Google News Gets a Massive Redesign! More Local Stories This Time?

Google News kicked off a massive redesign for its desktop users in time for the 20th anniversary of the news aggregator service.

A lot has undoubtedly changed in the world of news since Google News first saw the light of day way back in September 2002.

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Illustration picture shows a mobile phone and a laptop with the Google website, Monday 14 December 2020. by LAURIE DIEFFEMBACQ/BELGA MAG/AFP via Getty Images

Now that the service is nearing its monumental decade-long existence, Google is shaping it to be more relevant in this day and age.

Google News Redesign

We are in a time where most folks get their daily dose of news on social media. But sometimes, the algorithm of these platforms gets messed up and keeps skipping on the most relevant stories of the day.

Well, the search engine giant has this so-called Google News service, which primarily focuses on keeping its users updated with the latest stories.

Before Google News turns 20, it gets a major revamp, which follows the latest trends in the world of journalism, as per a news story by Engadget.

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People pass by a booth of Google at the re:publica 2022 digital media convention in Berlin, on June 9, 2022. by TOBIAS SCHWARZ/AFP via Getty Images

Google debuted the new look of News on the desktop, which now noticeably prioritizes the most relevant and important stories to its visitors.

It still has its two sections, such as the top stories and the personalized picks, according to a recent report by Tech Crunch.

But aside from the curated picks of Google, users of News could also explore its "customize" button, which falls under the "Your Topics" section. It further allows users to choose which topics they prefer.

For instance, if you are into tech stuff, it should feed you with stories about the latest smartphones and software updates, among other related news.

Google News Fact Checking

On top of that, the tech giant also vowed to ramp up its fact-checking system to weed away misinformation and disinformation from the eyes of its users.

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BERLIN, GERMANY - JUNE 09: A wooden Google logo hangs at a stand at the 2022 Re:publica digital society festival on June 09, 2022 in Berlin, Germany. The three-day event brings together stakeholders and leading voices from a wide spectrum of today's global, digital society. by Sean Gallup/Getty Images

Engadget notes that the revamp now employs fact checks from independent sources to check if the claims of a story reflect nothing but facts.

More Localized Google News?

What sets the revamped Google News from its old version is precisely its more intense focus on local news stories.

While the previous design also features local news, the new version puts these localized stories on top, allowing users to see them first.

Google News also adds a new function, which enables users to nominate another city to get the latest news from that locality.

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Written by Teejay Boris

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