National news refers to the reporting of events and issues that affect a nation or have significant impact across multiple nations, such as politics, economics, major disasters and international events. National news is often reported by organizations that have a broad reach, such as newspapers, television and radio. It may also be reported by national news agencies, such as Reuters and the Associated Press.
Historically, the first national news outlets were the courants of 17th century Europe, followed by the penny presses in the 1830s and, with technological change, newspapers that could print on larger scale in the 19th century. These early newspapers embraced advocacy, muckraking and sensationalism along with factual reporting.
In the 21st century, technology has once again changed the news industry with new platforms such as radio, television and the Internet. The emergence of digital media has made it possible for local news to quickly gain national visibility. It has blurred the lines between national and local news, sometimes leading to a lack of attention to important local issues.
In addition to traditional national news networks, such as CNN, MSNBC and Fox News Channel, a number of regional 24-hour cable news television channels exist, including Spectrum News (which includes the brands NY1 and NWCN), News 12 Networks, FiOS1 and New England Cable News. Then there are the independent and often partisan channels such as Real America’s Voice, TheBlaze and NewsNation, as well as the business news channels FBN and Cheddar.