World news is the jargon used by the press to refer to news from abroad. It is also sometimes called foreign news, and is a subfield of journalism whose roots go back to the courants of 17th-century Europe, when modern nation states were still incipient. Traditionally, the term was applied to stories sent by correspondents stationed in the field, but in the modern age of electronic communication, many foreign news stories are provided to local newspapers and television stations through news agencies.
These are often referred to as wire services (although they may also use the term “newswire”). They prepare hard news stories and feature articles that can be sold in bulk to multiple organizations, including newspapers, radio and television networks. In addition, some major news agencies have their own staff of foreign reporters — known as stringers — who produce stories for the agency as well as for several different media companies.