World news (sometimes referred to as international or foreign news) is a term used in journalism for stories that cover global issues and events. This type of news is often sent to newspaper and broadcast television stations by foreign correspondents or, more commonly, by a foreign news agency. World news may also refer to a specific segment on a particular news program.
Several tabloid newspapers once included world news on their front pages, most notably the Weekly World News. This satirical paper, which ran from 1979 until 2007, featured outlandish “news” stories with black-and-white covers that have become pop-culture images.
The WWN frequently reported stories concerning alien abductions, the Loch Ness monster, Bigfoot, time travel, lost prophecies and religious relics. Often, the news was accompanied by photographs of stock characters who became familiar WWN figures, such as Bat Boy, a half-bat/half-boy discovered in West Virginia caverns, and P’lod, an alien involved in Earth politics.
When a local story was particularly shocking, the WWN would include real, graphic photos from post-autopsies of convicted murderers. When this practice angered Florida officials, the managing editor Eddie Clontz defended the WWN decision to publish such photos by claiming that the photos would deter other serial killers.
During the last decade of WWN’s existence, the show featured interviews with celebrities, politicians and athletes. It was also noted for its use as a training ground for news anchors and reporters who went on to higher-profile jobs at network and affiliate ABC television stations. Until September 2011, three ABC stations owned by Citadel Communications – KCAU-TV in Sioux City, KLKN in Lincoln, Nebraska and WOI-DT in Ames, Iowa – preempted the show to run local programming until their own late local newscasts.