We measure how the world's news covered people being harmed — and the help and hope within it.
589 of its 1,199 stories (49%) were about people being harmed, usually 30%. Reports of people injured ran at about 8 times the usual rate (256 stories). Train derailment was named in 12 of its stories about harm, about 6 times usual. Its coverage was about twice as grief-stricken as the world's.
24 of its 43 stories (56%) were about people being harmed, usually 30%. 8 of la Paz's 9 stories were about protests or strikes. Reports of people killed ran at about 5 times the usual rate (18 stories). Grief in its coverage rose to about twice its own usual.
86 of its 383 stories (22%) were about people being harmed, usually 14%. Reports of people killed ran at about three times the usual rate (27 stories). Respiratory illness was named in 20 of its stories about harm, more than ten times usual, with flu. Its coverage was about one and a half times as fearful as the world's.
18 of its 22 stories (82%) were about people being harmed, usually 40%. Reports of people injured ran at about twice the usual rate (6 stories). Its coverage was about one and a half times as angry as the world's.
64 of its 147 stories (44%) were about people being harmed, usually 29%. Koh Rong accounted for 34 of Cambodia's 64 stories about harm, carried by 57 outlets. Reports of people affected ran at about twice the usual rate (20 stories). Drownings were named in 29 of its stories about harm, about 7 times usual.
243 of its 339 stories (72%) were about people being harmed, usually 65%. Baghdad accounted for 162 of Iraq's 243 stories about harm, carried by 334 outlets. 113 of Baghdad's 162 stories were about protests or strikes. Its coverage was about twice as angry as the world's.
327 of its 830 stories (39%) were about people being harmed, usually 25%. Reports of people displaced ran at about 6 times the usual rate (24 stories). Tsunami was named in 42 of its stories about harm, about three times usual, with landslides.
38 of its 51 stories (75%) were about people being harmed, usually 49%. Reports of people injured ran at about twice the usual rate (5 stories). Ebola was named in 18 of its stories about harm, about 6 times usual.
172 of its 247 stories (70%) were about people being harmed, usually 57%. Kabul accounted for 51 of Afghanistan's 172 stories about harm, carried by 97 outlets. Its coverage was about twice as angry as the world's.
407 of its 577 stories (71%) were about people being harmed, usually 61%. Idlib accounted for 167 of Syria's 407 stories about harm, carried by 568 outlets. Its coverage was about twice as angry as the world's. Grief in its coverage rose to about twice its own usual.
Also named far more than usual: drownings in Cambodia (29 of its stories, about 7 times its usual); ebola in South Sudan (18 of its stories, about 6 times its usual); flooding in Somalia (17 of its stories, about 4 times its usual); hunger in Yemen (14 of its stories, about three times its usual); landslides in Cameroon (12 of its stories, about 5 times its usual).
Stories about people being harmed, in every 100 stories, the 30 days to 31 Oct. 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 22,645 stories about harm among 132,416 counted on 31 Oct.
Stories about people being harmed made up 17 in every 100 of the day's 132,416 stories, as usual. A year earlier, on 31 October 2018, 20 in every 100 stories were about people being harmed, against 17 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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