As part of its twentieth anniversary, the redesign of Google News was officially launched, with a greater focus on accessibility and customization.
Google announces the redesign (opens in new tab) “was inspired by feedback [they] received from readers” as the desktop site aims to make news easier to find. Important stories have a larger thumbnail and adjacent articles next to them for different types of coverage.
Sections rearranged
Immediately upon opening Google News on desktop, you’ll be greeted with the top stories of the day with a local news section (no longer hidden behind menus) and personalized tips on the right. You can add local news to multiple locations if coverage for one city isn’t enough for you. And the menu bar that was on the left is now at the top of the page.
If you scroll down after the first few sections, you’ll come across your themes, which are six different categories that you can choose from a choice of eight. These include technology, entertainment, business and sports.
After that, you have arguably the biggest change: the new Fact Check section. Previously, fact-check articles were relegated to a simple headline by a fact-checking organization like PolitiFact. Now, headlines have an accompanying fact-checked claim. For example, it could be claimed that President Joe Biden vetoed a particular bill. Alongside this, you may see a fact check from PolitiFact stating that the claim is true, false, or even altered.
Below that is the “Beyond the Front Page” section for more unusual stories and even in-depth posts from tech companies.
The redesign is currently live and will be “available in over 125 countries and 40 languages”. including a return to Spain (opens in new tab) who hasn’t had Google News for about eight years. Google claims it was because of a copyright law that prevented them from operating there, but the law has since been changed.
You can now go to Google News and click Try it at the top to switch to the new design. To go back to the old style, open the “Settings” menu and uncheck the box next to “Start using the new Google News”.
Analysis: Looks overloaded
It’s hard to say whether people will like the redesign or not. The new Google News has been in the works since May when some people stumbled upon it. Initially, not everyone was enthusiastic about the redesign. Some found it overly designed as the headlines were too big.
Google News now looks more like a newspaper, with headlines and images thrown together in a small space. Despite a cluttered look, some may appreciate the emphasis on local news and revamped fact-checking. After all, misinformation is still a hot topic.
Speaking of fake news, Google recently banned deepfake projects from his cooperation service. Despite our investigation, no one knows exactly why Google made this move.
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