We measure how the world's news covered people being harmed — and the help and hope within it.
304 of its 461 stories (66%) were about people being harmed, usually 49%. Hong Kong Island accounted for 184 of Hong Kong's 304 stories about harm, carried by 230 outlets. 172 of Hong Kong Island's 184 stories were about protests or strikes. Cyclone was named in 46 of its stories about harm, more than ten times usual, with tropical storm. Its coverage was about twice as angry as the world's.
232 of its 448 stories (52%) were about people being harmed, usually 40%. Dhaka accounted for 149 of Bangladesh's 232 stories about harm, carried by 134 outlets. Dengue was named in 125 of its stories about harm, about 6 times usual. Its coverage was about one and a half times as fearful as the world's.
23 of its 39 stories (59%) were about people being harmed, usually 12%. Reports of people killed ran at more than ten times the usual rate (21 stories). Its coverage was about twice as grief-stricken as the world's.
533 of its 672 stories (79%) were about people being harmed, usually 66%. Kabul accounted for 262 of Afghanistan's 533 stories about harm, carried by 293 outlets. Its coverage was about 4 times as grief-stricken as the world's.
292 of its 599 stories (49%) were about people being harmed, usually 19%. 97 of Maraba's 97 stories were about protests or strikes. Reports of arrests ran at about 4 times the usual rate (161 stories). Its coverage was about three times as grief-stricken as the world's.
181 of its 583 stories (31%) were about people being harmed, usually 23%. 70 of Nairobi's 115 stories were about protests or strikes. Reports of evacuations ran at more than ten times the usual rate (54 stories). Its coverage was about twice as angry as the world's.
190 of its 208 stories (91%) were about people being harmed, usually 82%. Reports of people injured ran at about 4 times the usual rate (12 stories). Malaria was named in 77 of its stories about harm, about 5 times usual. Its coverage was about twice as grief-stricken as the world's.
36 of its 116 stories (31%) were about people being harmed, usually 12%. 5 of Helsinki's 7 stories were about protests or strikes. Reports of people killed ran at about 4 times the usual rate (16 stories).
100 of its 142 stories (70%) were about people being harmed, usually 53%. Kivu accounted for 54 of Rwanda's 100 stories about harm, carried by 64 outlets. Haemorrhagic fever was named in 14 of its stories about harm, about 4 times usual.
169 of its 349 stories (48%) were about people being harmed, usually 35%. Reports of people killed ran at about twice the usual rate (138 stories). Its coverage was about twice as angry as the world's. Warmth in its coverage rose to about one and a half times its own usual.
Also named far more than usual: malaria in Congo (77 of its stories, about 5 times its usual); drownings in Yemen (25 of its stories, more than ten times its usual); wildfires in Russia (118 of its stories, more than ten times its usual); heatwave in Greenland (17 of its stories, about 5 times its usual); tsunami in Vanuatu (12 of its stories, about 6 times its usual).
Stories about people being harmed, in every 100 stories, the 30 days to 31 Jul. 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 35,045 stories about harm among 173,768 counted on 31 Jul.
People falling ill were reported at about twice the usual rate, most often about the US and Canada. of the day's 173,768 news stories, 20 in every 100 were about people being harmed, below the usual 21. Hong Kong stood out: 66% of its news was about people being harmed, usually 49%. A year earlier, on 31 July 2018, 19 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 about as 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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