We measure how the world's news covered people being harmed — and the help and hope within it.
355 of its 492 stories (72%) were about people being harmed, usually 40%. Dhaka accounted for 312 of Bangladesh's 355 stories about harm, carried by 219 outlets. Reports of people killed ran at about three times the usual rate (322 stories). Plague was named in 20 of its stories about harm, about 4 times usual. Its coverage was about twice as grief-stricken as the world's.
43 of its 69 stories (62%) were about people being harmed, usually 13%. Skopje accounted for 41 of North Macedonia's 43 stories about harm, carried by 39 outlets. 33 of Skopje's 41 stories were about protests or strikes. Its coverage was about twice as angry as the world's.
163 of its 277 stories (59%) were about people being harmed, usually 45%. Baghdad accounted for 91 of Iraq's 163 stories about harm, carried by 182 outlets. Reports of abductions ran at more than ten times the usual rate (65 stories). Its coverage was about one and a half times as angry as the world's.
37 of its 105 stories (35%) were about people being harmed, usually 18%. Reports of people killed ran at about 6 times the usual rate (28 stories). Its coverage was about one and a half times as grief-stricken as the world's.
231 of its 331 stories (70%) were about people being harmed, usually 30%. Reports of people killed ran at about 4 times the usual rate (148 stories). Earthquake was named in 202 of its stories about harm, more than ten times usual. Fear in its coverage rose to about twice its own usual.
501 of its 829 stories (60%) were about people being harmed, usually 46%. Gaza accounted for 244 of Palestine's 501 stories about harm, carried by 18 outlets. 124 of Gaza's 244 stories were about protests or strikes. Reports of people injured ran at about three times the usual rate (280 stories).
123 of its 161 stories (76%) were about people being harmed, usually 62%. Juba accounted for 83 of South Sudan's 123 stories about harm, carried by 91 outlets. Reports of people displaced ran at about twice the usual rate (89 stories). Its coverage was about three times as fearful as the world's.
1,989 of its 7,576 stories (26%) were about people being harmed, usually 21%. Reports of people falling ill ran at about 8 times the usual rate (22 stories). Polio was named in 14 of its stories about harm, about 4 times usual. Its coverage was about one and a half times as fearful as the world's.
42 of its 95 stories (44%) were about people being harmed, usually 9%. Reports of people affected ran at more than ten times the usual rate (13 stories). Hypothermia was named in 17 of its stories about harm, more than ten times usual.
70 of its 79 stories (89%) were about people being harmed, usually 52%. Managua accounted for 53 of Nicaragua's 70 stories about harm, carried by 52 outlets. 32 of Managua's 53 stories were about protests or strikes.
Also named far more than usual: earthquake in Ecuador (202 of its stories, more than ten times its usual); tropical storm in Guam (34 of its stories, about 4 times its usual); hypothermia in Estonia (17 of its stories, more than ten times its usual); storms in North Korea (22 of its stories, more than ten times its usual); train derailment in South Korea (16 of its stories, more than ten times its usual).
Stories about people being harmed, in every 100 stories, the 30 days to 22 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 39,596 stories about harm among 195,838 counted on 22 Feb.
Mentions of the earthquake ran more than ten times their usual in Ecuador's news. of the day's 195,838 news stories, 20 in every 100 were about people being harmed, as usual. the news turned to Bangladesh for the second day running. Bangladesh's news was 72% about people being harmed, against a usual 40%. A year earlier, on 22 February 2018, 22 in every 100 stories were about people being harmed, against 20 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 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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