We measure how the world's news covered people being harmed — and the help and hope within it.
2,278 of its 4,333 stories (53%) were about people being harmed, usually 19%. Wuhan accounted for 1,666 of China's 2,278 stories about harm, carried by 1,861 outlets. Reports of people falling ill ran at about 7 times the usual rate (216 stories). Plague was named in 43 of its stories about harm, about 4 times usual, with measles and polio. Its coverage was about one and a half times as fearful as the world's.
Baghdad accounted for 82 of Iraq's 129 stories about harm, carried by 182 outlets. 44 of Baghdad's 82 stories were about protests or strikes. Reports of arrests ran at about 4 times the usual rate (8 stories). Illness was named in 20 of its stories about harm, about 9 times usual. Its coverage was about twice as angry as the world's.
72 of its 140 stories (51%) were about people being harmed, usually 32%. Kathmandu accounted for 56 of Nepal's 72 stories about harm, carried by 67 outlets. Reports of people killed ran at about twice the usual rate (37 stories). Its coverage was about one and a half times as grief-stricken as the world's.
125 of its 568 stories (22%) were about people being harmed, usually 14%. Reports of people killed ran at about twice the usual rate (71 stories). Storms were named in 20 of its stories about harm, about 5 times usual, with flooding, heavy rain and hypothermia.
37 of its 92 stories (40%) were about people being harmed, usually 29%. 12 of Bogota's 23 stories were about protests or strikes. Reports of people injured ran at about 6 times the usual rate (12 stories). Its coverage was about twice as angry as the world's.
Tehran accounted for 150 of Iran's 309 stories about harm, carried by 156 outlets. Illness was named in 22 of its stories about harm, about 8 times usual. Its coverage was about twice as angry as the world's.
19 of its 51 stories (37%) were about people being harmed, usually 11%. Reports of people falling ill ran at more than ten times the usual rate (7 stories).
112 of its 352 stories (32%) were about people being harmed, usually 20%. Reports of arrests ran at about three times the usual rate (19 stories).
9 of its 11 stories (82%) were about people being harmed, usually 30%. Reports of people affected ran at about twice the usual rate (8 stories).
86 of its 315 stories (27%) were about people being harmed, usually 19%. Reports of people killed ran at about twice the usual rate (38 stories).
Also named far more than usual: illness in Iran (22 of its stories, about 8 times its usual); extreme cold in Australia (13 of its stories, more than ten times its usual).
Stories about people being harmed, in every 100 stories, the 30 days to 22 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 22,712 stories about harm among 123,169 counted on 22 Jan.
Reports of people falling ill ran at about 6 times the usual rate, most often about China and the US. Stories about people being harmed made up 18 in every 100 of the day's 123,169 stories, below the usual 20. It was the fifth day running that the news turned to China. On the side of help, reports of vaccination ran at about twice the usual rate. China stood out: 53% of its news was about people being harmed, usually 19%.
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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