Disaster reporting focuses on absolute numbers because populations have exploded during XX century. Disasters have a whole lot more people in their path, thus a

Disaster reporting focuses on absolute numbers because populations have exploded during XX century. Disasters have a whole lot more people in their path, thus a solid chance to break morbid records that sell newspapers. "Record deaths during Japan tsunami" sells a whole lot better than "Yet another tsunami in Japan". This is media selling fear porn. It didn't start with covid.