World news is a jargon term in news media for news about events or situations that occur outside of a country’s borders. It is a subfield of journalism (although it is sometimes confused with international coverage, which is news about subjects that affect several countries). Correspondents based in a foreign city typically report world news. They regularly file stories to their news editor and often gather materials for these articles from local sources, such as community leaders and members of the community, as well as government officials and diplomats.
In addition to producing hard news stories, most major news agencies also provide reports on a variety of current international affairs that can be used by other newspapers, magazines, radio and television broadcasters, and sometimes even individuals and intelligence agencies. Such material may be distributed to clients via a wire service (originally, by telegraphy; today, it is usually transmitted over the Internet).
In the early days of modern journalism, when nation-states were still in the process of forming in Europe, most news was foreign. The first news agencies were founded at this time, including AP (US), Reuters (UK), AFP (France) and Wolff (currently DPA/AFP, Germany). News agencies prepare articles that can be used in many different publications with little or no modification, and they sell them to newspapers, radio and television stations, individuals, companies and intelligence agencies.