Google News is revamping its desktop site with a new design that lets you follow global and local news on one screen. The redesign places Your briefing, Local news, and Top Picks on one page in separate columns, making it easier to follow news about topics and regions that interest you.
Until now, if you were logged into Google News, you would see the headlines section first, along with the weather widget on the side. Other sections like World, For You, and Local News were accessible by scrolling to the bottom of the page or clicking on those categories from the sidebar.
The Google News redesign moves all categories from the sidebar to the top of the screen, to better accommodate other columns, like Local News and Top Picks. The weather widget now takes up a small space in the top-right corner of the screen. Google has tried to replicate the feel of reading a newspaper or magazine — but through a desktop website.
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“This design change to Google News is just the latest way we’re bringing local news to users around the world. Last year, we expanded a feature to Google Searchso readers around the world can now see a carousel of local news when Google finds local news relevant to their query. This helps them easily find stories from local news publishers,” the company said in a statement.
Additionally, you can click the customize button next to the Your topics section to select topics you want to see on the homepage and even shuffle their display order.
The redesigned Google News also features a revamped Fast Check section, which now also shows you the original claim and verified review for more information. Earlier this year, Google launched a new “highly cited” label in search to highlight the original source for a story.
The company noted that along with these changes, Google News returns to Spain after eight years, thanks to new copyright legislation. The company claims that Google News is already present in 125 countries and 40 languages, and 24 billion clicks are made to publisher websites each month.
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Google said it is opening applications for its News Equity Fund, a grant for independent journalists or small news organizations to produce original news. The company will accept applications until July 21 from almost every country around the world, except China and Russia.
Yesterday, Google quietly withdrew its appeal against a €500 million fine for news licensing antitrust violations in France. This came after French authorities accepted the company’s behavioral commitments offered in December. In a blog post, Google noted that it has made content deals with more than 150 publications in the country.
Source: techcrunch.com
