Maybe it’s a bit of a grim start to the first media column of the year, but the topic of domestic violence never ceases to be important. It has been highlighted recently in adult dramas such as Angela (ITV), The Maid (Netflix) and The Other Girl (BBC One) and plot-wise can be both gripping and…
There’s usually a glut of programmes with religious elements in the media over the Christmas period, and I’m usually on the lookout for something distinctive or shows that stand out for a variety of reasons. Heaven Made at Christmas (BBC One and Two) was particularly engaging. Over two episodes on Christmas week (on repeat from…
TV & Radio Review 2021 I had hoped that I wouldn’t be writing about Covid-19 again at the end of 2021, but it has dominated the media for the year. But should it be so? One night in early December I was listening to the BBC Radio 4 news headlines and the only mention of…
Christmas Crackers Keep Christ in Christmas, a Catholics Come Home special presentation EWTN Saturday December 18, 7pm also Thursday (night) December 23, 3.30am A tour behind the scenes of the making of Santa’s Priority, a Christmas evangomercial and discover what a small group of Catholics are doing to combat the secular war on Christmas and…
I’m always on the lookout for inspiration, hope, something radical, out of the ordinary, especially when it comes to Church matters. Current affairs’ debates about matters touching on religion are not always a good source. It was good to see the return of The Leap of Faith (RTÉ Radio One, Friday), with Michael Comyn, albeit…
It’s interesting how the concept of justice is used so liberally these days – everything from ‘climate justice’, a relatively new concept, through ‘social justice warriors’ whose methods don’t always taste of justice, to genuine justice tempered by mercy. The phrase ‘crying out for justice’ was used in a timely interview on Times Radio Breakfast…
When something is a right you shouldn’t have to kick up a fuss to vindicate it, yet it often seems to be that way. These thoughts were prompted by episodes of Liveline (RTÉ Radio 1) last week, at its best when championing the rights of the vulnerable. Last week there were so many stories of…
When a person who holds opinions not beloved by media folk is called onto a current affairs show, it can feel like being called to the principal’s office for a ticking off. I’ve been there. It felt like that when Mary Wilson interviewed Anna Sochanska, the Polish Ambassador to Ireland, on Morning Ireland (RTÉ Radio…
Crossing lines that shouldn’t be crossed has caused unnecessary conflict and division, has fractured social discourse and has damaged our trust in institutions and people. When a journalist is interviewed on a controversial topic, you expect them at least to try and be impartial, even if you know where their sympathies lie. My admiration of…
It was a week of ‘good example, bad example’ – concepts you don’t hear much about these days, though we constantly hear about the importance of ‘influencers’. It’s a term usually reserved for obscure ‘celebrities’ on social media yet good role models are still so important for inspiring the young and boosting flagging morale among…