Why do numbers matter in writing stories?

Numbers are important in writing stories because they show size and impact. The number of people a story affects usually depicts the magnitude of coverage it will receive. For example, the extreme number of people who died in the September 11th attack on the World Trade Center affected many people, the city of New York, and the entire world with implications of war coming from it, so it had global coverage for weeks. However, if a single person dies, who is not a notable celebrity, a simple obituary in a local paper will be enough coverage because it affects a far smaller number of people.