We measure how the world's news covered people being harmed — and the help and hope within it.
1,014 of its 3,252 stories (31%) were about people being harmed, usually 17%. Toronto accounted for 576 of Canada's 1,014 stories about harm, carried by 1,142 outlets. Reports of evacuations ran at more than ten times the usual rate (93 stories). Plane crash was named in 293 of its stories about harm, more than ten times usual, with snowstorms and storms.
15 of its 20 stories (75%) were about people being harmed, usually 27%. Potosi accounted for 14 of Bolivia's 15 stories about harm, carried by 23 outlets. Reports of people injured ran at about 7 times the usual rate (14 stories). Its coverage was about one and a half times as grief-stricken as the world's.
27 of its 75 stories (36%) were about people being harmed, usually 13%. Reports of people injured ran at more than ten times the usual rate (12 stories). Its coverage was about one and a half times as angry as the world's.
75 of its 101 stories (74%) were about people being harmed, usually 65%. Reports of arrests ran at about three times the usual rate (7 stories). Its coverage was about three times as grief-stricken as the world's.
Reports of people killed ran at about twice the usual rate (167 stories). Heatwave was named in 92 of its stories about harm, about 6 times usual, with house fires. 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.
57 of its 98 stories (58%) were about people being harmed, usually 39%. Kampala accounted for 37 of Uganda's 57 stories about harm, carried by 29 outlets.
148 of its 527 stories (28%) were about people being harmed, usually 14%. Respiratory illness was named in 58 of its stories about harm, about 10 times usual.
23 of its 65 stories (35%) were about people being harmed, usually 14%. Reports of arrests ran at about 5 times the usual rate (10 stories).
15 of its 23 stories (65%) were about people being harmed, usually 44%. Its coverage was about one and a half times as grief-stricken as the world's.
33 of its 43 stories (77%) were about people being harmed, usually 65%. Its coverage was about twice as angry as the world's.
Also named far more than usual: respiratory illness in Italy (58 of its stories, about 10 times its usual); heatwave in Australia (92 of its stories, about 6 times its usual); cholera in Ghana (18 of its stories, about 4 times its usual); outbreaks in South Africa (11 of its stories, about 5 times its usual); hypothermia in US (167 of its stories, about 4 times its usual).
Stories about people being harmed, in every 100 stories, the 30 days to 18 Feb. 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 17,142 stories about harm among 90,579 counted on 18 Feb.
For the second day running, the news turned to Canada. Stories about people being harmed made up 19 in every 100 of the day's 90,579 stories, as usual. Mentions of respiratory illness ran about 10 times their usual in Italy's news. In Canada, 31% of the news was about people being harmed, where 17% is usual. A year earlier, on 19 February 2024, 18 in every 100 stories were about people being harmed, 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 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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