About DistantNews
115 countries 168 newspapers 11 regions
DistantNews lets you read what local newspapers are covering in 115 countries, in English. Most international news reaches English readers through a handful of wire services and global outlets. Local papers cover the debates, civic stories, and everyday context those feeds leave out. We bring that coverage together, organized by country and region, and link every story back to the original publication.
Many readers are tired of global news that competes for attention with sensational headlines and coverage shaped by commercial or political interests. Reading what a country’s own newspapers report is a straightforward way around that. You see the stories local journalists chose to tell, in the order they chose to tell them.
It is built for travellers, expats, diaspora readers, researchers, and anyone curious about what people in another country are reading today.
Local newspapers
Translated and summarized
You, anywhere
How sources are chosen and labelled
- Sources are hand-picked. We choose outlets ourselves, favouring established newspapers and independent publications that serve their local communities. Nothing is added automatically.
- Translations and summaries are automated. Headlines, summaries, and the "local perspective" write-ups are produced automatically from the original article text. They are built to stick to what the source reports and keep the source’s framing, but they are not individually reviewed by a person before publishing. Treat them as a guide to the original, not a replacement for it.
- Source notes are reader guides, not verdicts. Each outlet carries a label compiled from public media-analysis research to give you context on ownership, orientation, and reputation. They are not endorsements or condemnations. Established sourceRead with contextLimited public info
- Country pages combine the latest headlines with background on each country’s media landscape and practical notes for visitors.
Credit where it is due
Part of the point of DistantNews is to give smaller and regional outlets a wider audience. Every story names its publisher and links to the original article, and our summaries are written to send you there rather than replace it. If you value a source you find here, subscribe to it directly.
The headline, translated into plain English
A short summary of what the local paper reported, keeping its own framing and emphasis rather than an outside take…
If you publish one of the outlets we feature and have questions about how your work appears, or would prefer not to be included, email hello@distantnews.com.
Who runs DistantNews
DistantNews is a small, independent site run by one founder with a background in building digital products. The judgement lives in which sources are included and how the coverage is presented; automation does the day-to-day work of keeping up with 115 countries and many languages.
There are no investors and no intrusive ads. If DistantNews is useful to you, you can support it to help keep it independent and open.
Corrections and suggestions
Spotted a mistranslation, an error, or a source we should add? Email hello@distantnews.com and we will look into it promptly. Partnership and press inquiries are welcome at the same address.