We measure how the world's news covered people being harmed — and the help and hope within it.
26 of its 51 stories (51%) were about people being harmed, usually 22%. Rabat accounted for 20 of Morocco's 26 stories about harm, carried by 115 outlets. Reports of people killed ran at about twice the usual rate (15 stories). Polio was named in 13 of its stories about harm, more than ten times usual.
332 of its 991 stories (34%) were about people being harmed, usually 23%. Reports of people injured ran at about three times the usual rate (37 stories). Its coverage was about twice as fearful as the world's. Anger in its coverage rose to about three times its own usual.
69 of its 168 stories (41%) were about people being harmed, usually 31%. Mount Everest accounted for 46 of Nepal's 69 stories about harm, carried by 103 outlets. Earthquake was named in 55 of its stories about harm, about 7 times usual, with avalanche and hypothermia.
Baghdad accounted for 58 of Iraq's 106 stories about harm, carried by 193 outlets. 30 of Baghdad's 58 stories were about protests or strikes.
2,745 of its 7,982 stories (34%) were about people being harmed, usually 29%. Reports of people injured ran at about three times the usual rate (111 stories). Tuberculosis was named in 36 of its stories about harm, about 6 times usual, with polio.
24 of its 29 stories (83%) were about people being harmed, usually 47%. Its coverage was about one and a half times as fearful as the world's.
7 of its 7 stories (100%) were about people being harmed, usually 25%. Reports of people affected ran at about 6 times the usual rate (7 stories).
96 of its 272 stories (35%) were about people being harmed, usually 28%. Reports of arrests ran at about three times the usual rate (27 stories).
Kabul accounted for 44 of Afghanistan's 90 stories about harm, carried by 71 outlets. Its coverage was about three times as grief-stricken as the world's.
207 of Delhi's 391 stories were about protests or strikes. Chikungunya was named in 24 of its stories about harm, more than ten times usual, with dengue.
Also named far more than usual: flu in Spain (27 of its stories, about three times its usual); flu in France (11 of its stories, about 5 times its usual); earthquake in China (16 of its stories, about 5 times its usual); wildfires in Canada (16 of its stories, about 4 times its usual); chikungunya in India (24 of its stories, more than ten times its usual).
Stories about people being harmed, in every 100 stories, the 30 days to 8 Dec. 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 24,560 stories about harm among 97,766 counted on 8 Dec.
On the side of help, reports of vaccination ran at about one and a half times the usual rate. Stories about people being harmed made up 25 in every 100 of the day's 97,766 stories, as usual. Mentions of the earthquake ran about 7 times their usual in Nepal's news. In Morocco, 51% of the news was about people being harmed, where 22% is usual. On 9 December 2019, a year earlier, the share was 18 in every 100, against 25 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?
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