World news, also known as international news, is the segment of the news media that covers events and stories in places outside the United States. Historically, the term world news has referred to foreign news coverage originating in Europe, but it has since expanded as new communication technologies have enabled faster reporting of developments around the globe.
News organizations and individuals assemble hard news stories and feature articles that are distributed to other news outlets by wire services (originally by telegraphy; now by electronic means). The major news agencies prepare these articles, sell them in bulk, and offer them to newspapers and television stations for publication with little or no modification. Individuals, corporations and intelligence agencies may also subscribe to news services.
The telegraph allowed the news media to develop, and modern journalism has grown out of its origins as a local industry into a global enterprise. Almost every major newspaper and news outlet publishes world news.
A major part of world news coverage is provided by correspondents, usually based in a foreign city and covering a region, country or even an entire continent. Correspondents typically have access to government officials, members of the community, local media and other sources to provide information for their stories.
In the past, WNN featured a number of interactive segments that used to be rare for a network news program; viewers could send e-mails to anchors and receive a reply. In addition, WNN has been an apparent training ground for new anchors who have gone on to higher profile jobs, such as the co-hosts of ABC’s Good Morning America and its early-morning news program First Look.