We measure how the world's news covered people being harmed — and the help and hope within it.
477 of its 693 stories (69%) were about people being harmed, usually 16%. Imatra accounted for 339 of Finland's 477 stories about harm, carried by 295 outlets. Reports of people killed ran at more than ten times the usual rate (468 stories). Its coverage was about one and a half times as angry as the world's.
201 of its 282 stories (71%) were about people being harmed, usually 29%. Andijan accounted for 137 of Uzbekistan's 201 stories about harm, carried by 146 outlets. 137 of Andijan's 137 stories were about protests or strikes. Reports of people killed ran at about 8 times the usual rate (142 stories).
284 of its 294 stories (97%) were about people being harmed, usually 26%. Antananarivo accounted for 281 of Madagascar's 284 stories about harm, carried by 244 outlets. Reports of arrests ran at more than ten times the usual rate (55 stories).
121 of its 135 stories (90%) were about people being harmed, usually 26%. Illness was named in 88 of its stories about harm, about 9 times usual. Fear in its coverage rose to about twice its own usual.
449 of its 912 stories (49%) were about people being harmed, usually 26%. Reports of evacuations ran at about 4 times the usual rate (12 stories). Dengue was named in 15 of its stories about harm, about 6 times usual. Grief in its coverage rose to about twice its own usual.
361 of its 633 stories (57%) were about people being harmed, usually 42%. 90 of Jakarta's 116 stories were about protests or strikes. Reports of people displaced ran at about three times the usual rate (10 stories). Oil spill was named in 39 of its stories about harm, more than ten times usual.
517 of its 1,683 stories (31%) were about people being harmed, usually 23%. Reports of people injured ran at about 9 times the usual rate (113 stories). Snowstorms were named in 58 of its stories about harm, more than ten times usual. Grief in its coverage rose to about twice its own usual.
1,042 of its 1,256 stories (83%) were about people being harmed, usually 76%. Aleppo accounted for 878 of Syria's 1,042 stories about harm, carried by 624 outlets. Polio was named in 11 of its stories about harm, about three times usual. Its coverage was about twice as angry as the world's.
1,286 of its 2,177 stories (59%) were about people being harmed, usually 42%. Havana accounted for 733 of Cuba's 1,286 stories about harm, carried by 546 outlets. Its coverage was about three times as grief-stricken as the world's.
149 of its 271 stories (55%) were about people being harmed, usually 37%. Banjul accounted for 123 of the Gambia's 149 stories about harm, carried by 110 outlets. Its coverage was about one and a half times as warm as the world's.
Also named far more than usual: gas explosion in China (172 of its stories, more than ten times its usual); plague in Brazil (29 of its stories, more than ten times its usual); heavy rain in Vietnam (24 of its stories, about 8 times its usual); hiv in Guyana (13 of its stories, more than ten times its usual); drought in Zimbabwe (19 of its stories, about three times its usual).
Stories about people being harmed, in every 100 stories, the 30 days to 4 Dec. 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 31,066 stories about harm among 138,187 counted on 4 Dec.
Finland's news was 69% about people being harmed, against a usual 16%. In China's news, mentions of gas explosion ran more than ten times their usual. Reports of people falling ill ran at about twice the usual rate, most often about the US and the UK. 22 in every 100 of the day's 138,187 news stories were about people being harmed, above the usual 21. This week the news turned most often to the Gambia, on 3 of 7 days; help rose on 1 of them.
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 harsher than 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?
Unlock a year of trends, free. Follow up to 5 countries, with a bell when their news changes, and 👍 vote for Pro — ten years of the archive, any period, daily alerts.
Create a free accountSign in · a username, an email and a password.