We measure how the world's news covered people being harmed — and the help and hope within it.
55 of its 118 stories (47%) were about people being harmed, usually 37%. Havana accounted for 25 of Cuba's 55 stories about harm, carried by 39 outlets. Reports of arrests ran at about twice the usual rate (28 stories). Its coverage was about one and a half times as fearful as the world's.
16 of its 23 stories (70%) were about people being harmed, usually 38%. 9 of Managua's 9 stories were about protests or strikes. Reports of refugees ran at about twice the usual rate (6 stories).
19 of its 51 stories (37%) were about people being harmed, usually 22%. Reports of people displaced ran at more than ten times the usual rate (5 stories). Its coverage was about one and a half times as angry as the world's.
Storms were named in 31 of its stories about harm, about three times usual, with power cuts. Its coverage was about one and a half times as fearful as the world's. Anger in its coverage rose to about one and a half times its own usual.
Reports of arrests ran at about twice the usual rate (298 stories). Train derailment was named in 15 of its stories about harm, more than ten times usual. Its coverage was about twice as grief-stricken as the world's.
106 of its 143 stories (74%) were about people being harmed, usually 65%. Its coverage was about twice as angry as the world's.
39 of its 148 stories (26%) were about people being harmed, usually 19%. Its coverage was about one and a half times as angry as the world's. Fear in its coverage rose to about one and a half times its own usual.
9 of its 18 stories (50%) were about people being harmed, usually 30%. 5 of Tbilisi's 6 stories were about protests or strikes.
Reports of arrests ran at about 6 times the usual rate (14 stories). Its coverage was about one and a half times as angry as the world's. Fear in its coverage rose to about one and a half times its own usual.
Reports of people affected ran at about three times the usual rate (10 stories). Its coverage was about one and a half times as angry as the world's.
Also named far more than usual: illness in Kashmir (14 of its stories, about 5 times its usual); outbreaks in Germany (18 of its stories, about 4 times its usual); natural hazards in Italy (11 of its stories, more than ten times its usual); drownings in Pakistan (17 of its stories, about 8 times its usual); snowstorms in Canada (26 of its stories, about 4 times its usual).
Stories about people being harmed, in every 100 stories, the 30 days to 17 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 19,157 stories about harm among 102,264 counted on 17 Jan.
Reports of people freed or reunited, a sign of help, ran at about twice the usual rate. 19 in every 100 of the day's 102,264 news stories were about people being harmed, below the usual 20. For the second day running, the news turned to Cuba. Cuba stood out: 47% of its news was about people being harmed, usually 37%. A year earlier, on 18 January 2024, 19 in every 100 stories were about people being harmed, the same as 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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