World news is the area of journalism focused on events occurring outside of a nation’s borders. World news reports on international political, economic and social issues. A typical world news story may include details about wars or other global events. World news articles may also describe major sports events, cultural happenings, natural disasters and other major events.
The term “world news” can also refer to a specific type of journalist: the foreign correspondent. A foreign correspondent is a full-time reporter who lives in a country other than their own and files stories to a newspaper. These reporters often gather their materials from local officials and citizens, the local media and events they witness firsthand.
Historically, WWN was a tabloid that frequently featured political satire, skewering both current and past presidents. It was not uncommon for a WWN article to claim that the Founding Fathers were gay or that Abraham Lincoln was insane.
Cryptids were another frequent subject of WWN articles. Several covers reported the discovery of merpeople, real-life catwomen, half-alligator half-human hybrids and even the fabled Bat Boy. WWN was also known for publishing articles about shockingly obese people. A particularly popular article detailed the antics of Roland Gillespie, who was claimed to be the world’s fattest man.
Some ABC stations pre-empt World News Now. WDAY-TV in Fargo, North Dakota and its satellite WDAZ-TV in Grand Forks, Nebraska choose to air paid programming and their local automated weather subchannel overnights instead of World News Now. Similarly, WOAY-TV in Oak Hill, West Virginia (owned by Mission Broadcasting) chose to fulfill existing syndicated programming contracts rather than carry World News Now until its local news program Good Morning America First Look began at 8:00 a.m.