Google News, the made-in-Google news aggregator, just tested (partially) the “Material You” design for its Android app for the first time, but apparently the Mountain View house isn’t done with summer renovations. Just today, in fact, on his blog he announced that he had also renewed the look of the desktop version. As stated by the same company, the automatic learning algorithms of Google News are designed to filter the news that is of interest to the user, giving higher priority to local news and, at least according to Google, trying to protect against disinformation by preserving freedom of expression. expression. When you get to the new Google News page, you get a message telling you about the change. The new design is also the result of feedback from users around the world (Google News is present in 125 countries and 40 languages) and, unsurprisingly, has now moved the local and most important news to the top of Google News. the page, which facilitates. see Also, the filter now allows you to add more locations to the local news section, showing how the search giant is driving this kind of news (or are users requesting it?).
The new Google News desktop is now more flexible, with more customization options for the topics that matter most to users. All thanks to a new blue button that gives access to “Your themes” and allows you to select and order them according to your preferences. But it’s not just news, it’s verifiable news. As originally planned, Google wants to fight misinformation and has therefore expanded the Fact Check section: in addition to the headlines, users will now see the original statement as well as the verified assessment of the facts by independent bodies. This information helps verify the source, check out other news on the topic and form a more informed opinion and can also be accessed in Google search by clicking the three dots next to the search results and then selecting “About This”. result”.
Finally, Google reveals some more general news. First, it announces the reopening of Google News in Spain after eight years. You’ll recall that the company went out of business due to a Spanish law that required any newspaper to charge Google News a fee for displaying even small snippets of its text. Now they have reached an agreement. Below, Google explains how it helps journalists in their work, through the Google News Initiative, the Global News Equity Fund, and the Data-Driven Reporting Project. Finally, more “pop” news, Google News celebrates its 20th anniversary and for the occasion the search giant shows how much it has changed during this period.