RTÉ NEWS ANNOUNCES NEW JOURNALISTS REPORTING ON GLOBAL SECURITY, EASTERN EUROPE AND AFRICA

RTÉ News is pleased to announce the appointments of journalists, Yvonne Murray as its new Global Security Reporter based in New York, Liam Nolan as its new Eastern Europe Reporter based in Warsaw, Poland and Kagweni Micheni as its new Africa Reporter based in Nairobi, Kenya. Yvonne, Liam and Kagweni bring years of experience in global journalism to these video journalist roles and are appointed following recent international competitions.

For the past decade Yvonne Murray has been based in Asia. In 2018, she re-established RTÉ’s presence in China, from where she contributed multimedia reports across RTÉ outlets including Morning Ireland, World Report, Six One News, Nine O’Clock News, Prime Time and RTÉ News online. Her reporting for RTÉ examined Ireland’s relationship with China, charted the rise of China’s economy, the regime’s tightening authoritarianism at home as well as its growing influence on the world stage and the deepening superpower rivalry between China the United States. She reported on-the-ground from Hong Kong, on the mass detention of Uyghurs in Xinjiang, on cross-strait tensions from Taiwan and from Wuhan, on the outbreak of a global pandemic.

Yvonne has also contributed television reports to Channel 4 News, worked on independent documentary productions and written for The Economist. Previously, she worked as a reporter and producer for BBC News, based in London, first at BBC World Service, and later at BBC Radio 4 and across BBC TV, Radio and digital outlets. She spent time on assignment in the BBC’s Washington DC, Paris and Jerusalem bureaus.

The RTÉ News Global Security Video Journalist role will be based at the United Nations in New York and provide comprehensive reporting and analysis on global news, and specifically the work of the UN Security Council. Yvonne will report on a wide range of issues including the work of the United Nations Security Council, Ireland’s role within the UN system and peacekeeping, and Global & geopolitical issues.

Yvonne Murray is a native of Howth, Co. Dublin and now lives in New York.

Commenting on her new role Yvonne said: “I’m honoured to be part of RTÉ’s expanding international news team by taking up this new role of Global Security reporter, based at the United Nations. More than ever, the forces that shape our lives extend far beyond national boundaries and this is an opportunity to bring global stories home. I’m a firm believer in public service journalism and hope I can build on my news experience overseas, most recently reporting for RTÉ in China, to ask questions on behalf of our audiences and hold policymakers to account on decisions that affect us all.”

Liam Nolan is a journalist and producer. Originally from Dublin, Liam worked as a video journalist at The Economist in London from 2014 to 2019 where he covered stories from across the globe. He was later the executive producer at The Financial Times’ podcast unit and, more recently, the executive producer at global fintech Capital.com’s film unit in London – leading a team of data journalists and filmmakers to produce cutting-edge video explainers about the markets.

Liam was based in Warsaw from 2011 to 2014 as a freelance print journalist, where he wrote about Polish politics and business for The Economist and the FT, and also filed radio reports for PRI, NPR and RTÉ Radio 1’s World Report. During that time, he wrote regularly about the ongoing friction between the country’s two main political parties, the challenges facing Poland’s coal-reliant energy sector and covered the 70th anniversary of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising, interviewing some of its last remaining survivors.

Liam studied a B.Sc in Communication (Film & Broadcasting) at DIT and holds an MA in Communication and Humanitarian Studies from Université Lumière Lyon II, France. As editor of the FT’s Behind the Money podcast series, he was part of the team that won the 2020 Wincott Award for Audio Journalism. He began his career in Ireland making radio and television documentaries for RTÉ and TG4.

Liam Nolan said: “I am delighted to join RTÉ News as the broadcaster’s Eastern Europe video reporter. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has reshaped relations between the West and the Kremlin and its consequences have rippled across the continent. The war, the plight of millions of refugees, the current energy crisis – driven in large part by reduced Russian energy supplies – and the rise of populist governments in Hungary and Poland have created a greater need to bring the region into focus. As someone with an avid interest in the politics and history of eastern Europe, and having previously reported from Poland, I look forward to covering stories from the region for audiences at home in Ireland, and around the globe.”

Kagweni Micheni is originally from Kenya and grew up in the UK before moving back to Kenya in 2017. She undertook a degree in Biological Sciences before her passion for writing and the news led her to complete a Multimedia Journalism course with Brighton Journalist Works, followed by a Masters in Documentary Film at University of Arts London. For almost a decade she has worked as a journalist in the UK, France, and most recently been based in Kenya. She has worked for both local and international media houses include CNN Africa, The Sun, Radio Africa Group and Medavia Media Consultants. Her reporting has covered news, travel, human rights, and showcasing the culture of an incredibly diverse and consistently evolving continent.

The role of RTÉ News Africa Video Journalist will see Kagweni report on a wide range of issues including the impact of climate change on the African continent and efforts to mitigate it, the work of Irish Aid and other Irish NGOs in East Africa and global and geopolitical issues in the region.

Kagweni Micheni said: “I am extremely excited to work with RTÉ and particularly excited to cover Africa, a continent I hold very close to my heart. I initially applied for the role as it was an exciting opportunity to put my mark on a brand-new position. I also have great respect for the many excellent journalists that already work for RTÉ, and I am extremely honored to now call them my colleagues. I believe that the role will allow me to not only showcase the news from Africa but also to give a glimpse into the many different cultures and people that make up one of the most diverse and beautiful continents that I have been lucky enough to call my home.”

RTÉ News is expanding its international coverage online as well as on-air. This expansion of foreign news coverage is supported by funding from the Global Ireland Media Challenge Fund.

These new roles are funded in part by the Global Ireland Media Challenge Fund and will examine the key issues facing Ireland, with special coverage online and on-air across RTÉ News & Current Affairs, focusing on Europe’s future, global security and the key issues of international development.