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Thanks to a new Google Labs feature, you can now tell Google which news sources you want to see more often in Top Stories (as long as you opt in). The company detailed the feature in a blog post Thursday, as part of six ways you can better personalize your Search experience.
With the "Preferred Sources" experiment in Labs, you might choose to see world or political news from your preferred outlet, news about your favorite sports team from the newspaper beat reporter who's followed them for years, or local news from the TV station you trust most.
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Once you select an outlet, you'll see more news from that source both in your Google News feed and when you search for relevant information. This doesn't mean you'll never see news from an outlet you didn't choose, just that your preferred options will show up more. Google said that all sources will be clearly labeled, so you can make sure you're seeing a good variety.
Screenshot by Artie Beaty/ZDNET
In your news feed, you'll see a "Top Stories" category related to your interests and a "From your sources" category dedicated to the outlets you follow.
The feature isn't limited to just major outlets. When I tried it for myself, I found all of my major local TV stations to choose from, but also plenty of smaller local outlets I like – one that is just focused on upcoming events and concerts, and one for cheap and free events. I even found a few fan sites for my favorite sports teams that I already follow on social media. You can change your selections at any time.
It seems like any sort of locally oriented site with a "news" section can potentially be a source. Google does note that sources that are not updated regularly may be unavailable.
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