We measure how the world's news covered people being harmed — and the help and hope within it.
623 of its 937 stories (66%) were about people being harmed, usually 36%. Minsk accounted for 561 of Belarus' 623 stories about harm, carried by 572 outlets. 339 of Minsk's 561 stories were about protests or strikes. Reports of abductions ran at about 8 times the usual rate (5 stories). Its coverage was about one and a half times as fearful as the world's.
88 of its 102 stories (86%) were about people being harmed, usually 45%. Reports of evacuations ran at about 7 times the usual rate (20 stories). Earthquake was named in 12 of its stories about harm, about 6 times usual, with cholera. Its coverage was about one and a half times as fearful as the world's.
109 of its 203 stories (54%) were about people being harmed, usually 37%. Taipei accounted for 72 of Taiwan's 109 stories about harm, carried by 60 outlets. Power cuts were named in 10 of its stories about harm, about 4 times usual. Anger in its coverage rose to about one and a half times its own usual.
80 of its 146 stories (55%) were about people being harmed, usually 44%. Tigray accounted for 60 of Ethiopia's 80 stories about harm, carried by 249 outlets. Its coverage was about twice as angry as the world's.
224 of its 741 stories (30%) were about people being harmed, usually 21%. Reports of people killed ran at about three times the usual rate (166 stories). Road crashes were named in 30 of its stories about harm, more than ten times usual. Its coverage was about one and a half times as grief-stricken as the world's.
53 of its 63 stories (84%) were about people being harmed, usually 57%. Reports of evacuations ran at about 7 times the usual rate (7 stories). Its coverage was about one and a half times as grief-stricken as the world's.
620 of its 2,060 stories (30%) were about people being harmed, usually 23%. Reports of people falling ill ran at more than ten times the usual rate (12 stories). Storms were named in 28 of its stories about harm, about three times usual, with hunger and extreme cold.
16 of its 19 stories (84%) were about people being harmed, usually 47%. Reports of arrests ran at about 8 times the usual rate (7 stories).
68 of its 148 stories (46%) were about people being harmed, usually 35%. Reports of people affected ran at about three times the usual rate (11 stories).
156 of its 431 stories (36%) were about people being harmed, usually 27%. Reports of people injured ran at more than ten times the usual rate (34 stories).
Also named far more than usual: flu in Romania (16 of its stories, more than ten times its usual); cyclone in Bangladesh (17 of its stories, about 9 times its usual); road crashes in Italy (30 of its stories, more than ten times its usual); plane crash in Nigeria (51 of its stories, about 7 times its usual); storms in China (28 of its stories, about three times its usual).
Stories about people being harmed, in every 100 stories, the 30 days to 24 May. 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 18,907 stories about harm among 77,372 counted on 24 May.
Mentions of the flu ran more than ten times their usual in Romania's news. of the day's 77,372 news stories, 24 in every 100 were about people being harmed, as usual. the news turned to Belarus for the second day running. On 24 May 2020, a year earlier, the share was 35 in every 100, against 24 today. In Belarus, 66% of the news was about people being harmed, where 36% is usual.
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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