We measure how the world's news covered people being harmed — and the help and hope within it.
113 of its 179 stories (63%) were about people being harmed, usually 55%. Yangon accounted for 92 of Myanmar's 113 stories about harm, carried by 414 outlets. 89 of Yangon's 92 stories were about protests or strikes. Its coverage was about one and a half times as angry as the world's.
244 of its 444 stories (55%) were about people being harmed, usually 39%. Reports of people injured ran at about twice the usual rate (7 stories). Flu was named in 19 of its stories about harm, about three times usual.
1,213 of its 3,227 stories (38%) were about people being harmed, usually 26%. Reports of people affected ran at about 7 times the usual rate (335 stories). Flooding was named in 418 of its stories about harm, more than ten times usual, with avalanche, landslides and tsunami.
64 of its 90 stories (71%) were about people being harmed, usually 58%. Kabul accounted for 36 of Afghanistan's 64 stories about harm, carried by 54 outlets. Its coverage was about one and a half times as angry as the world's.
23 of its 28 stories (82%) were about people being harmed, usually 43%. Ebola was named in 19 of its stories about harm, about 7 times usual. Its coverage was about twice as grief-stricken as the world's.
22 of its 31 stories (71%) were about people being harmed, usually 38%. 9 of Port-au-Prince's 12 stories were about protests or strikes. Reports of arrests ran at about 7 times the usual rate (15 stories).
58 of its 133 stories (44%) were about people being harmed, usually 32%. Cairo accounted for 39 of Egypt's 58 stories about harm, carried by 53 outlets. Reports of arrests ran at about three times the usual rate (15 stories).
173 of its 350 stories (49%) were about people being harmed, usually 42%. Jerusalem accounted for 101 of Israel's 173 stories about harm, carried by 118 outlets. Grief in its coverage rose to about one and a half times its own usual.
Beirut accounted for 25 of Lebanon's 32 stories about harm, carried by 25 outlets. 13 of Beirut's 25 stories were about protests or strikes. Its coverage was about one and a half times as grief-stricken as the world's.
Reports of refugees ran at about three times the usual rate (28 stories). Avalanche was named in 92 of its stories about harm, about 9 times usual, with hypothermia. Grief in its coverage rose to about one and a half times its own usual.
Also named far more than usual: ebola in Congo (19 of its stories, about 7 times its usual); earthquake in Philippines (42 of its stories, about 9 times its usual); flooding in Indonesia (15 of its stories, about 4 times its usual); snowstorms in UK (49 of its stories, about three times its usual); hypothermia in Canada (11 of its stories, about 5 times its usual).
Stories about people being harmed, in every 100 stories, the 30 days to 7 Feb. 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 12,433 stories about harm among 45,857 counted on 7 Feb.
India's news mentioned flooding more than ten times as often as usual. 27 in every 100 of the day's 45,857 news stories were about people being harmed, as usual. A year earlier, on 8 February 2020, 22 in every 100 stories were about people being harmed, against 27 today. Myanmar stood out: 63% of its news was about people being harmed, usually 55%. This week the news turned most often to Myanmar, on 4 of 7 days.
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 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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