World news is the coverage of events occurring in countries outside the United States and can be considered to be a subfield of news (although world news can also be national for the media of belligerent nations). News about international political issues, social unrest, war, and natural disasters are common themes in world news. In addition to covering world affairs, news agencies sometimes have full-time foreign correspondents or are staffed with stringers, who are journalists on contract to multiple publications and can produce stories for various media outlets simultaneously.
The Weekly World News was a tabloid newspaper founded in 1979 by Generoso Pope Jr.[1] The WWN aimed to continue the black-and-white printing of its sister publication, the National Enquirer. WWN was known for publishing many outlandish and sensational articles; its early covers featured sightings of Elvis Presley and the Loch Ness monster, and it promoted miracle health cures. Unlike its rival Sun, which had a fine print disclaimer, the WWN never denied its stories; it simply asked readers to suspend their belief for entertainment value.
In addition to these topics, the WWN frequently featured celebrity interviews and a series of “how-to” segments. In the past, the WWN featured the first few minutes of local ABC affiliates’ late night newscasts in the event of a major breaking story (for example, a blizzard in New York would have the opening of WKBW-TV’s Good Morning America be shown). The WWN also featured a feature called the Insomniac Theater on Fridays where one of the staff members gave a movie review; this was usually ad-libbed. The show closed with a version of the WWN Polka played while the program’s production credits were scrolled across the screen.
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