We measure how the world's news covered people being harmed — and the help and hope within it.
43 of its 48 stories (90%) were about people being harmed, usually 37%. Ituri accounted for 39 of the DR Congo's 43 stories about harm, carried by 169 outlets. Reports of people killed ran at about 4 times the usual rate (40 stories). Its coverage was about one and a half times as fearful as the world's. Grief in its coverage rose to about twice its own usual.
21 of its 34 stories (62%) were about people being harmed, usually 34%. Reports of people affected ran at about twice the usual rate (7 stories). Hunger was named in 12 of its stories about harm, about 5 times usual. Its coverage was about one and a half times as fearful as the world's.
21 of its 35 stories (60%) were about people being harmed, usually 17%. Vaavu Atoll accounted for 17 of the Maldives' 21 stories about harm, carried by 16 outlets. Reports of people killed ran at about 4 times the usual rate (19 stories).
14 of its 35 stories (40%) were about people being harmed, usually 25%. Reports of people killed ran at about twice the usual rate (9 stories).
105 of its 236 stories (44%) were about people being harmed, usually 36%. Kyiv accounted for 70 of Ukraine's 105 stories about harm, carried by 216 outlets. Reports of arrests ran at about three times the usual rate (14 stories). Its coverage was about twice as angry as the world's.
41 of its 125 stories (33%) were about people being harmed, usually 25%. Reports of people killed ran at about twice the usual rate (21 stories). Illness was named in 27 of its stories about harm, about 4 times usual. Its coverage was about one and a half times as grief-stricken as the world's.
56 of its 73 stories (77%) were about people being harmed, usually 32%. Reports of people killed ran at about 4 times the usual rate (45 stories). Its coverage was about twice as grief-stricken as the world's. Fear in its coverage rose to about one and a half times its own usual.
142 of its 389 stories (37%) were about people being harmed, usually 29%. Reports of arrests ran at about three times the usual rate (31 stories). Its coverage was about twice as angry as the world's.
Gaza accounted for 64 of Palestine's 97 stories about harm, carried by 119 outlets. Reports of refugees ran at about three times the usual rate (14 stories). Its coverage was about twice as grief-stricken as the world's.
Reports of abductions ran at about twice the usual rate (9 stories). Meningitis was named in 50 of its stories about harm, more than ten times usual, with drownings. Its coverage was about one and a half times as fearful as the world's.
Also named far more than usual: illness in Uganda (27 of its stories, about 4 times its usual); hantavirus in Australia (46 of its stories, more than ten times its usual); hantavirus in Switzerland (11 of its stories, about three times its usual); landslides in Indonesia (10 of its stories, more than ten times its usual); house fires in New Zealand (13 of its stories, more than ten times its usual).
Stories about people being harmed, in every 100 stories, the 30 days to 15 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 13,395 stories about harm among 77,708 counted on 15 May.
DR Congo stood out: 90% of its news was about people being harmed, usually 37%. 17 in every 100 of the day's 77,708 news stories were about people being harmed, as usual. In Somalia's news, mentions of the hunger ran about 5 times their usual. A year earlier, on 15 May 2025, 17 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 about as 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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