We measure how the world's news covered people being harmed — and the help and hope within it.
748 of its 1,214 stories (62%) were about people being harmed, usually 55%. Tehran accounted for 530 of Iran's 748 stories about harm, carried by 1,097 outlets. 276 of Tehran's 530 stories were about protests or strikes. Reports of evacuations ran at about twice the usual rate (8 stories). Poisoning was named in 26 of its stories about harm, more than ten times usual. Its coverage was about twice as angry as the world's.
Baghdad accounted for 79 of Iraq's 167 stories about harm, carried by 159 outlets. Reports of evacuations ran at about three times the usual rate (7 stories). Illness was named in 22 of its stories about harm, about 10 times usual. Its coverage was about twice as angry as the world's.
70 of its 94 stories (74%) were about people being harmed, usually 23%. Reports of people affected ran at about 7 times the usual rate (22 stories). Its coverage was about three times as grief-stricken as the world's.
315 of its 644 stories (49%) were about people being harmed, usually 41%. Reports of people displaced ran at about twice the usual rate (19 stories). Polio was named in 12 of its stories about harm, about 5 times usual.
63 of its 155 stories (41%) were about people being harmed, usually 32%. Beirut accounted for 44 of Lebanon's 63 stories about harm, carried by 51 outlets. 40 of Beirut's 44 stories were about protests or strikes. Reports of people injured ran at about twice the usual rate (21 stories). Its coverage was about one and a half times as angry as the world's.
32 of its 71 stories (45%) were about people being harmed, usually 33%. 11 of Lilongwe's 18 stories were about protests or strikes. Reports of arrests ran at about twice the usual rate (10 stories).
66 of its 140 stories (47%) were about people being harmed, usually 39%. Jammu accounted for 41 of Kashmir's 66 stories about harm, carried by 28 outlets. Its coverage was about one and a half times as fearful as the world's.
Reports of people falling ill ran at about 9 times the usual rate (58 stories). Covid was named in 264 of its stories about harm, about 5 times usual, with ebola and tuberculosis. Its coverage was about one and a half times as fearful as the world's. Grief in its coverage rose to about one and a half times its own usual.
Tripoli accounted for 65 of Libya's 73 stories about harm, carried by 84 outlets. Reports of people displaced ran at about twice the usual rate (15 stories). Its coverage was about one and a half times as angry as the world's.
Reports of evacuations ran at about three times the usual rate (17 stories). Respiratory illness was named in 35 of its stories about harm, about three times usual. Its coverage was about one and a half times as fearful as the world's.
Also named far more than usual: covid in China (264 of its stories, about 5 times its usual); storms in Switzerland (25 of its stories, about 5 times its usual); heavy rain in Tonga (10 of its stories, about 5 times its usual); natural hazards in Kenya (17 of its stories, about 4 times its usual); earthquake in Mexico (11 of its stories, about 8 times its usual).
Stories about people being harmed, in every 100 stories, the 30 days to 17 Jan. 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 21,009 stories about harm among 113,799 counted on 17 Jan.
People falling ill were reported at about three times the usual rate, most often about China and the US. Iran's news was 62% about people being harmed, against a usual 55%. On 17 January 2019, a year earlier, the share was 18 in every 100, the same as today. Stories about people being harmed made up 18 in every 100 of the day's 113,799 stories, below the usual 20.
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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