We measure how the world's news covered people being harmed — and the help and hope within it.
31 of its 40 stories (78%) were about people being harmed, usually 43%. Niamey accounted for 25 of Niger's 31 stories about harm, carried by 173 outlets. Reports of abductions ran at about 4 times the usual rate (11 stories). Its coverage was about one and a half times as fearful as the world's.
162 of its 593 stories (27%) were about people being harmed, usually 19%. Tokyo accounted for 101 of Japan's 162 stories about harm, carried by 275 outlets. Reports of evacuations ran at about three times the usual rate (29 stories). Flooding was named in 58 of its stories about harm, more than ten times usual, with heavy rain, power cuts and landslides.
29 of its 37 stories (78%) were about people being harmed, usually 61%. Reports of refugees ran at about twice the usual rate (7 stories). Its coverage was about one and a half times as angry as the world's.
Kabul accounted for 30 of Afghanistan's 61 stories about harm, carried by 26 outlets. Its coverage was about one and a half times as fearful as the world's.
18 of its 32 stories (56%) were about people being harmed, usually 20%. Reports of people injured ran at about 5 times the usual rate (9 stories). Wildfires were named in 15 of its stories about harm, more than ten times usual.
112 of its 171 stories (65%) were about people being harmed, usually 55%. Reports of people affected ran at about twice the usual rate (84 stories). Its coverage was about one and a half times as grief-stricken as the world's.
Reports of evacuations ran at about 6 times the usual rate (47 stories). Wildfires were named in 237 of its stories about harm, about three times usual, with train derailment, heatstroke and power cuts. Its coverage was about one and a half times as fearful as the world's.
Qusra accounted for 51 of Palestine's 95 stories about harm, carried by 57 outlets. Reports of evacuations ran at about three times the usual rate (11 stories). Its coverage was about one and a half times as fearful as the world's.
6 of its 9 stories (67%) were about people being harmed, usually 12%. Reports of people killed ran at about 4 times the usual rate (5 stories).
14 of its 24 stories (58%) were about people being harmed, usually 35%. Reports of arrests ran at about 4 times the usual rate (5 stories).
Also named far more than usual: wildfires in Croatia (15 of its stories, more than ten times its usual); wildfires in UK (237 of its stories, about three times its usual); volcanic eruption in Italy (14 of its stories, about 6 times its usual); drought in Germany (11 of its stories, about 4 times its usual); oil spill in Iran (10 of its stories, more than ten times its usual).
Stories about people being harmed, in every 100 stories, the 30 days to 14 Aug. 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 12,716 stories about harm among 67,501 counted on 14 Aug.
Mentions of flooding ran more than ten times their usual in Japan's news. of the day's 67,501 news stories, 19 in every 100 were about people being harmed, as usual. Niger stood out: 78% of its news was about people being harmed, usually 43%. On 14 August 2025, a year earlier, the share was 19 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.
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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