We measure how the world's news covered people being harmed — and the help and hope within it.
101 of its 138 stories (73%) were about people being harmed, usually 28%. Reports of evacuations ran at more than ten times the usual rate (12 stories). Cyclone was named in 80 of its stories about harm, about 4 times usual, with heavy rain, flooding and storms.
Reports of abductions ran at about three times the usual rate (11 stories). Natural hazards were named in 10 of its stories about harm, about 4 times usual. Its coverage was about three times as angry as the world's.
Kabul accounted for 49 of Afghanistan's 89 stories about harm, carried by 72 outlets. Reports of refugees ran at about three times the usual rate (9 stories). Its coverage was about three times as angry as the world's.
Tigray accounted for 51 of Ethiopia's 68 stories about harm, carried by 98 outlets. Its coverage was about twice as angry as the world's.
Cairo accounted for 54 of Egypt's 71 stories about harm, carried by 55 outlets. Reports of people affected ran at about three times the usual rate (11 stories). Cholera was named in 16 of its stories about harm, more than ten times usual.
15 of its 23 stories (65%) were about people being harmed, usually 28%. Reports of people killed ran at about twice the usual rate (11 stories).
33 of its 86 stories (38%) were about people being harmed, usually 22%. Power cuts were named in 10 of its stories about harm, more than ten times usual.
28 of its 91 stories (31%) were about people being harmed, usually 16%. Its coverage was about twice as fearful as the world's.
Tunis accounted for 21 of Tunisia's 28 stories about harm, carried by 9 outlets. Fear in its coverage rose to about one and a half times its own usual.
Reports of arrests ran at about 5 times the usual rate (8 stories). Its coverage was about twice as angry as the world's.
Also named far more than usual: cholera in Egypt (16 of its stories, more than ten times its usual); power cuts in Jersey (10 of its stories, more than ten times its usual); poisoning in Russia (32 of its stories, about 4 times its usual); earthquake in Philippines (28 of its stories, about 6 times its usual); helicopter crash in New Zealand (13 of its stories, about 10 times its usual).
Stories about people being harmed, in every 100 stories, the 30 days to 16 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 25,403 stories about harm among 100,717 counted on 16 Dec.
Fiji's news was 73% about people being harmed, against a usual 28%. of the day's 100,717 news stories, 25 in every 100 were about people being harmed, as usual. Abductions were reported at about twice the usual rate, most often about Nigeria and France. Mentions of the cyclone ran about 4 times their usual in Fiji's news. On 17 December 2019, a year earlier, the share was 17 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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