We measure how the world's news covered people being harmed — and the help and hope within it.
560 of its 1,361 stories (41%) were about people being harmed, usually 32%. 88 of Mexico City's 103 stories were about protests or strikes. Reports of people falling ill ran at more than ten times the usual rate (113 stories). Outbreaks were named in 269 of its stories about harm, more than ten times usual, with norovirus, plague and dengue. Its coverage was about twice as fearful as the world's.
1,016 of its 1,220 stories (83%) were about people being harmed, usually 29%. Tsao Wei-Ling accounted for 407 of Taiwan's 1,016 stories about harm, carried by 374 outlets. Reports of people affected ran at about 4 times the usual rate (916 stories). Its coverage was about twice as grief-stricken as the world's.
119 of its 155 stories (77%) were about people being harmed, usually 31%. Kaolack accounted for 104 of Senegal's 119 stories about harm, carried by 132 outlets. Reports of arrests ran at about 9 times the usual rate (105 stories). Its coverage was about twice as fearful as the world's.
99 of its 237 stories (42%) were about people being harmed, usually 23%. Reports of people killed ran at about three times the usual rate (51 stories). Its coverage was about twice as grief-stricken as the world's.
275 of its 676 stories (41%) were about people being harmed, usually 25%. Food poisoning was named in 26 of its stories about harm, more than ten times usual. Its coverage was about twice as grief-stricken as the world's.
100 of its 191 stories (52%) were about people being harmed, usually 34%. Reports of people killed ran at about twice the usual rate (58 stories). Its coverage was about three times as grief-stricken as the world's.
502 of its 1,994 stories (25%) were about people being harmed, usually 14%. Reports of people injured ran at about 7 times the usual rate (175 stories). Storm surge was named in 17 of its stories about harm, more than ten times usual.
248 of its 1,097 stories (23%) were about people being harmed, usually 12%. Reports of arrests ran at about 7 times the usual rate (150 stories). Its coverage was about twice as fearful as the world's.
124 of its 350 stories (35%) were about people being harmed, usually 26%. Reports of refugees ran at about 6 times the usual rate (8 stories). Its coverage was about twice as grief-stricken as the world's.
94 of its 248 stories (38%) were about people being harmed, usually 30%. Reports of evacuations ran at more than ten times the usual rate (35 stories). Its coverage was about three times as fearful as the world's.
Also named far more than usual: tsunami in Papua New Guinea (26 of its stories, about 7 times its usual); hunger in South Sudan (31 of its stories, about 8 times its usual); illness in Sierra Leone (28 of its stories, about three times its usual); road crashes in Egypt (94 of its stories, about 10 times its usual); hiv in Malawi (22 of its stories, about 7 times its usual).
Stories about people being harmed, in every 100 stories, the 30 days to 8 Feb. 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 42,371 stories about harm among 211,991 counted on 8 Feb.
Mentions of outbreaks ran more than ten times their usual in Mexico's news. of the day's 211,991 news stories, 20 in every 100 were about people being harmed, as usual. Mexico stood out: 41% of its news was about people being harmed, usually 32%.
Written by code from the day's numbers.
Countries with at least 50 stories that day.
Stories, not people.
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.
Of the stories about people being harmed, what part of life each was about. The mark is usual.
Stories that report it, not people: we count what reporters wrote, not what happened.
The words in the day's stories were about as usual. Filled dot: today. Ring: usual.
From the words reporters used across the whole day, never one story. Fear is the weakest of the four measures. How?
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