We measure how the world's news covered people being harmed — and the help and hope within it.
397 of its 726 stories (55%) were about people being harmed, usually 23%. Riyadh accounted for 240 of Saudi Arabia's 397 stories about harm, carried by 768 outlets. Reports of arrests ran at about 7 times the usual rate (178 stories). Its coverage was about 4 times as grief-stricken as the world's.
43 of its 68 stories (63%) were about people being harmed, usually 27%. Caracas accounted for 26 of Venezuela's 43 stories about harm, carried by 98 outlets. Reports of arrests ran at about 5 times the usual rate (23 stories). Its coverage was about one and a half times as angry as the world's.
15 of Algiers' 19 stories were about protests or strikes. Reports of people killed ran at about 4 times the usual rate (21 stories). Illness was named in 27 of its stories about harm, about 6 times usual. Its coverage was about one and a half times as angry as the world's. Grief in its coverage rose to about three times its own usual.
90 of its 224 stories (40%) were about people being harmed, usually 26%. Reports of evacuations ran at about 10 times the usual rate (12 stories). Flooding was named in 26 of its stories about harm, about 6 times usual, with heavy rain and storms.
49 of its 60 stories (82%) were about people being harmed, usually 44%. Tegucigalpa accounted for 45 of Honduras' 49 stories about harm, carried by 307 outlets. Reports of people injured ran at about 4 times the usual rate (40 stories). Its coverage was about three times as grief-stricken as the world's. Anger in its coverage rose to about one and a half times its own usual.
193 of its 275 stories (70%) were about people being harmed, usually 60%. Idlib accounted for 103 of Syria's 193 stories about harm, carried by 216 outlets. Flooding was named in 13 of its stories about harm, about 4 times usual. Its coverage was about twice as angry as the world's.
287 of its 684 stories (42%) were about people being harmed, usually 25%. Reports of people injured ran at about 5 times the usual rate (76 stories). Poisoning was named in 50 of its stories about harm, more than ten times usual, with tropical storm.
633 of its 2,066 stories (31%) were about people being harmed, usually 22%. Reports of evacuations ran at about three times the usual rate (20 stories). Respiratory illness was named in 15 of its stories about harm, about 6 times usual.
206 of Delhi's 393 stories were about protests or strikes. Landslides were named in 26 of its stories about harm, about 5 times usual. Its coverage was about one and a half times as angry as the world's.
Baghdad accounted for 41 of Iraq's 64 stories about harm, carried by 134 outlets. 24 of Baghdad's 41 stories were about protests or strikes. Reports of people displaced ran at about 5 times the usual rate (5 stories).
Also named far more than usual: heatstroke in Jordan (14 of its stories, more than ten times its usual); cyclone in Fiji (13 of its stories, more than ten times its usual); poisoning in Philippines (50 of its stories, more than ten times its usual); oil spill in Ecuador (11 of its stories, more than ten times its usual); outbreaks in China (53 of its stories, about three times its usual).
Stories about people being harmed, in every 100 stories, the 30 days to 23 Dec. 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 16,780 stories about harm among 89,940 counted on 23 Dec.
On the side of help, reports of volunteers ran at about one and a half times the usual rate. Stories about people being harmed made up 19 in every 100 of the day's 89,940 stories, as usual. Saudi Arabia's news was 55% about people being harmed, against a usual 23%. In Sri Lanka's news, mentions of flooding ran about 6 times their usual. A year earlier, on 23 December 2018, 21 in every 100 stories were about people being harmed, against 19 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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