We measure how the world's news covered people being harmed — and the help and hope within it.
93 of its 220 stories (42%) were about people being harmed, usually 15%. Lantau accounted for 89 of Hong Kong's 93 stories about harm, carried by 2 outlets. 88 of Lantau's 89 stories were about protests or strikes. Reports of arrests ran at about 5 times the usual rate (88 stories). Its coverage was about one and a half times as fearful as the world's.
229 of its 278 stories (82%) were about people being harmed, usually 40%. Lima accounted for 162 of Peru's 229 stories about harm, carried by 131 outlets. Reports of people affected ran at about 7 times the usual rate (124 stories). Flooding was named in 179 of its stories about harm, about 5 times usual, with dengue, storms and drought.
1,292 of its 2,446 stories (53%) were about people being harmed, usually 22%. Paris accounted for 1,223 of France's 1,292 stories about harm, carried by 924 outlets. Reports of abductions ran at more than ten times the usual rate (72 stories). Its coverage was about twice as angry as the world's.
157 of its 764 stories (21%) were about people being harmed, usually 15%. Reports of arrests ran at about twice the usual rate (11 stories). Anger in its coverage rose to about one and a half times its own usual.
348 of its 586 stories (59%) were about people being harmed, usually 40%. Reports of people injured ran at about 5 times the usual rate (202 stories). Outbreaks were named in 44 of its stories about harm, more than ten times usual. Its coverage was about twice as grief-stricken as the world's. Anger in its coverage rose to about one and a half times its own usual.
62 of its 106 stories (58%) were about people being harmed, usually 42%. Reports of people killed ran at about twice the usual rate (57 stories). Hunger was named in 51 of its stories about harm, about 5 times usual. Its coverage was about one and a half times as grief-stricken as the world's. Fear in its coverage rose to about one and a half times its own usual.
597 of its 717 stories (83%) were about people being harmed, usually 73%. Damascus accounted for 410 of Syria's 597 stories about harm, carried by 314 outlets. Reports of evacuations ran at about three times the usual rate (15 stories). Its coverage was about three times as angry as the world's.
294 of its 692 stories (42%) were about people being harmed, usually 18%. Reports of people killed ran at about 6 times the usual rate (213 stories). Grief in its coverage rose to about one and a half times its own usual.
125 of its 273 stories (46%) were about people being harmed, usually 29%. Lycksele accounted for 105 of Sweden's 125 stories about harm, carried by 142 outlets. Reports of people injured ran at more than ten times the usual rate (105 stories).
44 of its 102 stories (43%) were about people being harmed, usually 22%. 10 of Buenos Aires' 14 stories were about protests or strikes. Reports of people injured ran at about twice the usual rate (12 stories).
Also named far more than usual: hunger in Cambodia (51 of its stories, about 5 times its usual); earthquake in Solomon Islands (12 of its stories, about 4 times its usual); road crashes in South Africa (46 of its stories, more than ten times its usual); flu in Saudi Arabia (23 of its stories, about 5 times its usual); landslides in Mali (12 of its stories, more than ten times its usual).
Stories about people being harmed, in every 100 stories, the 30 days to 19 Mar. 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 26,791 stories about harm among 123,588 counted on 19 Mar.
Help and hope: reports of people freed or reunited ran at about twice the usual rate. of the day's 123,588 news stories, 22 in every 100 were about people being harmed, as usual. Hong Kong stood out: 42% of its news was about people being harmed, usually 15%. Mentions of flooding ran about 5 times their usual in Peru's news. On 19 March 2016, a year earlier, the share was 21 in every 100, against 22 today. This week the news turned most often to Peru, on 4 of 7 days; help rose on 2 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 much 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?
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