We measure how the world's news covered people being harmed — and the help and hope within it.
Kabul accounted for 475 of Afghanistan's 786 stories about harm, carried by 529 outlets. Reports of arrests ran at about 5 times the usual rate (63 stories). Measles was named in 23 of its stories about harm, more than ten times usual, with outbreaks. Its coverage was about twice as fearful as the world's.
50 of its 113 stories (44%) were about people being harmed, usually 20%. Copenhagen accounted for 35 of Denmark's 50 stories about harm, carried by 51 outlets. Outbreaks were named in 13 of its stories about harm, about 4 times usual.
48 of its 64 stories (75%) were about people being harmed, usually 51%. 11 of Jenin's 18 stories were about protests or strikes. Reports of arrests ran at about three times the usual rate (27 stories).
Beirut accounted for 49 of Lebanon's 64 stories about harm, carried by 89 outlets.
16 of its 24 stories (67%) were about people being harmed, usually 37%. Tetovo accounted for 15 of North Macedonia's 16 stories about harm, carried by 68 outlets. Its coverage was about one and a half times as grief-stricken as the world's.
41 of its 136 stories (30%) were about people being harmed, usually 19%. Reports of people killed ran at about 4 times the usual rate (24 stories). Its coverage was about twice as grief-stricken as the world's.
36 of its 67 stories (54%) were about people being harmed, usually 42%. Pyongyang accounted for 29 of North Korea's 36 stories about harm, carried by 35 outlets. Illness was named in 19 of its stories about harm, about three times usual.
846 of its 2,343 stories (36%) were about people being harmed, usually 30%. Reports of refugees ran at about twice the usual rate (6 stories). Storm surge was named in 18 of its stories about harm, more than ten times usual, with tropical storm and power cuts.
10 of Tripoli's 14 stories were about protests or strikes. Oil spill was named in 10 of its stories about harm, more than ten times usual, with flooding. Its coverage was about one and a half times as grief-stricken as the world's. Anger in its coverage rose to about one and a half times its own usual.
73 of its 185 stories (39%) were about people being harmed, usually 28%. Its coverage was about one and a half times as fearful as the world's.
Also named far more than usual: covid in Greece (31 of its stories, about three times its usual); covid in Cuba (17 of its stories, about three times its usual); illness in North Korea (19 of its stories, about three times its usual); oil spill in Libya (10 of its stories, more than ten times its usual); flooding in Venezuela (10 of its stories, about 8 times its usual).
Stories about people being harmed, in every 100 stories, the 30 days to 10 Sep. 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 23,987 stories about harm among 81,383 counted on 10 Sep.
On the side of help, reports of people freed or reunited ran at about one and a half times the usual rate. Stories about people being harmed made up 29 in every 100 of the day's 81,383 stories, above the usual 28. It was the second day running that the news turned to Afghanistan. In Greece's news, mentions of Covid ran about three times their usual. On 10 September 2020, a year earlier, the share was 27 in every 100, against 29 today.
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 softer 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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