We measure how the world's news covered people being harmed — and the help and hope within it.
Tehran accounted for 199 of Iran's 275 stories about harm, carried by 394 outlets. Reports of abductions ran at about 7 times the usual rate (31 stories). Earthquake was named in 30 of its stories about harm, more than ten times usual, with flooding. Its coverage was about 4 times as grief-stricken as the world's.
128 of its 285 stories (45%) were about people being harmed, usually 23%. Bangkok accounted for 110 of Thailand's 128 stories about harm, carried by 207 outlets. Reports of people injured ran at about 7 times the usual rate (93 stories).
32 of its 82 stories (39%) were about people being harmed, usually 29%. 9 of Phnom Penh's 18 stories were about protests or strikes. Reports of arrests ran at about twice the usual rate (10 stories).
34 of its 94 stories (36%) were about people being harmed, usually 28%. Reports of people affected ran at about twice the usual rate (8 stories). Its coverage was about one and a half times as fearful as the world's.
136 of its 414 stories (33%) were about people being harmed, usually 23%. Wildfires were named in 32 of its stories about harm, more than ten times usual, with heatwave and hurricane. Its coverage was about one and a half times as grief-stricken as the world's.
34 of its 157 stories (22%) were about people being harmed, usually 13%. Reports of people killed ran at about twice the usual rate (12 stories). Grief in its coverage rose to about one and a half times its own usual.
Reports of evacuations ran at about three times the usual rate (12 stories). Flu was named in 74 of its stories about harm, more than ten times usual, with bird flu. Its coverage was about one and a half times as fearful as the world's.
Jerusalem accounted for 292 of Israel's 988 stories about harm, carried by 382 outlets. Helicopter crash was named in 24 of its stories about harm, about 7 times usual. Its coverage was about twice as angry as the world's.
252 of its 463 stories (54%) were about people being harmed, usually 18%. Reports of people injured ran at more than ten times the usual rate (205 stories).
59 of its 157 stories (38%) were about people being harmed, usually 21%. Reports of people affected ran at about 4 times the usual rate (18 stories).
Also named far more than usual: earthquake in Dominican Republic (12 of its stories, more than ten times its usual); wildfires in Mexico (32 of its stories, more than ten times its usual); cholera in Haiti (10 of its stories, about 4 times its usual); flu in Australia (74 of its stories, more than ten times its usual); covid in Zimbabwe (12 of its stories, about 4 times its usual).
Stories about people being harmed, in every 100 stories, the 30 days to 22 May. 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 19,966 stories about harm among 109,460 counted on 22 May.
The Dominican Republic's news mentioned the earthquake more than ten times as often as usual. 18 in every 100 of the day's 109,460 news stories were about people being harmed, as usual. A year earlier, on 23 May 2023, 18 in every 100 stories were about people being harmed, the same as today. Iran stood out: 43% of its news was about people being harmed, usually 39%.
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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