If there are, broadly speaking, two sides of an argument, I like to hear from both sides together. Too often inadequately informed or biased presenters just have one side at a time and are unable or unwilling to put the hard questions. So, I enjoyed the discussion on the Pat Kenny Show (Newstalk, Wednesday) between…
Confession: I’ve developed a taste for dark thrillers – with plenty on Netflix, while Channel 4 has their Walter Presents series, where they show the first episode of a series on live television and then the full series online via All 4. Dark Stockholm Requiem (All Four) is one that is pretty dark, starting as it…
Normally I’d be very pleased to find a programme where the Rosary figured prominently but on the main channels this doesn’t happen very often. However, it was a mixed blessing on The 8th (RTÉ One, Wednesday) that much-hyped documentary on the repeal of the Eighth Amendment. It’s often said that the victor writes the history,…
With return of blocked sacraments imminent, I’m still mystified by how the State presumed to ban sacraments. How come Baptisms, until last week’s easing, couldn’t happen at ceremonies where 50 people have been allowed for some time now? On Today With Claire Byrne (RTE Radio 1, Thursday) Fr Joe McDonald of Celbridge and Straffan parish…
Sometimes when you watch a programme you find yourself not much the wiser after it. Or you wonder if you’re getting the full story, or a distorted story and you think you should find out more about the issue, but then life moves on and other priorities take precedence. This is how I felt after…
The first time I heard of the town of Arundel in England it was in connection with the intriguing poem ‘An Arundel Tomb’ by Philip Larkin. Unfortunately the tomb, in nearby Chichester, with its romantic husband and wife statues did not figure in last Sunday’s Songs of Praise (BBC One). We did learn about the…
Writing this column is not a dangerous business, but some journalists do put their lives on the line in pursuit of their stories. Recently we had the shooting of Dutch journalist Peter R de Vries in the Netherlands and he’s still in critical condition at the time of writing. On Times Radio Breakfast last Saturday…
I’m thoroughly cheesed off with media outlets telling us how great they are. Unfortunately, it’s more often the spin than the reality. So, for example, RTÉ is telling us constantly, with very slick video ads, how great they are with news, trust, integrity and journalism. And yet, in current affairs coverage, I think they are…
On Tuesday of last week the sad story of the healthy baby aborted in Holles Street Hospital was the main story on RTÉ News at Nine, a welcome acknowledgement of a high profile casualty of repealing of the Eighth Amendment. Next morning on Newstalk Breakfast presenter Ciara Kelly mentioned it first in her review of…
It’s always good to see a new channel being launched, though the level of welcome depends on the quality. GB News (more opinions than news actually), which launched last week, has been described as ‘right-leaning’ or ‘anti-woke’ and has been compared by its detractors to being like Fox News (I hope it isn’t!). One of…
Brendan O’Regan