We measure how the world's news covered people being harmed — and the help and hope within it.
136 of its 271 stories (50%) were about people being harmed, usually 39%. 32 of Wellington's 48 stories were about protests or strikes. Reports of people injured ran at about 5 times the usual rate (12 stories). Cyclone was named in 31 of its stories about harm, about 9 times usual, with heavy rain, storms and tornadoes. Anger in its coverage rose to about one and a half times its own usual.
54 of its 66 stories (82%) were about people being harmed, usually 63%. Aung Hlaing accounted for 30 of Myanmar's 54 stories about harm, carried by 163 outlets. Reports of arrests ran at about three times the usual rate (39 stories).
43 of its 67 stories (64%) were about people being harmed, usually 50%. Yuen Long accounted for 20 of Hong Kong's 43 stories about harm, carried by 14 outlets. Grief in its coverage rose to about one and a half times its own usual.
Jammu accounted for 21 of Kashmir's 39 stories about harm, carried by 14 outlets. Reports of arrests ran at about three times the usual rate (15 stories). Its coverage was about three times as fearful as the world's. Warmth in its coverage rose to about one and a half times its own usual.
169 of its 255 stories (66%) were about people being harmed, usually 58%. Kabul accounted for 116 of Afghanistan's 169 stories about harm, carried by 331 outlets. 59 of Kabul's 116 stories were about protests or strikes. Reports of arrests ran at about three times the usual rate (40 stories). Its coverage was about one and a half times as angry as the world's.
148 of its 511 stories (29%) were about people being harmed, usually 23%. Paris accounted for 109 of France's 148 stories about harm, carried by 309 outlets. 90 of Paris' 109 stories were about protests or strikes. Reports of arrests ran at about 8 times the usual rate (38 stories). Its coverage was about one and a half times as angry as the world's.
650 of its 1,523 stories (43%) were about people being harmed, usually 36%. Ottawa accounted for 280 of Canada's 650 stories about harm, carried by 574 outlets. 256 of Ottawa's 280 stories were about protests or strikes. Its coverage was about one and a half times as angry as the world's.
13 of its 17 stories (76%) were about people being harmed, usually 45%. 3 of Bishkek's 6 stories were about protests or strikes. Reports of arrests ran at about 4 times the usual rate (5 stories).
108 of its 284 stories (38%) were about people being harmed, usually 25%. 26 of Accra's 47 stories were about protests or strikes.
10 of its 16 stories (62%) were about people being harmed, usually 26%. 4 of el Valle's 4 stories were about protests or strikes.
Also named far more than usual: flooding in Ireland (10 of its stories, about 9 times its usual); drought in Australia (12 of its stories, about 6 times its usual); heavy rain in UK (12 of its stories, about 4 times its usual).
Stories about people being harmed, in every 100 stories, the 30 days to 12 Feb. 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 11,104 stories about harm among 47,683 counted on 12 Feb.
Mentions of the cyclone ran about 9 times their usual in New Zealand's news. On 12 February 2021, a year earlier, the share was 25 in every 100, against 23 today. New Zealand stood out: 50% of its news was about people being harmed, usually 39%. 23 in every 100 of the day's 47,683 news stories were about people being harmed, below the usual 25.
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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