💀 What the media says we die from – and what we actually die from (terrorism overreported 18,000 times)

In a mission statement, Swedish newspaper, Dagens Nyheter, writes about independent journalism:

“It is needed to illuminate reality – and shed light on what affects our world, our worldview, and our decisions.”

Editor-in-chief Peter Wolodarski adds:

“That is the role of journalism in a democracy: to illuminate society – especially where power resides – so that citizens can better understand what is happening and make their own decisions.”

I agree completely.

The Washington Post takes a similar stance with its slogan Democracy Dies in Darkness: “Because knowing empowers us. Knowing helps us decide. Knowing keeps us free.”

But the question arises: How much do Dagens Nyheter, The Washington Post and other media actually help us understand what is going on?

Our World in Data has examined how several major American media outlets (Fox News, The New York Times, The Washington Post) report on what we die from — and compared that with what people in fact die from.

What Americans die from:
Heart disease: 29%
Cancer: 27%
Accidents: 8%
Stroke: 7%
Respiratory diseases: 6%
Alzheimer’s: 5%
Diabetes: 4%
Suicide: 2%
Overdose: 2%
Homicide: <1%
Terrorism: almost 0%

What the media report on:
Homicide: 47%
Terrorism: 14%
Overdose: 9%
COVID-19: 6%
Accidents: 7%
Cancer: 4%
Suicide: 4%
Heart disease: 3%
Other: 7%

Placed side by side, the contrast is striking.

What’s interesting is how similar their reporting patterns are, despite the large political differences between The New York Times and Fox News.

Our World in Data also compiled how over- or under-reported different causes of death are.

Terrorism is reported 18,240 times more than its actual share of deaths, homicide 43 times more, and overdoses four times more.

Of course, it’s understandable that reporting doesn’t mirror death statistics exactly, and that terrorism receives disproportionate attention. Its impact can’t be measured only in deaths — but 18,000 times more? That cannot be reasonable.

When the media only illuminate one corner of the darkness — where death, murder, and terrorism reside — and leave other corners in shadow where progress and development happen, they do not contribute to public enlightenment.
It’s good that problems are highlighted, but when they dominate the picture, it leads to a distorted perception of the world.

The media are right that they “affect our world, our worldview, and our decisions” — but unfortunately, not by giving us a balanced picture, rather an excessively negative one.

How do they think that affects our world, our worldview, and the decisions we make?

WALL-Y
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