Canada

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.