German-perspective news for an international audience (including Germans living elsewhere) about international topics in a large number of languages. Or, to quote the law creating it, its programs

> [...] should provide a forum for German and other perspectives on important topics, predominantly in politics, culture and economy, both in Europe and in other continents, with the aim to foster understanding and exchange between cultures and people. While doing so, it especially supports the German language. (my off-the-cuff translation, but should capture the gist of it I hope)

It's the German state broadcasting agency producing content in many languages for Germans abroad and an international audience. For anti-propaganda reasons they are not allowed to broadcast in Germany. This is in contrast with the German public broadcasting agencies which have a compulsory fee, but are not directly paid by the state. DW have some really good and interesting reporting off the mainstream but should be consumed with care as they are effectively controlled by the German state. Recently they are set to become a sort of counter to Russia Today meant to counter fake news. A friend of mine works at DW and frequently rants about higher-ups revising or canceling reporting because it doesn't fit the desired angle.

I've been disappointed with DW for a long time. One of their ostensible goals is to promote the German language (see the Deutsche Welle Act, which governs it). Finding a live stream in German on their site is near impossible. I expect it's due to agreements with US cable companies, but I haven't been able to confirm that. I can't think of another reason for them to display "Es gab ein Problem Zugang zu dem geschützten Inhalt herzustellen" whenever I attempt to view live German content. Fortunately, some of it is available on YouTube.