We measure how the world's news covered people being harmed — and the help and hope within it.
272 of its 758 stories (36%) were about people being harmed, usually 30%. 50 of Islamabad's 99 stories were about protests or strikes. Reports of people displaced ran at about 4 times the usual rate (6 stories). Earthquake was named in 17 of its stories about harm, about 7 times usual. Its coverage was about one and a half times as fearful as the world's.
35 of its 112 stories (31%) were about people being harmed, usually 20%. Reports of people killed ran at about twice the usual rate (7 stories). Covid was named in 23 of its stories about harm, more than ten times usual.
40 of its 50 stories (80%) were about people being harmed, usually 64%. Damascus accounted for 26 of Syria's 40 stories about harm, carried by 28 outlets. Its coverage was about one and a half times as angry as the world's.
23 of its 45 stories (51%) were about people being harmed, usually 25%. Upolu accounted for 23 of Samoa's 23 stories about harm, carried by 22 outlets.
17 of its 31 stories (55%) were about people being harmed, usually 24%. 15 of Tirana's 15 stories were about protests or strikes. Reports of people injured ran at more than ten times the usual rate (11 stories).
43 of its 204 stories (21%) were about people being harmed, usually 10%. 8 of Baku's 16 stories were about protests or strikes. Reports of arrests ran at about 4 times the usual rate (8 stories).
9 of Chilpancingo's 18 stories were about protests or strikes. Reports of abductions ran at about twice the usual rate (11 stories). Anger in its coverage rose to about one and a half times its own usual.
Reports of abductions ran at about three times the usual rate (16 stories). Flu was named in 27 of its stories about harm, about 4 times usual, with house fires. Anger in its coverage rose to about one and a half times its own usual.
22 of its 61 stories (36%) were about people being harmed, usually 16%. Reports of people injured ran at more than ten times the usual rate (8 stories).
16 of its 31 stories (52%) were about people being harmed, usually 28%. Reports of people injured ran at about 4 times the usual rate (6 stories).
Also named far more than usual: cholera in Sudan (16 of its stories, about three times its usual); covid in Russia (33 of its stories, about 7 times its usual); storm surge in US (942 of its stories, about 4 times its usual); hurricane in Japan (11 of its stories, about 6 times its usual); flu in Canada (27 of its stories, about 4 times its usual).
Stories about people being harmed, in every 100 stories, the 30 days to 8 Oct. 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 20,256 stories about harm among 103,918 counted on 8 Oct.
It was the fourth day running that the news turned to Pakistan. of the day's 103,918 news stories, 19 in every 100 were about people being harmed, as usual. Reports of people freed or reunited, a sign of help, ran at about one and a half times the usual rate. Mentions of Covid ran more than ten times their usual in Belgium's news. On 9 October 2023, a year earlier, the share was 22 in every 100, against 19 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 much softer 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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