We measure how the world's news covered people being harmed — and the help and hope within it.
Kyiv accounted for 175 of Ukraine's 341 stories about harm, carried by 306 outlets. Reports of evacuations ran at about twice the usual rate (21 stories). Power cuts were named in 36 of its stories about harm, about 5 times usual. Its coverage was about twice as angry as the world's.
53 of its 194 stories (27%) were about people being harmed, usually 15%. Reports of arrests ran at about 5 times the usual rate (16 stories). Earthquake was named in 10 of its stories about harm, more than ten times usual.
33 of its 91 stories (36%) were about people being harmed, usually 21%. 12 of Dakar's 19 stories were about protests or strikes.
65 of its 85 stories (76%) were about people being harmed, usually 66%. Cholera was named in 14 of its stories about harm, about three times usual, with malaria.
Jerusalem accounted for 305 of Israel's 1,057 stories about harm, carried by 301 outlets. Reports of arrests ran at about twice the usual rate (227 stories). Train derailment was named in 10 of its stories about harm, more than ten times usual. Its coverage was about twice as grief-stricken as the world's.
145 of its 187 stories (78%) were about people being harmed, usually 60%. Baghdad accounted for 112 of Iraq's 145 stories about harm, carried by 257 outlets. Its coverage was about three times as angry as the world's. Grief in its coverage rose to about one and a half times its own usual.
513 of its 1,208 stories (42%) were about people being harmed, usually 31%. Reports of people injured ran at about 5 times the usual rate (234 stories). Its coverage was about one and a half times as angry as the world's.
93 of its 206 stories (45%) were about people being harmed, usually 34%. Helicopter crash was named in 29 of its stories about harm, more than ten times usual, with tsunami and covid. Its coverage was about twice as grief-stricken as the world's.
34 of its 80 stories (42%) were about people being harmed, usually 32%. Reports of refugees ran at about three times the usual rate (8 stories). Drought was named in 23 of its stories about harm, about three times usual, with hunger.
Reports of evacuations ran at more than ten times the usual rate (53 stories). Landslides were named in 73 of its stories about harm, about 7 times usual, with flooding. Its coverage was about one and a half times as fearful as the world's. Grief in its coverage rose to about one and a half times its own usual.
Also named far more than usual: drought in Ethiopia (23 of its stories, about three times its usual); dengue in Brazil (25 of its stories, about 9 times its usual); landslides in Philippines (73 of its stories, about 7 times its usual); poisoning in Ecuador (16 of its stories, more than ten times its usual); helicopter crash in Chile (29 of its stories, more than ten times its usual).
Stories about people being harmed, in every 100 stories, the 30 days to 7 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 20,937 stories about harm among 117,616 counted on 7 Feb.
People falling ill were reported at about three times the usual rate, most often about the US and New Zealand. 18 in every 100 of the day's 117,616 news stories were about people being harmed, as usual. In Ethiopia's news, mentions of the drought ran about three times their usual. A year earlier, on 7 February 2023, 21 in every 100 stories were about people being harmed, against 18 today. Ukraine's news was 38% about people being harmed, against a usual 33%.
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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