Google News Launches Redesign to Mark 20th Anniversary; Makes It Easier to Find Local News

Google News has launched a new desktop design making it easier for users to find local news. The redesign is to mark the 20th anniversary of Google News this year. The new desktop design will be customised in such a way that your briefing, local news, and top picks section will be displayed in different columns on a single page. The tech giant also announced that is has reopened its news aggregator in Spain nearly eight years after it closed the service. A few months ago, Google made updates to Search and News to tackle the spread of misinformation

Google explained in a blog post that the desktop redesign has brought “Top stories, Local news, and personalised picks for you to the top of the page”. Users can now use the filter button to add multiple locations to the local news section. This will let them receive news about the cities of their choice.

Users also have the option to customise the topics that appear. You can add, remove, or reorder topics by clicking on the blue customise button on the top right of the Your Topics section.

The American tech giant also announced that is has reopened its news aggregator in Spain nearly eight years after it closed the service. Google had announced in November 2021 that Google News would return to Spain, without setting a date, after Madrid approved a 2019 EU copyright law that allows third-party online news platforms to negotiate directly with content providers regarding fees. This means Google no longer has to pay a fee to Spain's entire media industry and can instead negotiate with individual publishers.

This April, Google made updates to Search and News to tackle the spread of misinformation. Last year, it tweaked Search to notify users about rapidly evolving stories and added an About this result section. This feature is currently available in over 20 languages. Now, in English searches in the United States, these notices will also provide users with information on how to evaluate online news results. The search giants have also shared tips for users to reliably utilise online fact-checking tools.