National news is the term for news stories that focus on events or issues that affect the entire country, such as politics, economics and major disasters. It also includes reports on local communities, including community events and crime reports. National news should be balanced and provide an unbiased view of national issues. However, the ability of journalists to objectively report National news is limited by factors such as the subjects of the stories they cover and the narrative presented by the news organization.
In general, a journalist who specializes in National news will be assigned to one or more major newspapers or broadcasters. He or she will usually be based in the nation’s capital, although there are exceptions. Reporters who work abroad without a permanent contract with a newspaper or news agency are called stringers. They typically work for several different companies at once and produce their materials in bulk, selling them to various newspapers and radio and television networks.
The first news agencies were founded in the 17th century as a way to share information among newspapers, which could not have easily been printed or distributed at the time because of telecommunication limitations and expensive printing costs. The bulk of a major news agency service contains World news (also known as international news). In journalism, World news is the term for coverage of global subjects, or foreign news.