World news is the jargon used in the news media for news about events or topics that are global. It is a subfield of journalism. Originally when newspapers first came into existence, before the era of nation-states, world news was called foreign news. Since the development of telecommunications and long distance communication technologies, it has become known as international news. World news may include the coverage of wars (which also are considered a subfield of warfare journalism) and also the summits of multilateral organizations, which are generally considered to be world events.

A full-time reporter who specializes in world news is a foreign correspondent. He or she is stationed in a city abroad, often in the capital of a country or even an entire continent and regularly files stories about a particular region or country. He or she obtains the material for these reports from sources in government, members of the community, and the local news media. It is a common practice for these reporters to travel around the country or region in order to gain insight into different perspectives.

A news agency is an organization of journalists established to supply articles to newspapers, magazines, radio and television broadcasters, and other publications. The bulk of the articles that the major news agencies provide to their subscribers are world news.