Looking Back

From the William Davidson Digital Archive of Jewish Detroit History 

accessible at www.djnfoundation.org
‘Father of Hate Radio’
T

oday, unfortunately, we live in an era 
of numerous self-promoted media 
“experts” who spread misinforma-
tion, conspiracy theories and, often, bold-
faced lies. The advent of the digital world, 
along with its wonderful capabilities to pro-
vide useful information and connect people 
and families, has exacerbated the problem of 
unreliable news sources. Anyone with inter-
net access can create a media outlet: Deep 
knowledge of a topic or accurate reporting 
are not prerequisites.
Worse, many of these 
media “talking heads” not 
only spread falsehoods and 
ignorance, but they also pro-
mote hate, including virulent 
antisemitism. Although the 
new media forces of the dig-
ital age may seem novel and 
unprecedented, they are not. An outstand-
ing new podcast, “Radioactive: The Father 
Coughlin Story,
” from Tablet Magazine 
reminded me of this fact.
Father Charles Coughlin (1891-1979) was 
America’s first mass media celebrity. He is 
also, as University of Michigan Sociologist 
Donald I. Warren succinctly wrote, the 
“Father of Hate Radio.
” Indeed, the roots of 
today’s media miscreants can be traced to 
Coughlin’s radio show in the 1930s when 
tens of millions listened to his broadcasts 
every week.
An ordained Catholic priest, Coughlin 
was on the faculty at Assumption College 
(now, university) in Windsor, Ontario, 1916-
1923. Detroit Bishop Michael Gallagher 
gave him an opportunity to establish a new 
parish, now the Shrine of the Little Flower in 
Royal Oak. Through massive donations via 
his radio appeals, Coughlin built the Shrine 
into a magnificent structure on Woodward 
Avenue. Although building a religious shrine 
may seem like a somewhat noble cause, this 
one has a very dark underside.
Coughlin made his first radio appearance 
in 1926. This was just six years after the 
first regularly scheduled radio program-
ming in history. By 1930, Coughlin had a 
huge national audience. Although his initial 

broadcasts focused upon Catholic education, 
he soon became political. Coughlin claimed 
— like many media personalities today — to 
speak for the “common” folks. In 1935, he 
formed the National Union for Social Justice 
(NUSJ). It soon had 1 million members and, 
in 1936, begin publishing Social Justice as a 
vehicle for his viewpoint. 
Coughlin was staunchly anticom-
munist and, as the years passed, 
increasingly antisemitic. He cited 
Jewish “financiers” as dominating 
the world’s economy and as insti-
gators of World War II. Coughlin 
praised Adolf Hitler, defended the 
Nazi violence of Kristallnacht and 
published his own version of the 
Protocols of Zion. Finally, in 1942, after 
America’s entry into WWII and a fed-
eral investigation, Detroit Archbishop 
Edward Mooney forced Coughlin to 
cease non-congregational activities. 
Coughlin continued his work at the 
Shrine of the Little Flower until his retire-
ment in 1966.
Coughlin has a large presence in the 
William Davidson Digital Archive of 
Jewish Detroit History, appearing on 
476 pages. Perhaps the best indication 
of how Coughlin vexed Detroit’s Jewish 
community is that reports about him 
appeared on 53 front pages, with 
headlines like: “Columnists and 
Editors Join in Condemning Rev. 
Coughlin’s Attacks on the Jewish 
People” (Dec. 9, 1938, Chronicle), 
“Father Coughlin Preaching Hate…” 
(June 2, 1939, Chronicle) and 
“Rabbis Charge Father Coughlin 
is Exploiting ‘Social Justice’ Term” 
(June 23, 1939, Chronicle), to name 
just a few.
The “Radio Priest” generated a mas-
sive audience. It’s too bad he chose to 
set a precedent of spreading hate instead 
of promoting good. This is a history we 
should not forget. 

Want to learn more? Go to the DJN Foundation 
archives, available for free at 
www.djnfoundation.org.

Mike Smith
Alene and 
Graham Landau 
Archivist Chair

62 | NOVEMBER 18 • 2021 

