National news is the media coverage of events that have a significant impact on a large audience in a country. Such events include politics, government, culture and sports. It is an important aspect of journalism and plays a key role in shaping public opinion and influencing discourse. The national news has a greater reach than local news and is often used as a barometer of public opinion.
Before modern telecommunications, it was difficult to share information from distant places. This changed with the advent of newspaper publishing and printing, which expanded beyond the cities of 17th-century Europe. Newspapers could quickly and inexpensively be distributed across a nation. As a result, they became profitable powerhouses of advocacy, muckraking and sensationalism. But they also became platforms for serious and objective news-gathering.
The emergence of the telegraph and later telephone facilitated the rapid spread of news. As the world grew more interconnected, the first news agencies were founded like AFP, Reuters and Wolff (now DPA). In addition to traditional wire services, television and the internet have made it possible to instantly share current events worldwide.
In many countries, major networks have national and regional news departments that broadcast stories based on local events. For example, in the United States, cable TV networks such as NY1 and WJLA provide a local news bulletin each hour. A similar service exists in the Netherlands where a national network shows a local news opt-out each morning during its simulcast of the main news program Rapport. In addition, some commercial broadcasters like CTV have regional news programs.