World news or international news is the news media jargon for news from abroad about a country or global subject. It is a branch of journalism that deals with news either sent by foreign correspondents (full-time reporters employed by media organizations to cover a particular area of the globe) or, more recently, with news reported by journalists traveling to a distant location and reporting by telephone or satellite television.
In addition to the usual serious news stories, World News Now also featured odd features, including a version of the “World News Polka” (played on an accordion by comedian Barry Mitchell) on Wednesdays, video footage of dancing camels on the streets of Cairo, Egypt on Thursdays, and laughter coming from off-camera while the show’s production credits were scrolling at the end of the broadcast. The program also presented repurposed segments and story packages from other ABC News programs, such as Nightline and Good Morning America First Look.
The show was a training ground for news presenters who went on to anchor higher-profile network or local affiliate newscasts, including original co-hosts Aaron Brown and Lisa McRee and current anchors Rhiannon Ally and Andrew Dymburt, who co-anchor Good Morning America First Look. Its final episode aired on Friday, September 29, 2021. The following Monday, network O&Os at WPVI-TV in Philadelphia and WABC-TV in New York dropped the program and replaced it with a rebroadcast of Live with Kelly and Ryan and Daytime Jeopardy!.