Google began aggregating local news in its Google News service in 2008.  When it first began, users typed in a city name or zip code and viola! News from their specific area was now available from a huge variety of sources.  Currently, local news is now displayed in a box on the right side of the Google news homepage.

Google knew from the beginning that they weren’t the first or only news aggregators around, so what they touted at setting them apart from other was their thoroughness.

We’re not simply looking at the byline or the source, but instead we analyze every word in every story to understand what location the news is about and where the source is located.

Today, on the official Google News blog, they are announcing the “news near you” feature on Google News mobile. 

Here’s how it works:

When you visit news.google.com from your Android of iPhone mobile browser for the first time, you will see a pop-up notification that asks for persmission to share your current location.  Privacy concerns be damned, if you want local news you’re going to have to let them pinpoint you.

Considering you say yes, “news near you” will then appear at the bottom of the homepage.  It will also be accessible at the “jump to” tab on the top right.  Users can reorganize the sections to put “news near you” at the top on the personalization page.