Was news ever presented free of spin? Maybe it never was but I think the problem is worse now. These thoughts were prompted by the headlines Tuesday morning of last week. I woke up to Morning Ireland (RTÉ Radio 1) news headlines telling me that the Covid restrictions could last for years. It’s a wonder…
One of the things I’ve noticed about public debate in the media is that sometimes certain views are marginalised. People are often unaware of this, or conveniently oblivious, until they find their own views suffering the same fate and then the penny drops. This is happening to a certain extent in the debates over Covid-19,…
I’ve never been that much of a lover of Barbara Streisand’s music or acting but I have been a long-time fan of Leonard Cohen and have fond memories of seeing him perform in Dublin’s 3 Arena. What connects them apart from music is their Jewish heritage and this was explored with Michael Comyn by historian…
This August a new feature film, Fatima, is due in cinemas. It stars Harvey Keitel and the trailers look really interesting. Readers may well remember the 1952 version, The Miracle of Our Lady of Fatima, starring Gilbert Roland. I saw it years ago and was impressed. The 13th Day (EWTN, Sunday) from 2009 was another…
Regular readers will know how unhappy I am with media treatment of controversial social issues. I find so many presenters pushing their own viewpoints and being unwilling or unable to ask the hard questions of those promoting a supposedly liberal viewpoint, while being well able and willing to grill those of a conservative leaning. I’ve…
There are so many good dramas on TV at the moment, so it’s great to have all this extra time to indulge. One of the best last week was Quiz (ITV, Monday-Wednesday), based on the true story of an alleged scam involving contestants on Who Wants to be a Millionaire? I found it completely absorbing,…
Every Easter I look out for some innovative religious programmes and I wasn’t disappointed this year. One of the most imaginative was Heavenly Gardens (BBC1) which had an episode for Good Friday and one for Easter Sunday. Actor and singer Alexander Armstrong along with garden designer Arit Anderson (familiar to viewers from Gardeners’ World) presented…
I wonder what would be filling our news programmes if it wasn’t for Covid-19. Yes, I’ve got FOMO – fear of missing out! Yet it’s a serious question as significant events creep under the radar – it shows how important it is to check out and support reliable newspapers, to get a more rounded sweep of…
Anything that provides calm, relative normality or even distraction in these troubling times is welcome. Gardening surely ticks all these boxes, so I was glad to watch Gardeners’ World (BBC2) on Friday. Recently returned for a new season, presenter Monty Don exuded calm and enthusiasm and it was almost a virus-free zone – he did…
Well, who would have thought that RTÉ would move to broadcasting Mass on a daily basis, and yet, in these strange times, that’s what happened last week. With the most unusual St Patrick’s Day in living memory I’m sure Catholics were very grateful to RTÉ for broadcasting the St Patrick’s Day Mass – slimmed down…
Brendan O’Regan