We measure how the world's news covered people being harmed — and the help and hope within it.
953 of its 1,820 stories (52%) were about people being harmed, usually 26%. 199 of Cape Town's 284 stories were about protests or strikes. Reports of abductions ran at about 5 times the usual rate (38 stories). Its coverage was about twice as angry as the world's.
36 of its 51 stories (71%) were about people being harmed, usually 25%. Reports of people affected ran at about 4 times the usual rate (32 stories). Ebola was named in 32 of its stories about harm, about three times usual, with meningitis. Its coverage was about three times as grief-stricken as the world's.
50 of its 68 stories (74%) were about people being harmed, usually 44%. Reports of people killed ran at about 6 times the usual rate (45 stories). Grief in its coverage rose to about one and a half times its own usual.
144 of its 202 stories (71%) were about people being harmed, usually 51%. Maputo accounted for 117 of Mozambique's 144 stories about harm, carried by 91 outlets. Its coverage was about twice as warm as the world's.
82 of its 141 stories (58%) were about people being harmed, usually 42%. 18 of Gaza's 26 stories were about protests or strikes. Reports of refugees ran at about twice the usual rate (11 stories). Its coverage was about one and a half times as angry as the world's. Warmth in its coverage rose to about one and a half times its own usual.
121 of its 324 stories (37%) were about people being harmed, usually 26%. 43 of Cairo's 66 stories were about protests or strikes. Reports of arrests ran at about three times the usual rate (23 stories). Its coverage was about twice as grief-stricken as the world's.
80 of its 202 stories (40%) were about people being harmed, usually 33%. Beirut accounted for 60 of Lebanon's 80 stories about harm, carried by 79 outlets. 45 of Beirut's 60 stories were about protests or strikes. Reports of refugees ran at about 4 times the usual rate (45 stories).
620 of its 1,620 stories (38%) were about people being harmed, usually 29%. Reports of evacuations ran at about 4 times the usual rate (6 stories). Its coverage was about one and a half times as angry as the world's.
750 of its 897 stories (84%) were about people being harmed, usually 74%. Kabul accounted for 693 of Afghanistan's 750 stories about harm, carried by 653 outlets. Its coverage was about three times as grief-stricken as the world's.
1,545 of its 2,076 stories (74%) were about people being harmed, usually 67%. Abaco accounted for 1,017 of the Bahamas' 1,545 stories about harm, carried by 1,137 outlets. Oil spill was named in 15 of its stories about harm, more than ten times usual.
Also named far more than usual: train derailment in Japan (151 of its stories, more than ten times its usual); landslides in Norway (31 of its stories, more than ten times its usual); hurricane in US (4655 of its stories, about three times its usual); measles in New Zealand (48 of its stories, about three times its usual); tropical storm in Thailand (18 of its stories, more than ten times its usual).
Stories about people being harmed, in every 100 stories, the 30 days to 5 Sep. 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 38,590 stories about harm among 173,734 counted on 5 Sep.
Mentions of train derailment ran more than ten times their usual in Japan's news. of the day's 173,734 news stories, 22 in every 100 were about people being harmed, as usual. the news turned to South Africa for the third day running. Help and hope: reports of volunteers ran at about twice the usual rate. In South Africa, 52% of the news was about people being harmed, where 26% is usual.
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 much 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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