World news (also called international news) is a term used for the branch of journalism that focuses on global events. This can be done either by reporting on foreign events that are sent to a local newspaper by a correspondent abroad, or – more often nowadays – using online stories.
The world news segment is usually a mix of serious as well as offbeat news stories. One of the more famous offbeat features was the Morning Papers, which showed several different off-beat or humorous stories found in newspapers from around the world; it has been replaced by a similar feature on the ABC News website called The Mix. Another regular feature was a section of the show that ran a number of e-mails sent in by viewers. The anchors would then respond to the e-mails on air.
Other segments included a World News Polka played on the accordion by anchor Barry Mitchell, a segment showing dancing camels on Wednesdays (“Hump Day”), and weather forecasts for obscure locales with names like Cicely, Alaska and Twin Peaks, Washington. In addition, WWN frequently featured stories about mermen and mermaids. One WWN article claimed that a mermaid had been captured off the coast of Florida, and was able to talk in a language that WWN compared to click languages spoken in parts of Africa and hand movements that could be interpreted as sign language.
When a full-time anchor of World News Now leaves the program, a special segment is held to pay tribute to them. When the first few anchors left, the station even placed cardboard cutouts of them in the rafters of the studio as part of an Anchor Hall of Fame. On the final broadcast of a departing anchor, the surviving anchors would treat the new anchor to a breakfast in honor of their predecessor.
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