We measure how the world's news covered people being harmed — and the help and hope within it.
126 of its 151 stories (83%) were about people being harmed, usually 35%. Vanua Levu accounted for 56 of Fiji's 126 stories about harm, carried by 54 outlets. Reports of evacuations ran at about 7 times the usual rate (32 stories). Landslides were named in 35 of its stories about harm, about 4 times usual. Grief in its coverage rose to about twice its own usual.
32 of its 46 stories (70%) were about people being harmed, usually 51%. Cabo Delgado accounted for 20 of Mozambique's 32 stories about harm, carried by 22 outlets. Reports of people displaced ran at about twice the usual rate (14 stories). Its coverage was about one and a half times as fearful as the world's.
686 of its 1,570 stories (44%) were about people being harmed, usually 36%. Reports of abductions ran at about 4 times the usual rate (315 stories).
60 of its 306 stories (20%) were about people being harmed, usually 12%. Reports of people affected ran at about twice the usual rate (6 stories).
26 of its 45 stories (58%) were about people being harmed, usually 34%. Reports of people affected ran at about 4 times the usual rate (10 stories). Its coverage was about one and a half times as grief-stricken as the world's.
111 of its 165 stories (67%) were about people being harmed, usually 60%. Kabul accounted for 47 of Afghanistan's 111 stories about harm, carried by 94 outlets. Its coverage was about three times as angry as the world's.
97 of its 398 stories (24%) were about people being harmed, usually 17%. Reports of arrests ran at about 4 times the usual rate (21 stories).
22 of its 40 stories (55%) were about people being harmed, usually 41%. Cyclone was named in 20 of its stories about harm, about 4 times usual, with heavy rain and flooding.
78 of its 223 stories (35%) were about people being harmed, usually 27%. Reports of refugees ran at about 4 times the usual rate (9 stories).
13 of its 22 stories (59%) were about people being harmed, usually 41%. Its coverage was about one and a half times as fearful as the world's.
Also named far more than usual: outbreaks in Australia (187 of its stories, about 4 times its usual); cyclone in Tonga (20 of its stories, about 4 times its usual); hunger in South Sudan (11 of its stories, about 5 times its usual); snowstorms in Japan (24 of its stories, more than ten times its usual); flu in France (21 of its stories, about 6 times its usual).
Stories about people being harmed, in every 100 stories, the 30 days to 18 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 23,799 stories about harm among 93,988 counted on 18 Dec.
The news turned to Fiji for the third day running. 25 in every 100 of the day's 93,988 news stories were about people being harmed, as usual. Abductions were reported at about three times the usual rate, most often about Nigeria and the US. Reports of people freed or reunited, a sign of help, ran at about one and a half times the usual rate. Fiji's news was 83% about people being harmed, against a usual 35%.
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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