We measure how the world's news covered people being harmed — and the help and hope within it.
1,232 of its 2,576 stories (48%) were about people being harmed, usually 40%. Kyiv accounted for 627 of Ukraine's 1,232 stories about harm, carried by 889 outlets. Reports of abductions ran at more than ten times the usual rate (36 stories). Extreme cold was named in 30 of its stories about harm, about 5 times usual, with plague. Its coverage was about twice as angry as the world's.
45 of its 63 stories (71%) were about people being harmed, usually 24%. Siret accounted for 27 of Romania's 45 stories about harm, carried by 163 outlets. Reports of arrests ran at more than ten times the usual rate (16 stories). Fear in its coverage rose to about three times its own usual.
28 of its 66 stories (42%) were about people being harmed, usually 23%. Reports of people injured ran at about 5 times the usual rate (5 stories).
44 of its 110 stories (40%) were about people being harmed, usually 29%. Reports of refugees ran at about twice the usual rate (28 stories).
137 of its 212 stories (65%) were about people being harmed, usually 19%. Mecca accounted for 42 of Saudi Arabia's 137 stories about harm, carried by 176 outlets. Reports of people killed ran at about 8 times the usual rate (82 stories). Its coverage was about three times as grief-stricken as the world's.
62 of its 103 stories (60%) were about people being harmed, usually 43%. Pulwama accounted for 28 of Kashmir's 62 stories about harm, carried by 20 outlets. Reports of people killed ran at about twice the usual rate (29 stories). Its coverage was about 4 times as fearful as the world's. Grief in its coverage rose to about twice its own usual.
36 of its 43 stories (84%) were about people being harmed, usually 65%. Sanaa accounted for 14 of Yemen's 36 stories about harm, carried by 22 outlets. Its coverage was about three times as grief-stricken as the world's.
Reports of abductions ran at about 4 times the usual rate (6 stories). Plague was named in 14 of its stories about harm, about 6 times usual, with hiv. Its coverage was about twice as angry as the world's.
18 of its 23 stories (78%) were about people being harmed, usually 40%. Reports of arrests ran at about twice the usual rate (5 stories).
10 of its 12 stories (83%) were about people being harmed, usually 26%. Reports of arrests ran at about three times the usual rate (5 stories).
Also named far more than usual: earthquake in Japan (13 of its stories, about three times its usual); flu in Australia (16 of its stories, about 5 times its usual); plague in Russia (14 of its stories, about 6 times its usual); cyclone in US (51 of its stories, more than ten times its usual).
Stories about people being harmed, in every 100 stories, the 30 days to 12 Mar. 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 11,406 stories about harm among 48,125 counted on 12 Mar.
On the side of help, reports of people freed or reunited ran at about twice the usual rate. Stories about people being harmed made up 24 in every 100 of the day's 48,125 stories, as usual. It was the second day running that the news turned to Ukraine. On 12 March 2021, a year earlier, the share was 26 in every 100, against 24 today. Ukraine stood out: 48% of its news was about people being harmed, usually 40%.
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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