World news is a general term for any news that takes place outside of a country or covers a global subject. It’s a major subfield of journalism (although war news may be classified as national for the media in belligerent countries). In addition to general reporting, there are specific categories that deal with specialized subjects, such as science and technology news, political news, or sports news.
In the early days of modern journalism, most news was foreign—in the 17th century, this was even more true in Europe, where local newspapers were rare and most published courants, or daily papers. When telecommunication technologies such as the telegraph came along, it became easier to spread stories from abroad. This led to the establishment of news agencies, which prepared hard news stories and features that could be used by multiple other newspapers without much modification—they were essentially a bulk service that distributed articles to various clients, including news organizations, individuals and intelligence agencies.
There are two main types of reporters who specialize in world news: the foreign correspondent and the special envoy. A full-time correspondent lives and works abroad, often in a city that is the capital of a country or region. He or she files reports to the news editor on a regular basis, usually about a certain region, country or continent. The reporter gathers material for these stories from local officials, members of the community, and the local media, as well as events that he or she witnesses firsthand.