We measure how the world's news covered people being harmed — and the help and hope within it.
251 of its 350 stories (72%) were about people being harmed, usually 65%. Gaza accounted for 181 of Palestine's 251 stories about harm, carried by 286 outlets. Reports of abductions ran at about twice the usual rate (81 stories). Flooding was named in 21 of its stories about harm, about 4 times usual. Its coverage was about three times as grief-stricken as the world's. Warmth in its coverage rose to about one and a half times its own usual.
47 of its 86 stories (55%) were about people being harmed, usually 16%. Reports of people falling ill ran at more than ten times the usual rate (8 stories). Ebola was named in 19 of its stories about harm, more than ten times usual. Its coverage was about twice as grief-stricken as the world's.
1,156 of its 1,646 stories (70%) were about people being harmed, usually 63%. Reports of arrests ran at about three times the usual rate (348 stories). Its coverage was about twice as grief-stricken as the world's. Warmth in its coverage rose to about one and a half times its own usual.
7 of Tbilisi's 7 stories were about protests or strikes. Its coverage was about one and a half times as angry as the world's.
136 of its 235 stories (58%) were about people being harmed, usually 33%. Havana accounted for 67 of Cuba's 136 stories about harm, carried by 109 outlets. Reports of arrests ran at about 7 times the usual rate (82 stories). Its coverage was about twice as fearful as the world's.
140 of its 440 stories (32%) were about people being harmed, usually 25%. Reports of refugees ran at about three times the usual rate (12 stories). Power cuts were named in 29 of its stories about harm, about 5 times usual. Its coverage was about twice as angry as the world's.
18 of its 26 stories (69%) were about people being harmed, usually 32%. Reports of people killed ran at about twice the usual rate (11 stories). Ebola was named in 11 of its stories about harm, about 9 times usual.
21 of its 80 stories (26%) were about people being harmed, usually 18%. Reports of people killed ran at about three times the usual rate (8 stories). Its coverage was about twice as grief-stricken as the world's.
326 of its 884 stories (37%) were about people being harmed, usually 31%. Seoul accounted for 223 of South Korea's 326 stories about harm, carried by 667 outlets. Reports of arrests ran at about 6 times the usual rate (165 stories).
Reports of people affected ran at about 4 times the usual rate (112 stories). Hunger was named in 45 of its stories about harm, about 7 times usual. Its coverage was about one and a half times as grief-stricken as the world's.
Also named far more than usual: ebola in Rwanda (11 of its stories, about 9 times its usual); power cuts in Ukraine (29 of its stories, about 5 times its usual); respiratory illness in Ireland (52 of its stories, more than ten times its usual); hunger in South Africa (45 of its stories, about 7 times its usual); volcanic eruption in Indonesia (13 of its stories, about 4 times its usual).
Stories about people being harmed, in every 100 stories, the 30 days to 15 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 20,575 stories about harm among 103,870 counted on 15 Jan.
Help and hope: reports of people freed or reunited ran at about three times the usual rate. of the day's 103,870 news stories, 20 in every 100 were about people being harmed, as usual. Tanzania's news mentioned Ebola more than ten times as often as usual. Abductions were reported at about three times the usual rate, most often about Israel and Palestine. A year earlier, on 16 January 2024, 19 in every 100 stories were about people being harmed, against 20 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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