We measure how the world's news covered people being harmed — and the help and hope within it.
500 of its 2,081 stories (24%) were about people being harmed, usually 15%. Reports of people injured ran at about 6 times the usual rate (139 stories). Earthquake was named in 174 of its stories about harm, about 4 times usual, with hypothermia, avalanche and bird flu. 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.
68 of its 109 stories (62%) were about people being harmed, usually 40%. Caracas accounted for 53 of Venezuela's 68 stories about harm, carried by 82 outlets. Reports of abductions ran at about 5 times the usual rate (11 stories).
57 of its 72 stories (79%) were about people being harmed, usually 66%. Darfur accounted for 22 of Sudan's 57 stories about harm, carried by 28 outlets. Its coverage was about three times as grief-stricken as the world's.
81 of its 403 stories (20%) were about people being harmed, usually 13%. Power cuts were named in 17 of its stories about harm, about 7 times usual.
45 of its 111 stories (41%) were about people being harmed, usually 23%. Reports of people injured ran at about 4 times the usual rate (8 stories). Its coverage was about one and a half times as grief-stricken as the world's.
42 of its 157 stories (27%) were about people being harmed, usually 17%. the Panama Canal accounted for 40 of Panama's 42 stories about harm, carried by 59 outlets. Reports of abductions ran at about 9 times the usual rate (9 stories).
98 of its 208 stories (47%) were about people being harmed, usually 40%. Tehran accounted for 71 of Iran's 98 stories about harm, carried by 220 outlets. Reports of abductions ran at about three times the usual rate (16 stories).
7,904 of its 29,922 stories (26%) were about people being harmed, usually 21%. Reports of evacuations ran at more than ten times the usual rate (596 stories). Wildfires were named in 1,409 of its stories about harm, more than ten times usual, with storms.
Damascus accounted for 56 of Syria's 105 stories about harm, carried by 149 outlets. Reports of people injured ran at about twice the usual rate (9 stories). Its coverage was about one and a half times as angry as the world's.
33 of its 57 stories (58%) were about people being harmed, usually 33%. Reports of people injured ran at about three times the usual rate (12 stories).
Also named far more than usual: flooding in Saudi Arabia (21 of its stories, more than ten times its usual); wildfires in US (1409 of its stories, more than ten times its usual); respiratory illness in India (72 of its stories, about three times its usual); storms in Japan (10 of its stories, more than ten times its usual); plane crash in Australia (27 of its stories, more than ten times its usual).
Stories about people being harmed, in every 100 stories, the 30 days to 8 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 20,598 stories about harm among 100,155 counted on 8 Jan.
Evacuations were reported at about 5 times the usual rate, most often about the US and the UK. 21 in every 100 of the day's 100,155 news stories were about people being harmed, above the usual 19. In China's news, mentions of the earthquake ran about 4 times their usual. China stood out: 24% of its news was about people being harmed, usually 15%. On 9 January 2024, a year earlier, the share was 20 in every 100, against 21 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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