Listeners who heard Greg Brady’s morning show before Oct. 7, 2023 might not recognize it today.
Over the last eight months, the Toronto radio host has gone from offering relatively balanced views about pro-Palestine protesters to railing against them, calling them “race-baiters” and “agitators” on social media, and sharing takes from aggressively pro-Israel voices in Canada and around the world.
Among Canadian talk radio personalities, Brady is not alone. He joins radio hosts at 640 Toronto and elsewhere who, since October 7, have handed their mics to Israeli soldiers, blamed Palestinians for their own suffering, fear-mongered about immigrants and allowed guests to tell outright falsehoods.
These hosts have horrified their own colleagues and some members of the public. But advocates say there are virtually no tools to hold them accountable because of their status as “commentators” rather than journalists.
At 640 Toronto, Brady’s shift has been dramatic. On October 10, during his first broadcast after the Hamas-led attack of October 7, Brady referenced the “brutality at times” in regards to Israel’s violence in Gaza, and came to the defence of pro-Palestine protesters.
From talk radio to the New York Times, many legacy media companies are (not so) subtly pivoting from journalism to infotainment that is designed to push the agenda of billionaire owners and get clicks and targeted advertising revenue. They also want to have their cake and eat it too though: to have no accountability for journalistic standards yet maintain their historic cache in news spaces.
Coverage of Palestine in the the last year, the US presidential election (Biden vs Trump), and the capital gains tax in Canada a couple months ago (that only applies to the <1% wealthiest Canadians) have all clearly exemplified this. I also recognize differences in true majority opinions on these matters and the ostensible status quos that the media outlets try to portray on how Canadians, Americans, or people in general feel about these issues. Propaganda is a strong word, and boy we’re trending in that direction
