We measure how the world's news covered people being harmed — and the help and hope within it.
71 of its 95 stories (75%) were about people being harmed, usually 35%. Akureyri accounted for 65 of Iceland's 71 stories about harm, carried by 79 outlets. Reports of people killed ran at about three times the usual rate (68 stories). Storms were named in 53 of its stories about harm, more than ten times usual, with earthquake.
596 of its 1,146 stories (52%) were about people being harmed, usually 29%. Paris accounted for 523 of France's 596 stories about harm, carried by 438 outlets. Reports of evacuations ran at more than ten times the usual rate (199 stories). Gas explosion was named in 103 of its stories about harm, about 7 times usual, with avalanche.
483 of its 1,678 stories (29%) were about people being harmed, usually 14%. Reports of evacuations ran at more than ten times the usual rate (26 stories). Accidents were named in 12 of its stories about harm, more than ten times usual. Its coverage was about twice as grief-stricken as the world's.
267 of its 424 stories (63%) were about people being harmed, usually 55%. Damascus accounted for 159 of Syria's 267 stories about harm, carried by 170 outlets. Reports of evacuations ran at about 8 times the usual rate (7 stories). Its coverage was about twice as angry as the world's.
103 of its 250 stories (41%) were about people being harmed, usually 35%. Caracas accounted for 82 of Venezuela's 103 stories about harm, carried by 146 outlets. 52 of Caracas' 82 stories were about protests or strikes. Reports of people displaced ran at more than ten times the usual rate (8 stories).
110 of its 244 stories (45%) were about people being harmed, usually 15%. Reports of people affected ran at about 10 times the usual rate (92 stories). Its coverage was about twice as grief-stricken as the world's.
295 of its 762 stories (39%) were about people being harmed, usually 19%. Reports of people killed ran at about twice the usual rate (107 stories). Its coverage was about one and a half times as grief-stricken as the world's. Anger in its coverage rose to about twice its own usual.
66 of its 133 stories (50%) were about people being harmed, usually 25%. Reports of people killed ran at about 7 times the usual rate (63 stories). Its coverage was about twice as grief-stricken as the world's.
26 of its 73 stories (36%) were about people being harmed, usually 14%. Reports of refugees ran at more than ten times the usual rate (10 stories). Anger in its coverage rose to about one and a half times its own usual.
39 of its 138 stories (28%) were about people being harmed, usually 15%. Reports of evacuations ran at more than ten times the usual rate (18 stories). House fires were named in 20 of its stories about harm, more than ten times usual.
Also named far more than usual: norovirus in Jamaica (26 of its stories, about three times its usual); house fires in Switzerland (20 of its stories, more than ten times its usual); hiv in Indonesia (14 of its stories, more than ten times its usual); avalanche in Germany (28 of its stories, about three times its usual); tsunami in Russia (16 of its stories, about 9 times its usual).
Stories about people being harmed, in every 100 stories, the 30 days to 13 Jan. 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 17,275 stories about harm among 92,996 counted on 13 Jan.
Iceland's news mentioned storms more than ten times as often as usual. 19 in every 100 of the day's 92,996 news stories were about people being harmed, as usual. On the side of help, reports of people freed or reunited ran at about one and a half times the usual rate. Evacuations were reported at about twice the usual rate, most often about France and China. Iceland's news was 75% about people being harmed, against a usual 35%.
Written by code from the day's numbers.
Countries with at least 50 stories that day.
Stories, not people.
Each country shaded by how much of its news was about people being harmed, against the world's 19 in 100 that day. Stronger colour: further above. A country with few stories is drawn closer to the world's. Click a country.
Stories, not people. Countries with at least 50 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?
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.