World news is a term used in journalism to describe foreign or international news stories. It may also refer to the portion of a major news agency service that contains global coverage. A news agency is an organization which prepares hard and soft news articles, and sells them in bulk electronically via wire services (originally telegraph, now often the Internet). News agencies provide these articles to newspapers, magazines, radio and television broadcasters, corporations, analysts and intelligence agencies.
Throughout its history, World News Now has featured both serious and offbeat stories. The program has been known for a variety of odd features, including a version of the “World News Polka” (typically performed by comedian Barry Mitchell on accordion) and video footage of dancing camels on Wednesdays (“Hump Day”). In addition, each Friday, World News Now staff members give a review of a movie that opened that week; this segment is usually ad-libbed and is accompanied by laughter off-camera.
Whenever a full-time anchor leaves the program, a ceremony of sorts is held. During the first few years of the show’s existence, this was done by placing cardboard cutouts of the departing anchor in the rafters of the studio set. As of 2012, the ceremony is now a segment in which the anchors respond to an e-mail sent to ABC News from a viewer. This feature was also used in the original incarnation of NBC News Overnight, and is still present on the ABC News flagship WSJD in Chicago.