We measure how the world's news covered people being harmed — and the help and hope within it.
105 of its 135 stories (78%) were about people being harmed, usually 38%. Reports of people killed ran at about three times the usual rate (85 stories). Plane crash was named in 12 of its stories about harm, about 9 times usual. Its coverage was about one and a half times as grief-stricken as the world's.
130 of its 374 stories (35%) were about people being harmed, usually 23%. 45 of Mexico City's 48 stories were about protests or strikes. Reports of people injured ran at about three times the usual rate (7 stories). Its coverage was about twice as angry as the world's.
1,128 of its 2,154 stories (52%) were about people being harmed, usually 38%. Reports of arrests ran at about three times the usual rate (52 stories). Tsunami was named in 15 of its stories about harm, about 5 times usual.
Idlib accounted for 71 of Syria's 118 stories about harm, carried by 77 outlets. Reports of arrests ran at about three times the usual rate (6 stories). Its coverage was about twice as angry as the world's.
30 of its 61 stories (49%) were about people being harmed, usually 22%. 10 of Lilongwe's 16 stories were about protests or strikes. Reports of arrests ran at about 4 times the usual rate (13 stories).
58 of its 94 stories (62%) were about people being harmed, usually 43%. Pyongyang accounted for 41 of North Korea's 58 stories about harm, carried by 59 outlets. Tuberculosis was named in 10 of its stories about harm, about 10 times usual.
Tehran accounted for 122 of Iran's 311 stories about harm, carried by 209 outlets. Poisoning was named in 39 of its stories about harm, more than ten times usual. Its coverage was about twice as grief-stricken as the world's.
Khartoum accounted for 36 of Sudan's 53 stories about harm, carried by 40 outlets. 19 of Khartoum's 36 stories were about protests or strikes. Its coverage was about one and a half times as fearful as the world's.
55 of its 103 stories (53%) were about people being harmed, usually 27%. 22 of Caracas' 30 stories were about protests or strikes.
105 of its 148 stories (71%) were about people being harmed, usually 51%. Its coverage was about three times as grief-stricken as the world's.
Also named far more than usual: poisoning in Iran (39 of its stories, more than ten times its usual); tuberculosis in North Korea (10 of its stories, about 10 times its usual); natural hazards in Australia (46 of its stories, about three times its usual); flooding in Nigeria (12 of its stories, about 4 times its usual); hiv in India (25 of its stories, about 6 times its usual).
Stories about people being harmed, in every 100 stories, the 30 days to 10 Mar. 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 31,806 stories about harm among 114,405 counted on 10 Mar.
Of the day's 114,405 news stories, 28 in every 100 were about people being harmed, above the usual 23. Ethiopia stood out: 78% of its news was about people being harmed, usually 38%. A year earlier, on 11 March 2019, 19 in every 100 stories were about people being harmed, against 28 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 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?
Unlock a year of trends, free. Follow up to 5 countries, with a bell when their news changes, and 👍 vote for Pro — ten years of the archive, any period, daily alerts.
Create a free accountSign in · a username, an email and a password.