We measure how the world's news covered people being harmed — and the help and hope within it.
180 of its 394 stories (46%) were about people being harmed, usually 17%. Tenerife accounted for 98 of Spain's 180 stories about harm, carried by 268 outlets. Reports of people falling ill ran at about 7 times the usual rate (5 stories). Covid was named in 81 of its stories about harm, about 7 times usual, with ebola. Its coverage was about one and a half times as fearful as the world's.
166 of its 461 stories (36%) were about people being harmed, usually 28%. Moscow accounted for 135 of Russia's 166 stories about harm, carried by 249 outlets. Reports of abductions ran at about 5 times the usual rate (6 stories). Its coverage was about twice as grief-stricken as the world's.
80 of its 153 stories (52%) were about people being harmed, usually 27%. Reports of evacuations ran at more than ten times the usual rate (27 stories). Volcanic eruption was named in 48 of its stories about harm, about 8 times usual.
5 of Pretoria's 9 stories were about protests or strikes. Flooding was named in 13 of its stories about harm, about three times usual.
267 of its 836 stories (32%) were about people being harmed, usually 25%. Reports of arrests ran at about 5 times the usual rate (55 stories). Oil spill was named in 10 of its stories about harm, more than ten times usual. Its coverage was about one and a half times as angry as the world's.
65 of its 97 stories (67%) were about people being harmed, usually 58%. Beirut accounted for 33 of Lebanon's 65 stories about harm, carried by 80 outlets. Reports of evacuations ran at about three times the usual rate (11 stories). Its coverage was about twice as grief-stricken as the world's.
30 of its 53 stories (57%) were about people being harmed, usually 33%. Ushuaia accounted for 16 of Argentina's 30 stories about harm, carried by 39 outlets.
134 of its 376 stories (36%) were about people being harmed, usually 25%. Its coverage was about one and a half times as fearful as the world's.
Reports of people killed ran at about three times the usual rate (7 stories). Illness was named in 10 of its stories about harm, about three times usual.
Reports of refugees ran at about 5 times the usual rate (6 stories). Its coverage was about twice as angry as the world's.
Also named far more than usual: illness in Singapore (10 of its stories, about three times its usual); oil spill in Iran (10 of its stories, more than ten times its usual); norovirus in US (28 of its stories, more than ten times its usual).
Stories about people being harmed, in every 100 stories, the 30 days to 9 May. 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 8,051 stories about harm among 45,810 counted on 9 May.
Reports of aid and relief, a sign of help, ran at about one and a half times the usual rate. 18 in every 100 of the day's 45,810 news stories were about people being harmed, as usual. In Spain, 46% of the news was about people being harmed, where 17% is usual. Reports of evacuations ran at about twice the usual rate, most often about Spain and the US. On 9 May 2025, a year earlier, the share was 18 in every 100, the same as today.
Written by code from the day's numbers.
Countries with at least 50 stories that day.
Stories, not people.
Each country shaded by how much of its news was about people being harmed, against the world's 18 in 100 that day. Stronger colour: further above. A country with few stories is drawn closer to the world's. Click a country.
Stories, not people. Countries with at least 50 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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