Yvonne Murray (journalist)

This article is about the Irish journalist. For the Scottish athlete, see Yvonne Murray.

Yvonne Murray is an Irish journalist. She is the current Global Security Reporter based in New York for RTÉ News since December 2022. She previously reported for RTÉ News on Chinese affairs from Taipei, Taiwan.^[1][2]

Yvonne Murray
Born	Yvonne Murray Howth, Dublin, Ireland
Nationality	Irish
Occupation	Journalist
Employer	RTÉ
Notable credit(s)	RTÉ News BBC
Spouse	John Sudworth
Children	3

Career

Murray previously worked for the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC).^[3] She also contributed television reports to Channel 4 News, worked on independent documentary productions and written for The Economist.

In 2018, she re-established RTÉ's presence in China, from where she contributed multimedia reports across RTÉ News outlets including Morning Ireland, 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. 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 the COVID-19 pandemic.^[4][5][6][7]

On 31 March 2021, it was revealed that Murray and her family were forced to leave China amid concerns for the safety of her husband, John Sudworth who is China Correspondent for BBC News. She and her family lived in China for ten years and decided to relocate to Taiwan, after facing legal threats and pressure from Chinese authorities.^{[8][9][10][11][12]}

On 14 December 2022, RTÉ News appointed Murray as its new Global Security Reporter based at the United Nations in New York. In her role she would provide comprehensive reporting and analysis on global news, and specifically the work of the UN Security Council.^[13]

Personal life

Murray was born in Howth, Dublin, Ireland.^[14] She is married to John Sudworth, and has three children. Two of their three children were born in China and all three speak Chinese proficiently.^[15]

References

1. "Yvonne Murray". RTÉ News and Current Affairs. Retrieved 2 April 2021.
2. "Irish journalist leaves China after rise in surveillance". RTÉ News and Current Affairs. 31 March 2021. Retrieved 2 April 2021.
3. "Journalist. RTÉ China. Formerly BBC - Yvonne Murray (@yvmurray) / Twitter". twitter.com. Retrieved 2 April 2021 – via Twitter.
4. Murray, Yvonne (7 June 2018). "Hong Kong struggling since China's waste ban". RTÉ News and Current Affairs. Retrieved 2 April 2021.
5. Murray, Yvonne (23 January 2020). "With millions on the move, China struggles to contain virus". RTÉ News and Current Affairs. Retrieved 2 April 2021.
6. Murray, Yvonne (29 March 2020). "Quarantined in Beijing: 'If you open your front door we'll call the police'". RTÉ News and Current Affairs. Retrieved 2 April 2021.
7. Murray, Yvonne (17 December 2020). "Return to Wuhan - One year on, still no answers". RTÉ News and Current Affairs. Retrieved 2 April 2021.
8. Clarke, Vivienne; Hughes, David (31 March 2021). "Irish journalist and family forced out of Beijing by 'pressure and threats'". Irish Examiner. Retrieved 2 April 2021. Daly, Adam (31 March 2021). "Irish journalist leaves China 'in a hurry' after coming under increased surveillance". TheJournal.ie. Retrieved 2 April 2021.
9. O'Brien, Shane (2 April 2021). "Irish journalist forced to leave China due to surveillance and intimidation". Irish Central. Retrieved 2 April 2021. Loughnane, Alan (31 March 2021). "RTÉ journalist forced to flee China due to threats towards her husband and family". JOE.ie. Retrieved 2 April 2021.
10. Smyth, Ronan (1 April 2021). "RTE & BBC journalist couple flee China after threats over alleged bias". Extra.ie. Retrieved 2 April 2021. "BBC China correspondent John Sudworth moves to Taiwan after threats". BBC News. 31 March 2021. Retrieved 2 April 2021.
11. Cox, James (31 March 2021). "Coveney urged to call on Chinese Ambassador to explain forced departure of Yvonne Murray". BreakingNews.ie. Retrieved 2 April 2021. "BBC correspondent leaves China amid safety concerns". Aljazeera.com. 31 March 2021. Retrieved 2 April 2021.
12. Qin, Amy (1 April 2021). "BBC Correspondent Leaves China, Citing Growing Risks". The New York Times. Retrieved 2 April 2021. "BBC correspondent leaves China amid safety worries, 'propaganda campaign'". France 24. 31 March 2021. Retrieved 2 April 2021.
13. "RTÉ NEWS ANNOUNCES NEW JOURNALISTS REPORTING ON GLOBAL SECURITY, EASTERN EUROPE AND AFRICA". RTÉ. 14 December 2022. Retrieved 21 December 2022.
14. Goff, Peter (31 March 2021). "RTÉ reporter in Beijing flees China with husband after threats". The Irish Times. Retrieved 2 April 2021.
15. Riegel, Ralph (31 March 2021). "RTÉ journalist flees China with family over threats to her BBC correspondent husband". Irish Independent. Retrieved 2 April 2021.