World news is a type of journalism focused on global events. It can refer to international news sent by correspondents, or – more commonly – to news that is gathered or researched through distance communication technologies such as telephone, satellite TV and the Internet. It is a distinct branch of journalism from domestic or national news, which involves events that directly affect the nation. For example, world news would include reports on a war that is taking place abroad or summits of multilateral organizations that have a global scope.

The field of world news grew out of the earlier practice of sending foreign correspondents to report on major events from abroad, which began in the 17th century with newspapers such as the Daily Courant (England), the Nieuwe Tijudinger (Antwerp) and the Avisa Relation oder Zeitung (Wolfenbuttel). It also grew out of innovations in communications such as telegraphy, which enabled news to be disseminated more rapidly to many more places.

A world news organization, which may be a newspaper, magazine, radio or television station, or an international news agency, usually produces hard news articles and features that can be sold to other news organizations for publication. Such an agency, which sometimes is referred to as a wire service or newswire, typically provides its articles in bulk via electronic transmission (originally telegraphy, then the Internet). The majority of major news agency services contain foreign news. When reporters working abroad have no permanent contract with a media organization, they are called stringers and typically produce material for several different news outlets at the same time.