New BC News Platform Reveals Gaps in
News Coverage and Media Ownership
Launching ahead of the election, The Spread News compares reporting across 80 BC outlets, including 44 owned by just two companies. Available on the web and Android, with an iPhone app to follow.
With British Columbians preparing to vote in the October 24 provincial election, a new Victoria-based news platform is making it easier to follow local stories, compare reporting across newsrooms and discover coverage they might otherwise miss.
The Spread News, founded by Victoria software developer Kevin Taylor, brings together reporting from 80 BC news outlets in one place. Available on the web and Android, with an iPhone app to follow, the free platform groups reporting on the same event, allowing readers to explore how different publications cover a story and access the original articles directly.
From major publications such as the Vancouver Sun to local broadcasters like CHEK News and independent community newsrooms, The Spread News offers a broader view of BC’s news landscape without requiring readers to visit dozens of websites individually.
“There’s a tremendous amount of valuable journalism happening across British Columbia, but it can be difficult to keep up with everything being reported,” said Kevin Taylor, founder of The Spread News. “We wanted to create something that makes it easier to discover stories, explore different perspectives and find the original reporting.”
One of the platform’s central features is its ability to bring related news coverage together, giving readers a convenient way to see how different outlets are reporting on the same event.
Readers can explore which outlets have covered a particular story, compare headlines and reporting angles, and discover publications they may not typically follow.
The platform also identifies the ownership of the newsrooms it tracks, providing additional background about BC’s media landscape. Its current directory includes 80 outlets across 25 ownership groups, including 44 outlets belonging to Carpenter Media Group (Black Press) and Lodestar Media (Glacier).
Rather than rating outlets for political bias or reliability, The Spread News focuses on presenting coverage and ownership information in an accessible format, allowing readers to explore the reporting and form their own opinions.
“Different newsrooms serve different communities and audiences, so it’s natural that they make different editorial decisions,” added Taylor. “We think there’s value in being able to see those differences in one place. It’s not about telling readers which outlet is right or wrong. It’s about making it easier to explore the reporting that’s available.”
The platform launches as British Columbians follow the final days of the provincial election campaign, when access to local reporting and a range of perspectives is especially relevant.
While the election provides a timely introduction to the platform, The Spread News is designed for everyday use, helping readers follow developments in their communities and across the province.
The platform is independently operated and does not publish original news articles or reproduce full stories. Instead, it uses publicly available news feeds to display headlines, brief excerpts and links directing readers to the original publishers.
Some stories include clearly labelled AI-generated summaries based on publicly available headlines and feed descriptions. Publishers can opt out of AI-generated summaries or request removal from the platform.
Readers can access The Spread News for free through its website and Android app, or subscribe to a daily email digest delivered at 6 a.m. The platform does not rely on personalized news feeds to determine which stories readers see.
The Spread News is available now at thespread.ca and as a free Android app, with an iPhone app to follow.
About The Spread News
The Spread News is a free, Victoria-based news aggregation and comparison platform founded by software developer Kevin Taylor and operated by NovelLogic Ventures Inc. Tracking 80 BC news outlets across 25 media ownership groups, the platform brings together reporting on the same stories, highlights gaps in coverage and identifies the organizations behind each newsroom. By connecting readers directly to original journalism, The Spread News aims to make BC’s news landscape more accessible and transparent while helping readers explore different perspectives and draw their own informed conclusions.
