Media Commentator

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Mal Fletcher is often called upon for expert comment on TV, radio and in the 'new media' in various parts of the world.

He specializes in comment on social issues, future trends, cultural shifts, generational issues, ethics and faith/spirituality. His web blog - more an editorial than a blog - is read by people in 115 nations. He also writes regular editorial pieces for magazines and e-zines in Australia, the UK and Europe. Below are a few samples of his regular output (listed alphabetically).

For Media Enquiries: media@malfletcher.net * | Tel: +44 (0) 870 766 2660.
*When you email us, we also automatically receive a text mssg & will respond asap.

Read Mal's latest Social Comment Editorial

	Auschwitz Why We Remember Auschwitz This coming Thursday, the world will remember once again the horrors perpetrated at Auschwitz. It is the sixtieth anniversary of the liberation of the infamous concentration camp. Whether we like it or not, we need to recall the events of Auschwitz and the other camps... View Full Article
	Celebrity The Sadness of Soap Opera Lives The sad lives of two young women in the news this week should serve as a cautionary tale for all who aspire to celebrity -- and for those who feed off its soap opera narratives. The mysterious death of Anna Nicole Smith and the appearance of a new look Britney Spears offer a reminder of the vacuous and destructive nature of modern celebrity.... View Full Article
	Civil Liberties The Right To Smoke In Public Places? No Such Thing! The right to smoke anywhere at anytime? Give me a break -- there's no such thing. A week ago, one of Europe's largest cigarette manufacturers admitted that its sales had fallen dramatically. Pundits blamed the Irish ban on smoking in restaurants and pubs. Yet visiting northern Europe again last week, I was reminded of just how slowly Europe is moving forward in the area of non-smoker's rights... View Full Article
	Death of the Pope Pope John Paul II: Voice for Life and Hope This weekend saw the passing of a man who showed great conviction in an age of convenience and compromise. Pope John Paul II believed not only in giving strong leadership to his flock, the largest part of the world’s Christian community. He also felt that the church, in an age of ethical confusion, has a duty to provide a strong yet hopeful moral compass to the wider world... View Full Article
	Elvis Presley Elvis - Are Young Celebs Listening? The thirtieth anniversary this week of the death of Elvis Presley gives the world again an opportunity to reflect on the challenges and dangers of celebrity. We do well to remember the youthful Elvis with all his energy and positivity. But we should also remember the middle-aged Elivs who struggled so much with addiction and, perhaps moreso, self-image... View Full Article
	Europe's Teen Drinking Europe's Teen Alcohol Problem -- Crisis Of Creativity A German boy, aged 15, lapsed into a coma recently after excessive alcohol consumption at a ‘Flat Rate Party’. Many across Europe are questioning why, in an age of unprecedented prosperity and opportunity, young people are turning to alcohol in a way that puts their health, even their lives, at risk... View Full Article
	Europe's Fiftieth Year Europe: 50 Years Young The European Community will also celebrate its 50th birthday this year. Many young adults in Europe are blessed with awesome creativity, but having grown up with a cradle-to-grave welfare state and a heavily regulated business environment, are either psychologically ill-equipped to pioneer new ventures or stifled in their attempts to do so by red tape... View Full Article
	EU Constitution Voter Apathy On EU Constitution? Over the weekend, the Spanish people voted in a referendum on the proposed EU Constitution. The response was positive, with a ‘yes’ vote of around 76 percent. Yet only 41 percent of those eligible to vote did so. The size of the voter turn-out somewhat weakens the moral strength of the outcome... View Full Article
	Faith in a Pluralistic Society British General Questions Multi-Faith The new head of Britain’s army, Sir Richard Dannatt, this week questioned how long his forces should remain in Iraq. What most people don’t know is that he also suggested that British society needs a renewal of Christian values. He questioned the place of a multi-faith approach to deciding our core cultural values... View Full Article
	Freedom of Speech The Gospel According To Big Brother Government The British Government seems almost certain to pass a new law which will severely limit freedom of speech within religious communities and society at large. The proposed bill, which is set to pass through the House of Commons, is strongly opposed by church groups, as well as representatives of other religious communities... View Full Article
