World News is the jargon term used in journalism to describe news from abroad, about a global subject or that pertains to more than one nation. It is a distinct field from “national” news which refers to events that directly affect the United States or its citizens, such as wars in which the country is involved or summits of multilateral organizations of which the US is a member. World news may also refer to the work of reporters who travel or live outside their home countries, including those who are freelancers.

In the 17th century, when nation-states were incipient in Europe, the bulk of newspaper stories, referred to as foreign news, concerned other markets, rather than other nations. This can be attributed to the fact that newspapers were mostly delivered by couriers, and not printed on site.

Today, the global news landscape is marked by increasing pressures to conform to state and corporate interests and a loss of independence and pluralism among news media. These challenges are exacerbated by attacks on journalists and other media practitioners. The UNESCO World Trends in Freedom of Expression and Media Development series provides macro-level perspectives that inform UNESCO’s work to promote and protect free, independent and pluralistic media around the world. The report is produced every four years and provides a rich source of information for government officials, international organisations, civil society and academia. It is available as a free-of-charge PDF document. The next report will be released in 2023.