World news, also known as international news or global news, is a term used in journalism to describe the reporting of events in a country or region that is not the primary focus of the local news. World news is often covered by foreign correspondents, who may be based in the city where they report or travel regularly to different locations for interviews and other coverage. World news is also frequently reported by wire services, which supply hard and soft news articles to newspapers, magazines and radio and television stations around the world.
The program is tape delayed for many ABC affiliates and airs as the first segment of a morning news block that includes Good Morning America and World News Today. It has been a frequent training ground for young broadcasting talent, with many of its anchors going on to higher profile roles on the network and local ABC affiliates.
In addition to its serious news coverage, World News Now has featured oddities like the “World News Polka” (played on accordion) and a weekly forecast for obscure and exotic locales around the globe. It has also rebroadcast stories from other ABC News programs such as Nightline and This Week, and occasionally features a story from the news agency AP. The show has a strong emphasis on viewer feedback; a regular feature called “E-mail from the Field” allows viewers to send in comments and questions, which are read aloud by the anchors.