National news focuses on events and stories with implications for the entire country. It prioritizes issues that affect all citizens, such as politics, economy, and major disasters. Local news focuses on the interests and concerns of specific communities, such as local government actions, community events, and crime reports. National news often overlaps with local coverage, as social media allows regional stories to gain national visibility and impact. The decline of traditional local news outlets can lead to a lack of awareness about community issues and may contribute to a disconnect between people and their city governments.
World news is a subfield of national news that covers global developments, with the bulk of this content being provided by news agencies such as AP (US), Reuters (UK), and Wolff (currently DPA, Germany). This type of reporting has also been called international or foreign news. It includes war journalism, as well as coverage of events involving belligerent nations or members of multilateral organizations. A reporter who specializes in this field is known as a foreign correspondent. Other reporters who travel abroad to cover specific subjects are known as stringers.
Journalists are expected to present an objective account of newsworthy events. However, many factors impede this goal, including a lack of training and resources, competing priorities, and the limitations of media formats. This article explores how journalists can overcome these obstacles and provide audiences with an accurate and unbiased reflection of world, national, and local news.