We measure how the world's news covered people being harmed — and the help and hope within it.
52 of its 73 stories (71%) were about people being harmed, usually 22%. Dakar accounted for 49 of Senegal's 52 stories about harm, carried by 82 outlets. Reports of people injured ran at more than ten times the usual rate (46 stories). Ebola was named in 46 of its stories about harm, more than ten times usual, with outbreaks. Its coverage was about three times as fearful as the world's. Anger in its coverage rose to about 4 times its own usual.
184 of its 185 stories (99%) were about people being harmed, usually 67%. Ouagadougou accounted for 96 of Burkina Faso's 184 stories about harm, carried by 129 outlets. Reports of people affected ran at more than ten times the usual rate (145 stories). Its coverage was about three times as angry as the world's.
1,212 of its 1,584 stories (77%) were about people being harmed, usually 63%. Reports of arrests ran at about 8 times the usual rate (363 stories). Plague was named in 134 of its stories about harm, more than ten times usual. Warmth in its coverage rose to about one and a half times its own usual.
173 of its 195 stories (89%) were about people being harmed, usually 76%. Mogadishu accounted for 155 of Somalia's 173 stories about harm, carried by 129 outlets. 113 of Mogadishu's 155 stories were about protests or strikes. Its coverage was about twice as angry as the world's. Fear in its coverage rose to about twice its own usual.
136 of its 162 stories (84%) were about people being harmed, usually 45%. Reports of arrests ran at about 4 times the usual rate (92 stories). Landslides were named in 38 of its stories about harm, more than ten times usual.
444 of its 1,155 stories (38%) were about people being harmed, usually 19%. Reports of arrests ran at about three times the usual rate (226 stories). Accidents were named in 46 of its stories about harm, more than ten times usual.
63 of its 78 stories (81%) were about people being harmed, usually 60%. Reports of abductions ran at more than ten times the usual rate (27 stories). Its coverage was about twice as angry as the world's.
12 of its 20 stories (60%) were about people being harmed, usually 19%. 10 of Libreville's 11 stories were about protests or strikes. Reports of people killed ran at about twice the usual rate (10 stories).
82 of its 176 stories (47%) were about people being harmed, usually 36%. 15 of Havana's 20 stories were about protests or strikes. Grief in its coverage rose to about three times its own usual.
309 of its 796 stories (39%) were about people being harmed, usually 32%. Reports of people injured ran at about 8 times the usual rate (149 stories). Its coverage was about twice as fearful as the world's. Grief in its coverage rose to about three times its own usual.
Also named far more than usual: outbreaks in Niger (27 of its stories, about 5 times its usual); hiv in South Africa (94 of its stories, more than ten times its usual); meningitis in Germany (72 of its stories, more than ten times its usual); tuberculosis in Poland (23 of its stories, more than ten times its usual); landslides in Maldives (38 of its stories, more than ten times its usual).
Stories about people being harmed, in every 100 stories, the 30 days to 4 Oct. 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 40,932 stories about harm among 210,919 counted on 4 Oct.
Senegal's news was 71% about people being harmed, against a usual 22%. of the day's 210,919 news stories, 19 in every 100 were about people being harmed, below the usual 21. Reports of people freed or reunited, a sign of help, ran at about twice the usual rate. Mentions of Ebola ran more than ten times their usual in Senegal's news. People falling ill were reported at about three times the usual rate, most often about the US and Zimbabwe.
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 softer 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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