With real-time news, a journalist can share updates on a live stream of content, enabling them to keep audiences engaged as events unfold. It prioritizes immediacy and leverages digital platforms to deliver news to a global audience in seconds rather than waiting for broadcast schedules. This shift, however, poses challenges for journalism and can lead to misinformation and a crisis of trust.
Across Google, news experiences are designed to help people access context and diverse perspectives on the stories they’re following. Using technology, we’re able to organize millions of news articles into categories so that people can find what’s relevant to them, without having to dig for it. Whether through Top Stories in Search, the News tab, Headlines & search within Google News, or news on the Assistant, our goal is to help everyone stay informed about what’s happening around the world.
In the Reuters 2025 Digital News Report, one of the key findings was that while audiences want accurate information, they also need it delivered in a format that meets their demands for speed and mobile-first design. As a result, live, interactive news formats have become more than just an aesthetic choice—they’re a powerful tool for rebuilding trust and deepening engagement.
Live blogs in particular provide a clear, chronological narrative that cuts through information overload. They also inherently encourage transparency, allowing for in-context fact-checking and source attribution as well as conflict of interest disclosures. Adding interactive features like reader polls, Q&As with journalists and experts, and moderated comment threads further engages audiences and reinforces the human side of journalism.