World news (or international news) is the term used in news media jargon for news that occurs outside of a local or national setting. The news may be about a country or global subject and can be sent either by a journalist traveling abroad, called a foreign correspondent, or through the media’s distance communication technologies, such as telephone, satellite TV or the Internet.
The most common subfield of world news is war journalism, but this category also includes coverage of conflicts that do not involve the belligerent countries’ own troops, and coverage of events in multilateral organizations like the United Nations. A full-time reporter who specializes in a foreign country is called a foreign correspondent. Reporters who do not have a permanent contract with a news source but travel around the world to cover stories are called stringers, and they often produce material for several companies at once.
The most popular and widespread way of spreading world news is through the major news agencies, which prepare hard news and feature articles that can be easily copied without any substantial modification by other newspapers, radio or television stations, magazines and even web sites. They usually charge for the use of their articles, but individuals, corporations and intelligence services may subscribe to their service. Originally, these agencies operated through wire services (originally telegraph), but today the bulk of their work is transmitted electronically. The most well-known news agencies include the Associated Press (US), Reuters and the AFP.
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