We measure how the world's news covered people being harmed — and the help and hope within it.
153 of its 373 stories (41%) were about people being harmed, usually 19%. Reports of people displaced ran at about 4 times the usual rate (9 stories). Hunger was named in 22 of its stories about harm, about 6 times usual. Its coverage was about twice as angry as the world's. Fear in its coverage rose to about one and a half times its own usual.
39 of Beijing's 65 stories were about protests or strikes. Reports of people injured ran at about twice the usual rate (11 stories). Anger in its coverage rose to about one and a half times its own usual.
46 of its 105 stories (44%) were about people being harmed, usually 32%. Dhaka accounted for 25 of Bangladesh's 46 stories about harm, carried by 14 outlets.
99 of its 289 stories (34%) were about people being harmed, usually 27%. Reports of people affected ran at about three times the usual rate (48 stories).
5,592 of its 20,584 stories (27%) were about people being harmed, usually 21%. Reports of people falling ill ran at about twice the usual rate (36 stories). Hypothermia was named in 29 of its stories about harm, about 7 times usual, with extreme cold and building collapse. Anger in its coverage rose to about one and a half times its own usual.
Jerusalem accounted for 78 of Israel's 204 stories about harm, carried by 66 outlets. Earthquake was named in 11 of its stories about harm, about three times usual. Its coverage was about one and a half times as angry as the world's.
14 of its 57 stories (25%) were about people being harmed, usually 11%. Reports of people killed ran at about twice the usual rate (6 stories).
167 of its 558 stories (30%) were about people being harmed, usually 23%. Reports of arrests ran at about twice the usual rate (43 stories).
19 of its 77 stories (25%) were about people being harmed, usually 15%. 7 of Hong Kong's 8 stories were about protests or strikes.
15 of its 59 stories (25%) were about people being harmed, usually 15%. Reports of people killed ran at about twice the usual rate (5 stories).
Also named far more than usual: food poisoning in Mexico (20 of its stories, about 4 times its usual); flooding in Kenya (16 of its stories, about 4 times its usual); train derailment in France (12 of its stories, more than ten times its usual); polio in Pakistan (10 of its stories, more than ten times its usual); earthquake in Israel (11 of its stories, about three times its usual).
Stories about people being harmed, in every 100 stories, the 30 days to 11 Sep. 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 14,109 stories about harm among 68,777 counted on 11 Sep.
On the side of help, reports of people freed or reunited ran at about three times the usual rate. Stories about people being harmed made up 21 in every 100 of the day's 68,777 stories, above the usual 20. It was the fourth day running that the news turned to Saudi Arabia. People falling ill were reported at about twice the usual rate, most often about the US and Mexico. Saudi Arabia stood out: 41% of its news was about people being harmed, usually 19%.
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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