World news or international news is the media jargon term for news about events or issues that affect a region or the globe. This can include war (although this is often considered to be a national event for the media of belligerent countries), summits and other multilateral forums, human rights issues and environmental problems. World news is generally seen as separate from domestic or “home” news, but there are exceptions.
A correspondent stationed abroad – usually in the capital city of a country or region – who regularly files stories to his or her news editor and gathers information for them from sources on the ground, is said to be covering world news. Correspondents may have full-time employment contracts with one news source or, more commonly, produce material for several different companies at the same time and are known as stringers.
For example, the News of the World hacking scandal saw journalists at the now-defunct newspaper allegedly obtaining personal information about celebrities and members of the Royal Family. The scandal began in the 1990s and ran until the paper’s closure in July 2011. The editor of the News of the World at the time, Andy Coulson, resigned after allegations of phone hacking and police bribery were made against him.
A private investigator hired by the newspaper also hacked into the voicemails of the mother of murdered schoolgirl Milly Dowler, leading to a huge public outcry. It was also reported that the private investigator Glenn Mulcaire accessed the personal details of media campaigner Sara Payne, who had campaigned for tougher laws on convicted paedophiles following her daughter’s death by a serial killer. Both women were awarded substantial sums to compensate them for their distress.