We measure how the world's news covered people being harmed — and the help and hope within it.
1,797 of its 3,810 stories (47%) were about people being harmed, usually 18%. Wuhan accounted for 1,227 of China's 1,797 stories about harm, carried by 1,736 outlets. Reports of people falling ill ran at about 10 times the usual rate (161 stories). Ebola was named in 105 of its stories about harm, about 5 times usual, with polio. Its coverage was about one and a half times as fearful as the world's.
90 of its 206 stories (44%) were about people being harmed, usually 31%. Kathmandu accounted for 63 of Nepal's 90 stories about harm, carried by 89 outlets. Reports of people killed ran at about three times the usual rate (55 stories). Snowstorms were named in 24 of its stories about harm, about three times usual. Its coverage was about twice as grief-stricken as the world's.
Baghdad accounted for 106 of Iraq's 158 stories about harm, carried by 340 outlets. 68 of Baghdad's 106 stories were about protests or strikes. Reports of arrests ran at about 6 times the usual rate (14 stories). Illness was named in 15 of its stories about harm, about 6 times usual. Its coverage was about twice as grief-stricken as the world's.
43 of its 127 stories (34%) were about people being harmed, usually 19%. Reports of people affected ran at about 4 times the usual rate (9 stories). Its coverage was about twice as grief-stricken as the world's.
108 of its 247 stories (44%) were about people being harmed, usually 37%. Beirut accounted for 83 of Lebanon's 108 stories about harm, carried by 176 outlets. 71 of Beirut's 83 stories were about protests or strikes. Reports of people injured ran at about twice the usual rate (71 stories).
51 of its 178 stories (29%) were about people being harmed, usually 19%. Reports of evacuations ran at more than ten times the usual rate (9 stories). Its coverage was about one and a half times as fearful as the world's. Anger in its coverage rose to about one and a half times its own usual.
Reports of refugees ran at about twice the usual rate (15 stories). Extreme cold was named in 12 of its stories about harm, about three times usual. Its coverage was about one and a half times as fearful as the world's.
61 of its 108 stories (56%) were about people being harmed, usually 42%. Reports of people injured ran at about 4 times the usual rate (9 stories).
23 of its 90 stories (26%) were about people being harmed, usually 13%. Reports of people injured ran at about three times the usual rate (10 stories).
83 of its 310 stories (27%) were about people being harmed, usually 19%. Reports of arrests ran at about twice the usual rate (10 stories).
Also named far more than usual: storms in Spain (29 of its stories, about 7 times its usual); accidents in Nigeria (10 of its stories, about 6 times its usual); dust storm in Australia (17 of its stories, about 7 times its usual); respiratory illness in India (18 of its stories, about 4 times its usual); extreme cold in UK (12 of its stories, about three times its usual).
Stories about people being harmed, in every 100 stories, the 30 days to 21 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 20,570 stories about harm among 111,076 counted on 21 Jan.
People falling ill were reported at about 5 times the usual rate, most often about China and the US. of the day's 111,076 news stories, 19 in every 100 were about people being harmed, below the usual 20. the news turned to China for the fourth day running. China's news was 47% about people being harmed, against a usual 18%. On 21 January 2019, a year earlier, the share was 20 in every 100, 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 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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