We measure how the world's news covered people being harmed — and the help and hope within it.
67 of its 105 stories (64%) were about people being harmed, usually 45%. Tigray accounted for 49 of Ethiopia's 67 stories about harm, carried by 77 outlets. Reports of abductions ran at more than ten times the usual rate (8 stories). Hunger was named in 29 of its stories about harm, about 5 times usual. Its coverage was about one and a half times as angry as the world's.
134 of its 162 stories (83%) were about people being harmed, usually 50%. Kigali accounted for 72 of Rwanda's 134 stories about harm, carried by 150 outlets. Reports of evacuations ran at about 5 times the usual rate (32 stories). Its coverage was about three times as grief-stricken as the world's.
39 of its 46 stories (85%) were about people being harmed, usually 62%. Reports of evacuations ran at about 5 times the usual rate (9 stories). Earthquake was named in 13 of its stories about harm, about 9 times usual. Its coverage was about one and a half times as fearful as the world's.
Reports of evacuations ran at about three times the usual rate (6 stories). Outbreaks were named in 167 of its stories about harm, about 4 times usual. Its coverage was about one and a half times as fearful as the world's.
92 of its 190 stories (48%) were about people being harmed, usually 35%. Colombo accounted for 75 of Sri Lanka's 92 stories about harm, carried by 81 outlets. Reports of evacuations ran at more than ten times the usual rate (11 stories). Oil spill was named in 28 of its stories about harm, more than ten times usual, with heavy rain.
219 of its 358 stories (61%) were about people being harmed, usually 52%. Minsk accounted for 204 of Belarus' 219 stories about harm, carried by 309 outlets. Its coverage was about one and a half times as fearful as the world's.
20 of Baghdad's 29 stories were about protests or strikes. Reports of arrests ran at about three times the usual rate (17 stories). Its coverage was about one and a half times as fearful as the world's.
12 of its 14 stories (86%) were about people being harmed, usually 31%. Volcanic eruption was named in 10 of its stories about harm, about 9 times usual.
107 of its 201 stories (53%) were about people being harmed, usually 39%. Taipei accounted for 71 of Taiwan's 107 stories about harm, carried by 119 outlets.
883 of its 2,552 stories (35%) were about people being harmed, usually 24%. Reports of people falling ill ran at about 4 times the usual rate (8 stories).
Also named far more than usual: oil spill in Sri Lanka (28 of its stories, more than ten times its usual); natural hazards in DR Congo (11 of its stories, about 6 times its usual); cyclone in Bangladesh (23 of its stories, about 6 times its usual); volcanic eruption in Vanuatu (10 of its stories, about 9 times its usual); drought in France (29 of its stories, more than ten times its usual).
Stories about people being harmed, in every 100 stories, the 30 days to 27 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 22,474 stories about harm among 93,599 counted on 27 May.
Mentions of outbreaks ran about 4 times their usual in Australia's news. of the day's 93,599 news stories, 24 in every 100 were about people being harmed, as usual. On 27 May 2020, a year earlier, the share was 32 in every 100, against 24 today. Ethiopia's news was 64% about people being harmed, against a usual 45%.
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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