World news is the name for a branch of journalism that deals with events and stories occurring outside one’s own country or continent. In the United States, it is sometimes considered a separate field from national news; however, in most of the world, there is no distinction. This area of journalism is also known as foreign coverage, international news and – most commonly – global reporting.
The world news story of the summer of 2011 was the News of the World royal phone hacking scandal, involving employees of Rupert Murdoch’s newspaper group hacking into the voicemails of members of Britain’s Royal Family. The scandal was a significant factor in forcing the closure of the News of the World newspaper, as well as leading to multiple investigations by government agencies into News Corporation’s other media outlets and their executives.
News organizations that cover world news prepare hard news and feature articles which can be used by other newspapers with little or no modification, or sold in bulk electronically through news agencies, which are referred to as wire services (originally they used telegraphy; today, they frequently use the Internet). Most major newspaper, radio and television stations, as well as some private individuals and intelligence agencies subscribe to news agencies for international news. The major wire service companies include Reuters, AP and AFP. Reporters working abroad who do not have a permanent labor contract with any specific news source are called stringers, and they often produce material for several different news sources at once.