24 Shades of Blue is a law enforcement podcast that first aired in November 2020. It is funded by the Toronto Police Service and produced by Obie & Ax Inc.

24 Shades of Blue
Presentation
Hosted byAndy O'Brien, and Axel Villamil
GenreLaw enforcement
FormatInterview
Created byToronto Police Service
Production
ProductionObie & Ax Inc
Publication
Original releaseNovember 2020
Related
Websitewww.obieandax.com/project/24-shades-of-blue

The Police funding of the podcast was criticised by Toronto politicians in 2023.

Production

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24 Shades of Blue It is funded by the Toronto Police Service and produced by Obie & Ax Inc.[1][2] Production costs exceeded $300,000.[1] Toronto Police Service have editorial control over the podcast's content.[3]

The podcast was launched in November 2020.[3] As of mid February 2023, the podcast had reached 94,500 listeners.[1]

Format

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The podcast is presented as a series of interviews and is hosted by Andy O'Brien and Axel Villamil, of the production company Obie & Ax Inc.[1]

Espies include an interview with Black police officer Stacy Clarke.[4]

Critical reception

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Former Toronto mayor John Sewell questioned if the city's police needed to spend their money on a podcast.[1] Toronto city councillor Josh Matlow was critical that the production of the podcast was awarded through a non-competitive process.[1]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f Rieti, John; Jeffords, Shawn (14 Feb 2023). "Toronto police spending $337K on a podcast to avoid perception they're making 'copaganda'". CBC.
  2. ^ Rieti, John; Jones, Patrick (17 Feb 2023). "Peel Region spends $55K on sole-sourced podcast on housing crisis". CBC.
  3. ^ a b Bains, Camilla (2023-02-14). "Toronto police are reportedly spending $337K of taxpayer money on investigative podcast". NOW Toronto. Retrieved 2023-02-18.
  4. ^ Powell, Betsy (2022-10-01). "A trail-blazing cop is accused of helping the next generation cheat. Inside a scandal rocking Toronto police". Toronto Star. Retrieved 2023-02-18.


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