We measure how the world's news covered people being harmed — and the help and hope within it.
29 of its 77 stories (38%) were about people being harmed, usually 28%. Reports of people killed ran at about three times the usual rate (17 stories). Covid was named in 10 of its stories about harm, about 6 times usual. Its coverage was about twice as grief-stricken as the world's.
Moscow accounted for 190 of Russia's 353 stories about harm, carried by 453 outlets. Reports of people injured ran at about 4 times the usual rate (115 stories). Landslides were named in 30 of its stories about harm, more than ten times usual. Its coverage was about twice as angry as the world's.
59 of its 207 stories (29%) were about people being harmed, usually 14%. Bucharest accounted for 42 of Romania's 59 stories about harm, carried by 77 outlets. Reports of arrests ran at about 4 times the usual rate (16 stories).
46 of its 77 stories (60%) were about people being harmed, usually 50%. Kigali accounted for 21 of Rwanda's 46 stories about harm, carried by 68 outlets. Reports of refugees ran at about twice the usual rate (24 stories).
13 of its 21 stories (62%) were about people being harmed, usually 18%. Reports of people killed ran at about 8 times the usual rate (10 stories). Fear in its coverage rose to about one and a half times its own usual.
74 of its 129 stories (57%) were about people being harmed, usually 41%. Illness was named in 13 of its stories about harm, about three times usual. Its coverage was about twice as angry as the world's.
282 of its 884 stories (32%) were about people being harmed, usually 26%. Reports of abductions ran at about 5 times the usual rate (18 stories). Flooding was named in 16 of its stories about harm, about three times usual.
Reports of evacuations ran at about 7 times the usual rate (5 stories). Gas explosion was named in 34 of its stories about harm, more than ten times usual. Anger in its coverage rose to about one and a half times its own usual.
Port-au-Prince accounted for 114 of Haiti's 158 stories about harm, carried by 179 outlets. Reports of evacuations ran at more than ten times the usual rate (9 stories). Hunger was named in 31 of its stories about harm, about 9 times usual.
10 of its 18 stories (56%) were about people being harmed, usually 31%. Its coverage was about one and a half times as grief-stricken as the world's.
Also named far more than usual: power cuts in Ghana (27 of its stories, about 6 times its usual); hunger in Haiti (31 of its stories, about 9 times its usual); volcanic eruption in Germany (21 of its stories, about three times its usual); illness in Lebanon (13 of its stories, about three times its usual); gas explosion in China (34 of its stories, more than ten times its usual).
Stories about people being harmed, in every 100 stories, the 30 days to 13 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 19,872 stories about harm among 114,775 counted on 13 Mar.
In Ghana's news, mentions of power cuts ran about 6 times their usual. Stories about people being harmed made up 17 in every 100 of the day's 114,775 stories, as usual. Malawi's news was 38% about people being harmed, against a usual 28%. On 14 March 2023, a year earlier, the share was 19 in every 100, against 17 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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