World news is a term used in the news media for a topic of global significance. It is distinct from national news, which pertains to events that directly affect the nation’s political or economic institutions and interests. World news is usually reported by foreign journalists or broadcast internationally via satellite or the Internet. In some cases, such as with coverage of a war or other international conflict, the distinction between world and national news is blurred and some or all of the same information may be reported in both forms.
For example, a war in Afghanistan is world news but may also be considered national news for the U.S. because of the impact it has on U.S. citizens, while a trip to the North Pole would be deemed primarily national and a bit of world news as well. Similarly, a story about the collapse of an apartment building in South Africa is often described as both local and world news.
In addition to covering breaking news stories, world news shows can feature a variety of other segments including replays of story packages from other ABC News programs such as Nightline or This Week. Occasionally, world news shows will run local newscasts from their ABC affiliate stations; this was especially common during times of weather-related national interest (such as a major snowstorm in a large market). For a number of years, World News Now was the only over-the-air ABC news program to regularly air a live segment of a local ABC affiliate’s late-local newscast, which was generally shown in place of the opening of the main newscast on that station. In a similar vein, World News Now frequently ran “News Now” – a section in which anchors checked with reporters at local ABC affiliates around the country to see what they were working on during that day’s local news.
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