test_no_channels_at_all_is_not_an_outage(self, monkeypatch):
         # A fresh instance with nothing subscribed must not report an error every poll.