We measure how the world's news covered people being harmed — and the help and hope within it.
99 of its 226 stories (44%) were about people being harmed, usually 30%. Jeju accounted for 48 of South Korea's 99 stories about harm, carried by 89 outlets. Reports of people injured ran at about 4 times the usual rate (18 stories). Accidents were named in 10 of its stories about harm, about 4 times usual.
106 of its 165 stories (64%) were about people being harmed, usually 49%. Caracas accounted for 62 of Venezuela's 106 stories about harm, carried by 218 outlets. 46 of Caracas' 62 stories were about protests or strikes. Its coverage was about one and a half times as fearful as the world's.
27 of its 61 stories (44%) were about people being harmed, usually 25%. Kampala accounted for 20 of Uganda's 27 stories about harm, carried by 15 outlets. Reports of arrests ran at about twice the usual rate (6 stories).
Damascus accounted for 63 of Syria's 82 stories about harm, carried by 168 outlets. Reports of people injured ran at about 4 times the usual rate (16 stories). Its coverage was about one and a half times as angry as the world's.
134 of its 404 stories (33%) were about people being harmed, usually 22%. Reports of people injured ran at about twice the usual rate (27 stories). Train derailment was named in 13 of its stories about harm, more than ten times usual. Its coverage was about one and a half times as fearful as the world's.
16 of its 28 stories (57%) were about people being harmed, usually 32%. 3 of San Salvador's 4 stories were about protests or strikes. Earthquake was named in 13 of its stories about harm, about three times usual, with heavy rain.
46 of its 144 stories (32%) were about people being harmed, usually 22%. 22 of Bangkok's 28 stories were about protests or strikes. Reports of refugees ran at more than ten times the usual rate (9 stories).
Reports of refugees ran at about 6 times the usual rate (5 stories). Poisoning was named in 11 of its stories about harm, about 6 times usual. Its coverage was about one and a half times as fearful as the world's.
Wad Madani accounted for 22 of Sudan's 39 stories about harm, carried by 71 outlets. 14 of Wad Madani's 22 stories were about protests or strikes. Its coverage was about one and a half times as angry as the world's.
15 of its 36 stories (42%) were about people being harmed, usually 20%. Reports of people killed ran at about three times the usual rate (12 stories).
Also named far more than usual: earthquake in El Salvador (13 of its stories, about three times its usual); outbreaks in Germany (16 of its stories, about 9 times its usual); train derailment in France (13 of its stories, more than ten times its usual); illness in Russia (12 of its stories, about three times its usual); flooding in India (34 of its stories, about 4 times its usual).
Stories about people being harmed, in every 100 stories, the 30 days to 11 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 12,307 stories about harm among 55,667 counted on 11 Jan.
Reports of evacuations ran at about 4 times the usual rate, most often about the US and the UK. 22 in every 100 of the day's 55,667 news stories were about people being harmed, above the usual 19. A year earlier, on 12 January 2024, 20 in every 100 stories were about people being harmed, against 22 today. South Korea stood out: 44% of its news was about people being harmed, usually 30%.
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 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?
Unlock a year of trends, free. Follow up to 5 countries, with a bell when their news changes, and 👍 vote for Pro — ten years of the archive, any period, daily alerts.
Create a free accountSign in · a username, an email and a password.