Fiona Mitchell

Fiona Mitchell (born 1972) is an Irish journalist and news correspondent with RTÉ, Ireland's national radio and television station, where she previously was the RTÉ News London correspondent from January 2015 to June 2019.[1][2][3]

Fiona Mitchell
Born
Fiona Mitchell

1972 (age 50–51)
Killeigh, Tullamore, County Offaly, Ireland
EducationNUI Galway,
Maynooth University
Occupation(s)Journalist, news correspondent
Years active1998–present
EmployerRTÉ
Notable credit(s)RTÉ News
Morning Ireland
SpouseAlan Johnston

Career

Mitchell began her journalism career with local radio station Midlands 103 and made the transition from local radio to television in 1998 with TV3.[4] Mitchell joined Raidió Teilifís Éireann in 2000, where she worked as a reporter on RTÉ Radio 1's Morning Ireland and the RTÉ foreign news desk before being appointed news editor in 2006.[5] In November 2014, Mitchell was appointed the RTÉ News London correspondent after previously worked as deputy foreign editor.[6][7] Her appointment came a month after RTÉ announced in October 2014 that they would be reinstating the position, having previously axed it in 2012.[8]

During her time as deputy foreign editor, Mitchell provided extensive coverage of the resignation of Pope Benedict XVI, the State visit by President Michael D. Higgins to the United Kingdom and the 2014 Scottish independence referendum.[9] As London correspondent, she provided extensive coverage of several major terrorist attacks, the Grenfell Tower fire, the 2015 and 2017 general elections, the birth of Princess Charlotte, the Wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle and the Brexit referendum.[4]

In 2019, Mitchell was succeeded by Sean Whelan as London Correspondent, and since then, she has been a news correspondent for RTÉ.[10]

It was revealed in July 2023 amid the RTÉ secret payment scandal that when Mitchell was London Correspondent, she had to use cafés in London as a workplace and was forced to do live on-air interviews from café toilets due to RTÉ giving up their London office space, whilst RTÉ was simultaneously paying for a membership at an exclusive club in the city.[11]

Personal life

Mitchell grew up in Killeigh, Tullamore, County Offaly and has one sister Frances, and one brother Barry, who lives in the US state Indiana.[4] She graduated from NUI Galway with a BA in sociology, politics and history in 1993 and continued on to complete a MA in history in Maynooth University.[12] On 16 April 2019, Mitchell received the NUI Galway Alumni Award for Arts, Literature and Celtic Studies.[9] She is married to BBC journalist Alan Johnston. At the age of 31, Mitchell was diagnosed with breast cancer.[13]

References
  1. "Fiona Mitchell". RTÉ News and Current Affairs. Retrieved 3 August 2021.
  2. Carroll, Steven (20 November 2014). "Fiona Mitchell appointed RTÉ London correspondent". The Irish Times. Retrieved 3 August 2021.
  3. "Sean Whelan replaces Offaly woman as RTÉ London Correspondent". Offaly Express. 28 March 2019. Retrieved 3 August 2021.
  4. "Killeigh's Fiona relishing her "dream job" in London!". Offaly Independent. 11 January 2019. Retrieved 3 August 2021.
  5. "Fiona Mitchell appointed as RTÉ London Correspondent". radiotoday.ie. Retrieved 3 August 2021.
  6. Sheils McNamee, Michael (20 November 2014). "Meet RTÉ's new London correspondent..." TheJournal.ie. Retrieved 3 August 2021.
  7. Mulhall, James (28 November 2014). "New face for RTÉ in London as Fiona Mitchell is appointed as British correspondent". The Irish Post. Retrieved 3 August 2021.
  8. Sheils McNamee, Michael (15 October 2014). "RTÉ to reverse much-criticised London correspondent axing". TheJournal.ie. Retrieved 3 August 2021.
  9. Kelly, Justin (16 April 2019). "Offaly woman and RTE journalist honoured by NUI Galway". Offaly Express. Retrieved 3 August 2021.
  10. Duffy, Rónán (28 March 2019). "RTÉ's new man in London will be a familiar face to most". TheJournal.ie. Retrieved 3 August 2021.
  11. Fleming, Rory (5 July 2023). "Senior RTÉ reporter forced to 'work in toilet' in London". JOE.ie. Retrieved 6 July 2023.
  12. "Fiona Mitchell gives a talk to budding journalists". sin.ie. 16 October 2019. Retrieved 3 August 2021.
  13. "Fiona Mitchell Jess O Sullivan talks to the popular RTÉ correspondent about her tenure in London and what comes next". PressReader. RTÉ Guide. 15 July 2019. Retrieved 3 August 2021.
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