We measure how the world's news covered people being harmed — and the help and hope within it.
576 of its 997 stories (58%) were about people being harmed, usually 36%. Kyiv accounted for 371 of Ukraine's 576 stories about harm, carried by 623 outlets. Reports of people killed ran at about three times the usual rate (483 stories). Plane crash was named in 16 of its stories about harm, more than ten times usual. Its coverage was about three times as grief-stricken as the world's.
120 of its 182 stories (66%) were about people being harmed, usually 53%. Tehran accounted for 57 of Iran's 120 stories about harm, carried by 57 outlets. 34 of Tehran's 57 stories were about protests or strikes. Reports of people affected ran at about 4 times the usual rate (6 stories). Its coverage was about one and a half times as angry as the world's. Fear in its coverage rose to about one and a half times its own usual.
169 of its 663 stories (25%) were about people being harmed, usually 14%. Davos accounted for 137 of Switzerland's 169 stories about harm, carried by 259 outlets. Reports of people killed ran at about 5 times the usual rate (54 stories). Anger in its coverage rose to about one and a half times its own usual.
74 of its 103 stories (72%) were about people being harmed, usually 54%. Pokhara accounted for 49 of Nepal's 74 stories about harm, carried by 59 outlets.
87 of its 153 stories (57%) were about people being harmed, usually 21%. Warsaw accounted for 74 of Poland's 87 stories about harm, carried by 77 outlets.
18 of its 60 stories (30%) were about people being harmed, usually 19%. Reports of people killed ran at about twice the usual rate (7 stories).
4 of Rwamagana's 6 stories were about protests or strikes. Reports of people displaced ran at about three times the usual rate (7 stories).
Covid was named in 84 of its stories about harm, about 4 times usual. Its coverage was about twice as grief-stricken as the world's.
Lima accounted for 22 of Peru's 26 stories about harm, carried by 28 outlets. 20 of Lima's 22 stories were about protests or strikes.
Reports of evacuations ran at about 6 times the usual rate (8 stories). Tsunami was named in 18 of its stories about harm, about 4 times usual.
Also named far more than usual: covid in France (84 of its stories, about 4 times its usual); tsunami in Indonesia (38 of its stories, about 5 times its usual); tsunami in Japan (18 of its stories, about 4 times its usual); hiv in South Africa (10 of its stories, about three times its usual).
Stories about people being harmed, in every 100 stories, the 30 days to 18 Jan. 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 15,810 stories about harm among 81,440 counted on 18 Jan.
For the second day running, the news turned to Ukraine. Stories about people being harmed made up 19 in every 100 of the day's 81,440 stories, below the usual 21. Mentions of Covid ran about 4 times their usual in France's news. On 18 January 2022, a year earlier, the share was 26 in every 100, against 19 today. Ukraine stood out: 58% of its news was about people being harmed, usually 36%.
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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