Google has quietly launched a beta version of Google News South Africa, a new section of the popular Google News service that includes a prominent focus on South African news.
Also available in a text-only version, the page displays two top news stories, beneath which are separate sections with world news, South African news, sport and business news, as well as reports about science and technology, entertainment and health.
From the main page, readers can access the South African news page with local news reports only, sourced from websites such as the Mail & Guardian Online, iAfrica.com, The Mercury, News24, SABC News and Independent Online.
Readers are allowed to personalise the main page by moving news sections to different positions and changing the number of news reports displayed in each news section.
Google News gathers stories from more than 4 500 English-language news sources worldwide, and arranges them solely by computer algorithms, without human intervention, to present the most relevant news first.
“As a result, news sources are selected without regard to political viewpoint or ideology, enabling you to see how different organisations are reporting the same story,” Google News says on the website.
“This variety of perspectives and approaches is unique among online news sites, and we consider it essential in helping you stay informed about the issues that matter most to you.”