CJAD 800 has issued an on-air correction and apology to CJPME after a guest made defamatory claims during a broadcast without challenge. This follows a complaint submitted by CJPME to the Canadian Broadcast Standards Council (CBSC) regarding an inaccurate segment broadcast on CJAD 800’s Montreal Now with Aaron Rand. The station’s management confirmed to CJPME that remarks made by commentator Dida Berku about pro-Palestine activists, including CJPME, were inaccurate. Berku is a pro-Israel figure, former long-time city councillor and deputy mayor of Côte Saint-Luc.

Berku erroneously claimed during a radio interview in August 2026 that CJPME and Global Sumud Canada had met with Montreal mayor Soraya Martinez Ferrada about a proposed motion for the city to cut ties with Israel. After specifically naming CJPME and Global Sumud Canada, Berku alleged that “these people” had “taken photos with terrorists” and were “carrying Hamas symbols.” All of these allegations are false. The intent was simply to make CJPME and similar groups appear as if we were a nefarious cabal.

After stating these defamatory fabrications, she said it was “very, very concerning” that Montreal’s city council would be “putting forth amendments” to the motion “based on [CJPME’s] opinion.”

The bar for a radio station to correct claims of this kind is extraordinarily high, but that bar was cleared after CJPME’s challenge to the CBSC, a press council for issues in broadcast media. 

In a direct written response to CJPME, Chris Bury, Director of Information Programming for CTV News Montreal and CJAD 800, acknowledged the findings regarding the inaccuracy of Berku’s statement. He apologized to CJPME and said Berku’s remarks were “imprecise,” noting that the evidence she provided in an effort to prove her claims contained “no material linking CJPME to the specific conduct Ms. Berku described.” 

To put it simply, CJAD 800 admitted that Berku lied, and that it had gone without challenge.

To address the matter, CJAD 800 issued an on-air correction:

WE NEED TO TAKE A MOMENT TO ISSUE A CLARIFICATION IN RELATION TO A SEGMENT AIRED AUGUST 24TH.

DURING THE SEGMENT, A GUEST DISCUSSED A MOTION ABOUT ISRAEL THAT WAS BEING DEBATED AT MONTREAL CITY HALL, AND REFERRED TO SEVERAL ADVOCACY GROUPS, INCLUDING CANADIANS FOR JUSTICE AND PEACE IN THE MIDDLE EAST, OR C-J-P-M-E.

WHEN WE REVIEWED THE SEGMENT, WE FOUND THAT SOME OF THE GUEST'S COMMENTS MAY HAVE LED SOME LISTENERS TO BELIEVE THAT CERTAIN STATEMENTS APPLIED TO C-J-P-M-E. CJAD HAS NO INFORMATION CONNECTING C-J-P-M-E TO THOSE STATEMENTS, AND IT WAS NOT OUR INTENTION TO SUGGEST OTHERWISE.

WE APOLOGIZE TO C-J-P-M-E AND TO OUR LISTENERS FOR ANY UNINTENDED CONFUSION.

CJPME will continue to hold outlets and media figures to account when they try to baselessly defame Palestine advocates. This incident sets another important precedent in the broadcasting space.