World News is the news media jargon for international or foreign coverage. The term may refer to the specialized field of journalism, which covers news from abroad, or it may refer to a broad range of international topics involving business, politics, and global events. In the United States, world news has become synonymous with international or foreign coverage of national news events that may impact US citizens, such as wars, global health crises, and summits of multilateral organizations such as the United Nations.

As early as the 17th century, before the formation of nation-states in Europe, newspaper articles referred to “french news” or “news from abroad.” These foreign news items were not necessarily the result of the activities of foreign troops on the ground but the results of actions by a country’s government and/or its citizenry. The development of the telegraph in the 19th century greatly accelerated this process by making it possible for foreign news to be disseminated more quickly and widely. The first news agencies were formed, including Agence France-Presse (AFP, Paris), the Associated Press (AP, New York), and Wolff Photo Agency (now DPA, Germany).

Today, journalists in many countries specialize in reporting on specific geographic areas or specific subjects. They often write a series of stories for a weekly or monthly publication about their topic of choice, and they may also provide analysis of current political issues affecting their region. They often travel to the location of a story, or they send in reports by telephone, radio, or television, and may receive photographs to accompany their stories from news organizations that subscribe to their services.

The emergence of world news occurred in tandem with the rise of nation-states in Europe, and later in Asia, Africa, and Latin America. The first news agencies were founded, and the first international journalism schools emerged. As the practice of foreign reporting became more widespread, it was merged with local and regional news to form what is now called world news.

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