We measure how the world's news covered people being harmed — and the help and hope within it.
Damascus accounted for 109 of Syria's 310 stories about harm, carried by 100 outlets. 80 of Damascus' 109 stories were about protests or strikes. Reports of arrests ran at about 8 times the usual rate (151 stories). Flooding was named in 18 of its stories about harm, about 7 times usual. Its coverage was about twice as angry as the world's.
141 of its 330 stories (43%) were about people being harmed, usually 22%. Reports of people displaced ran at more than ten times the usual rate (38 stories). Measles was named in 50 of its stories about harm, more than ten times usual. Its coverage was about twice as grief-stricken as the world's.
47 of its 81 stories (58%) were about people being harmed, usually 33%. Tappita accounted for 38 of Liberia's 47 stories about harm, carried by 40 outlets. Reports of people killed ran at about 5 times the usual rate (39 stories). Its coverage was about three times as fearful as the world's.
185 of its 348 stories (53%) were about people being harmed, usually 44%. Baghdad accounted for 89 of Iraq's 185 stories about harm, carried by 78 outlets. Reports of arrests ran at about 9 times the usual rate (51 stories). Its coverage was about one and a half times as angry as the world's.
53 of its 100 stories (53%) were about people being harmed, usually 27%. 19 of Port Moresby's 22 stories were about protests or strikes. Reports of people affected ran at about three times the usual rate (17 stories). Polio was named in 15 of its stories about harm, about 5 times usual.
Khartoum accounted for 45 of Sudan's 90 stories about harm, carried by 40 outlets. 42 of Khartoum's 45 stories were about protests or strikes. Reports of arrests ran at about twice the usual rate (38 stories). Its coverage was about twice as angry as the world's.
64 of its 126 stories (51%) were about people being harmed, usually 27%. 35 of Port-au-Prince's 37 stories were about protests or strikes. Reports of arrests ran at about three times the usual rate (23 stories).
25 of its 29 stories (86%) were about people being harmed, usually 40%. Reports of people affected ran at about 4 times the usual rate (6 stories). Cyclone was named in 23 of its stories about harm, about 7 times usual, with flooding.
63 of its 291 stories (22%) were about people being harmed, usually 6%. Reports of people injured ran at more than ten times the usual rate (43 stories). Its coverage was about twice as grief-stricken as the world's.
23 of its 27 stories (85%) were about people being harmed, usually 60%. Bangui accounted for 19 of the Central African Republic's 23 stories about harm, carried by 13 outlets. Its coverage was about one and a half times as warm as the world's.
Also named far more than usual: cyclone in Vanuatu (23 of its stories, about 7 times its usual); hunger in Venezuela (61 of its stories, about three times its usual); avalanche in Mexico (62 of its stories, about 4 times its usual); polio in Papua New Guinea (15 of its stories, about 5 times its usual); snowstorms in Canada (95 of its stories, about 4 times its usual).
Stories about people being harmed, in every 100 stories, the 30 days to 13 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 36,838 stories about harm among 205,600 counted on 13 Feb.
18 in every 100 of the day's 205,600 news stories were about people being harmed, below the usual 19. A year earlier, on 13 February 2018, 20 in every 100 stories were about people being harmed, against 18 today.
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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