We measure how the world's news covered people being harmed — and the help and hope within it.
57 of its 80 stories (71%) were about people being harmed, usually 50%. Reports of people injured ran at about 5 times the usual rate (6 stories). Earthquake was named in 29 of its stories about harm, about 7 times usual. Its coverage was about one and a half times as fearful as the world's.
68 of its 101 stories (67%) were about people being harmed, usually 52%. 24 of Baghdad's 37 stories were about protests or strikes. Reports of arrests ran at about 4 times the usual rate (20 stories). Its coverage was about twice as angry as the world's.
168 of its 540 stories (31%) were about people being harmed, usually 22%. Reports of arrests ran at more than ten times the usual rate (81 stories). Road crashes were named in 32 of its stories about harm, about 8 times usual.
271 of its 454 stories (60%) were about people being harmed, usually 50%. Minsk accounted for 236 of Belarus' 271 stories about harm, carried by 374 outlets. Its coverage was about one and a half times as fearful as the world's.
89 of its 181 stories (49%) were about people being harmed, usually 35%. Colombo accounted for 69 of Sri Lanka's 89 stories about harm, carried by 76 outlets. Reports of people injured ran at about twice the usual rate (6 stories). Oil spill was named in 14 of its stories about harm, more than ten times usual, with storms.
10 of Dawei's 11 stories were about protests or strikes. Reports of people injured ran at about three times the usual rate (19 stories). Illness was named in 10 of its stories about harm, about 4 times usual. Its coverage was about one and a half times as grief-stricken as the world's.
739 of its 2,342 stories (32%) were about people being harmed, usually 24%. Reports of people falling ill ran at about 4 times the usual rate (7 stories). Ebola was named in 15 of its stories about harm, about three times usual.
Damascus accounted for 70 of Syria's 125 stories about harm, carried by 184 outlets. Reports of people displaced ran at about twice the usual rate (21 stories). Its coverage was about one and a half times as angry as the world's.
Tigray accounted for 38 of Ethiopia's 44 stories about harm, carried by 58 outlets. Hunger was named in 16 of its stories about harm, about 5 times usual. Its coverage was about one and a half times as angry as the world's.
17 of its 20 stories (85%) were about people being harmed, usually 55%. Reports of people affected ran at about twice the usual rate (12 stories).
Also named far more than usual: cyclone in India (320 of its stories, about three times its usual); hunger in Ethiopia (16 of its stories, about 5 times its usual); cyclone in Bangladesh (19 of its stories, about 6 times its usual); illness in Myanmar (10 of its stories, about 4 times its usual); outbreaks in Ukraine (10 of its stories, about 7 times its usual).
Stories about people being harmed, in every 100 stories, the 30 days to 26 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 22,083 stories about harm among 92,469 counted on 26 May.
The news turned to Rwanda for the fifth day running. 24 in every 100 of the day's 92,469 news stories were about people being harmed, below the usual 25. Reports of evacuations ran at about three times the usual rate, most often about India and France. On 26 May 2020, a year earlier, the share was 32 in every 100, against 24 today. Rwanda's news was 71% about people being harmed, against a usual 50%.
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 about as 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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