We measure how the world's news covered people being harmed — and the help and hope within it.
54 of its 70 stories (77%) were about people being harmed, usually 24%. Oslo accounted for 43 of Norway's 54 stories about harm, carried by 211 outlets. Reports of people killed ran at about 9 times the usual rate (29 stories). Landslides were named in 43 of its stories about harm, about 4 times usual. Grief in its coverage rose to about one and a half times its own usual.
31 of its 38 stories (82%) were about people being harmed, usually 48%. Mogadishu accounted for 27 of Somalia's 31 stories about harm, carried by 34 outlets. Reports of people injured ran at about 6 times the usual rate (18 stories). Its coverage was about twice as angry as the world's. Grief in its coverage rose to about one and a half times its own usual.
103 of its 281 stories (37%) were about people being harmed, usually 23%. 7 of Waiariki's 13 stories were about protests or strikes. Reports of arrests ran at about three times the usual rate (15 stories). Heavy rain was named in 27 of its stories about harm, more than ten times usual, with flooding.
44 of its 95 stories (46%) were about people being harmed, usually 38%. Bangkok accounted for 31 of Thailand's 44 stories about harm, carried by 45 outlets. Grief in its coverage rose to about one and a half times its own usual.
62 of its 85 stories (73%) were about people being harmed, usually 53%. Baghdad accounted for 48 of Iraq's 62 stories about harm, carried by 211 outlets. Illness was named in 18 of its stories about harm, about 4 times usual. Its coverage was about twice as angry as the world's.
93 of its 132 stories (70%) were about people being harmed, usually 62%. Kabul accounted for 37 of Afghanistan's 93 stories about harm, carried by 35 outlets. Reports of abductions ran at about 7 times the usual rate (6 stories). Its coverage was about twice as grief-stricken as the world's. Fear in its coverage rose to about one and a half times its own usual.
53 of its 104 stories (51%) were about people being harmed, usually 35%. Reports of people injured ran at about three times the usual rate (14 stories). Its coverage was about one and a half times as fearful as the world's.
49 of its 56 stories (88%) were about people being harmed, usually 68%. Reports of people injured ran at about twice the usual rate (36 stories). Its coverage was about three times as angry as the world's.
15 of its 25 stories (60%) were about people being harmed, usually 33%. Reports of people killed ran at about twice the usual rate (14 stories). Its coverage was about twice as grief-stricken as the world's.
40 of its 60 stories (67%) were about people being harmed, usually 54%. Reports of people injured ran at about twice the usual rate (12 stories). Its coverage was about three times as angry as the world's. Grief in its coverage rose to about one and a half times its own usual.
Also named far more than usual: covid in Puerto Rico (11 of its stories, about 4 times its usual); illness in Iraq (18 of its stories, about 4 times its usual); illness in Lebanon (10 of its stories, about 5 times its usual); polio in India (53 of its stories, more than ten times its usual); helicopter crash in Canada (11 of its stories, more than ten times its usual).
Stories about people being harmed, in every 100 stories, the 30 days to 2 Jan. 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 12,159 stories about harm among 42,136 counted on 2 Jan.
Norway stood out: 77% of its news was about people being harmed, usually 24%. It was the third day running that the news turned to Norway. A year earlier, on 3 January 2020, 21 in every 100 stories were about people being harmed, against 29 today. Stories about people being harmed made up 29 in every 100 of the day's 42,136 stories, above the usual 27.
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 harsher 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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