We measure how the world's news covered people being harmed — and the help and hope within it.
140 of its 220 stories (64%) were about people being harmed, usually 50%. Jenin accounted for 101 of Palestine's 140 stories about harm, carried by 11 outlets. Reports of people displaced ran at more than ten times the usual rate (77 stories). Illness was named in 77 of its stories about harm, about 4 times usual.
416 of its 985 stories (42%) were about people being harmed, usually 34%. Tokyo accounted for 254 of Japan's 416 stories about harm, carried by 516 outlets. Typhoon was named in 22 of its stories about harm, about 8 times usual.
Kabuga accounted for 29 of Rwanda's 38 stories about harm, carried by 33 outlets. Reports of arrests ran at about three times the usual rate (18 stories). Its coverage was about three times as grief-stricken as the world's.
Heavy rain was named in 10 of its stories about harm, about three times usual. Its coverage was about one and a half times as fearful as the world's.
Jerusalem accounted for 182 of Israel's 318 stories about harm, carried by 259 outlets. Heatwave was named in 38 of its stories about harm, more than ten times usual. 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.
Tripoli accounted for 33 of Libya's 42 stories about harm, carried by 53 outlets. Reports of people displaced ran at about twice the usual rate (9 stories). Its coverage was about three times as angry as the world's.
175 of its 345 stories (51%) were about people being harmed, usually 39%. Poisoning was named in 12 of its stories about harm, about 7 times usual.
Reports of abductions ran at about 10 times the usual rate (17 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.
5 of Tirana's 10 stories were about protests or strikes. Reports of arrests ran at about three times the usual rate (5 stories).
Reports of evacuations ran at about 5 times the usual rate (25 stories). Plane crash was named in 27 of its stories about harm, more than ten times usual.
Also named far more than usual: cyclone in Bangladesh (70 of its stories, more than ten times its usual); heatwave in Israel (38 of its stories, more than ten times its usual); cyclone in India (190 of its stories, more than ten times its usual); flu in South Korea (13 of its stories, about 4 times its usual); poisoning in Mexico (12 of its stories, about 7 times its usual).
Stories about people being harmed, in every 100 stories, the 30 days to 18 May. 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 33,446 stories about harm among 99,301 counted on 18 May.
In Bangladesh's news, mentions of the cyclone ran more than ten times their usual. A year earlier, on 19 May 2019, 18 in every 100 stories were about people being harmed, against 34 today. 34 in every 100 of the day's 99,301 news stories were about people being harmed, below the usual 36. In Palestine, 64% of the news was about people being harmed, where 50% is usual.
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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