National news is news that has a larger scope than local or community news and covers issues with a wider impact. This includes news that has a significant influence on a large number of people or communities across a nation such as national politics, economics, and major disasters. National news is often published in newspapers, broadcast by radio and television, and accessed via social media. It may also be gathered by reporters who are either full-time employees of a newspaper or news agency (sometimes called stringers) or freelance journalists who are contracted to report for several different media companies at the same time.
National news programs can vary in duration, style and format. Typically, they cover a broad range of topics but are not as in-depth or detailed as local or community news. However, there are some exceptions, such as local newscasts produced by major commercial television networks. These usually appear as standalone newscasts that run for a half hour or shorter segments that are attached to national morning network newscasts at 25 and 55 minutes past the hour.
Local news can also be produced by television networks’ local affiliate stations that are owned and operated independently from the national network. These are often known as ‘local news opt-ins’ and can use the same graphics, branding, and studio designs as the national network although they do not air in simulcast with the main network newscasts. Examples of this include WGN America, NY1 New York and KAUT-TV in Oklahoma City which both use the NBC News branding for their local newscasts.