We measure how the world's news covered people being harmed — and the help and hope within it.
67 of its 92 stories (73%) were about people being harmed, usually 48%. Algiers accounted for 39 of Algeria's 67 stories about harm, carried by 71 outlets. Reports of refugees ran at more than ten times the usual rate (8 stories). Its coverage was about twice as grief-stricken as the world's.
61 of its 102 stories (60%) were about people being harmed, usually 45%. Reports of evacuations ran at about 7 times the usual rate (7 stories). Anger in its coverage rose to about one and a half times its own usual.
16 of its 37 stories (43%) were about people being harmed, usually 24%. Reports of arrests ran at about 4 times the usual rate (5 stories).
53 of Melbourne's 73 stories were about protests or strikes. Reports of arrests ran at about 4 times the usual rate (55 stories).
102 of its 222 stories (46%) were about people being harmed, usually 39%. Reports of people affected ran at about twice the usual rate (18 stories). Landslides were named in 10 of its stories about harm, about 9 times usual.
Kabul accounted for 418 of Afghanistan's 600 stories about harm, carried by 717 outlets. Reports of people injured ran at about twice the usual rate (107 stories). Its coverage was about twice as angry as the world's. Grief in its coverage rose to about one and a half times its own usual.
54 of its 181 stories (30%) were about people being harmed, usually 18%. Illness was named in 18 of its stories about harm, about three times usual.
107 of its 438 stories (24%) were about people being harmed, usually 15%. Reports of people injured ran at about 5 times the usual rate (10 stories).
22 of its 37 stories (59%) were about people being harmed, usually 46%. Tunis accounted for 21 of Tunisia's 22 stories about harm, carried by 35 outlets.
52 of its 130 stories (40%) were about people being harmed, usually 32%. Reports of refugees ran at about three times the usual rate (6 stories).
Also named far more than usual: illness in United Arab Emirates (18 of its stories, about three times its usual); outbreaks in Ireland (13 of its stories, about 4 times its usual); landslides in Malaysia (10 of its stories, about 9 times its usual); poisoning in UK (11 of its stories, about three times its usual).
Stories about people being harmed, in every 100 stories, the 30 days to 18 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 13,139 stories about harm among 46,329 counted on 18 Sep.
Mentions of outbreaks ran about 4 times their usual in Ireland's news. of the day's 46,329 news stories, 28 in every 100 were about people being harmed, as usual. Algeria stood out: 73% of its news was about people being harmed, usually 48%. A year earlier, on 18 September 2020, 26 in every 100 stories were about people being harmed, against 28 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 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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