	The Future Arthur C. Clarke - The Importance Of Engaging The Future Today, the study of history seems a little tame for many people, while the 'study' of the future is somehow sexy, interesting and evocative. For others, thinking about the future produces feelings of apprehension. They make choices based on fear of their environment, fear of other groups of people and fear of what tomorrow might do to them... View Full Article
	Genetics Gene Wars Could a bomb be engineered to wipe out only members of a certain ethnic group? A recent report published by the British Medical Association (BMA) stated that genetically targeted weapons capable of use as ethnic cleansing agents could become a reality within the next decade... View Full Article
	Hurricane Katrina What Can We Learn From Katrina? I write this while on a plane en route from Washington to London. For much of the past week I waited with the residents of Virginia Beach, on America's east coast, for the arrival of Hurricane Ophelia, the little sister to Katrina and Rita. People were watching TV forecasts closely... View Full Article
	Leadership Leading From Behind A couple of days ago, several of our leading news media carried stories about the leadership style of Spain's new prime minister. He reportedly promised that he would lead by following public opinion. I'm sure he has come to the leadership with the very best of intentions, but for me at least his statements smack of the uncertain populism that has quenched so much of pioneer spirit in Europe, particularly among its young people... View Full Article
	London Bombings Bombs Strike London But Won't Kill Its Spirit My train for London this morning was stopped a little outside the city. My fellow passengers and I were at first told very little, except that there were problems on the city’s underground system. All trains into the city were being delayed... View Full Article
	Madeleine McCann The Madeleine McCann Story - Confusing Reality for Reality TV The McCanns: guilty or not guilty? If ever we needed proof that our culture has blurred the lines between reality and reality TV, this is it. A little girl has been missing for 150 days. Meanwhile, some media pundits and members of an overtaxed police force feed off - or fend off - each other, trying to protect their respective reputations... ... View Full Article
	Media The Big Donor Show - Unnecessary Hoax Big Donor was used as a Trojan horse to make what is essentially a valid point: that people awaiting organ transplants have a very tough time of it. The point is certainly worth making. Was it necessary to lie to make the point? And if the answer is ‘yes’, what does that say about our culture?... ... View Full Article
	Northern Ireland New Era for Northern Ireland -- The Power of Hope Never give up on a worthy and just cause -- the future might surprise you. That is surely the message we should carry from yesterday's launch of the new political administration in Northern Ireland. We should never underestimate the power of hope, even in the sometimes sordid world of politics... View Full Article
	Privacy Local Council Snoops On Family In an age of ID theft and governments losing sensitive data, how far can privacy be eroded? When is surveillance nothing more than spying? Trust is at the very heart of democratic government. If government won't trust its people, though, one wonders how long it will be before people return the favour. This will breed a desire to fight the system rather than co-operate with it... View Full Article
	Privacy ID Cards - Yes Or No? The pollster MORI recently found that four out of five Britons say they're in favour of mandatory ID cards for the general population. If this is true, it is significant, for Britain is one of the few major European powers that has thus far resisted the introduction of ID cards... View Full Article
	Reality TV The Reality of Reality TV Last week, veteran British broadcaster John Humphrys delivered a lecture in which he lambasted the reality TV phenomenon, referring to certain reality programs as 'mind-numbing, witless vulgarity.' Speaking at the Edinburgh Television Festival, the presenter of Radio 4's Today program explained how he had not watched TV in five years... View Full Article
	Super Size Me Super Size Me - Super Inspire Me The hit documentary movie Super Size Me opened this week to mostly rave reviews. It's message is simple: human beings cannot live on fast food alone! After a month-long marathon of burgers, shakes and French fries, the film's intrepid producer Morgan Spurlock said: 'I hope you enjoy [my movie]. A lot of pain and suffering (mostly by me) was endured to create it.'... View Full Article
	Tsunami Tsunami - Staying The Distance As of this week, more than 170,000 people have lost their lives in the Indian Ocean tsunami disaster. Also as of this week, Sky News, Europe’s largest satellite news broadcaster, has reduced its reporting and backup staff in the affected areas from 80 people to 27. ITV News has gone from 32 people on the ground to 19 across the region... View Full Article