RTÉ Announces Appointments of Kate McDonald as New Clarity Correspondent and Louise Byrne as Policy Analysis Correspondent
RTÉ has announced the appointments of a new Clarity Correspondent and Policy Analysis Correspondent to strengthen its news and current affairs coverage.
Punita Thakur 
RTÉ Announces Appointments Kate McDonald as of New Clarity Correspondent and Louise Byrne as Policy Analysis Correspondent
Clarity is RTÉ’s focus on disinformation, discourse, and democracy. RTÉ News and Current Affairs has appointed journalist Kate McDonald to the new role of Clarity Correspondent to strengthen coverage across all platforms focused on the growing challenge posed by false and misleading information online. As people spend increasing amounts of time online, more than ever they are encountering false narratives and AI generated deepfake content that can be widely shared posing a threat to our democratic norms.
As RTÉ’s Clarity Correspondent, Kate will deliver reports focusing on the origins, impact and evolution of information which misleads or misdirects public discourse and will be responsible for investigating such narratives across a range of briefs from politics to health and global affairs.
Kate McDonald joined RTÉ in 2023 as a Multimedia Journalist and has worked primarily in the Current Affairs digital unit, reporting into RTÉ Prime Time. Before joining RTÉ, she was Deputy News Editor at Storyful in Australia, where she specialised in video verification and online investigations. Prior to that she worked on radio news and TV investigations at the BBC. She holds an MA in Broadcast Journalism from Cardiff University and studied European Studies with Russian at Trinity College Dublin.
Louise Byrne has been a reporter and stand-in presenter on RTÉ Prime Time since 2019. A graduate of Politics and Business from Trinity College, Dublin, Louise began her career in Midlands 103FM, before spells with Phantom FM and 98FM. The Dublin native was a reporter and editor on RTÉ Radio 1’s Morning Ireland before making the move to television journalism.
In her new role as Policy and Analysis Correspondent with RTÉ Prime Time, Louise will focus on how policies and actions impact everyday life, encompassing politics, demographics, housing, economics and infrastructure. She will monitor and interpret government, EU and other institutional policy developments for Prime Time on RTÉ One and on online platforms.
The newly created and expanded roles are designed to enhance depth, context, and analytical reporting across RTÉ’s platforms.
The Clarity Correspondent will focus on providing in-depth explanations of complex national and international issues, helping audiences better understand rapidly evolving stories.
Meanwhile, the Policy Analysis Correspondent will deliver detailed examination of government policies, legislative developments, and public affairs, offering viewers and listeners greater insight into the implications of policy decisions.
The appointments reflect RTÉ’s commitment to high-quality journalism, transparency, and comprehensive reporting in an increasingly complex media landscape.
By expanding specialist reporting roles, the broadcaster aims to deliver clearer, more analytical content across television, radio, and digital platforms.
These strategic additions reinforce RTÉ’s position as a trusted public service broadcaster dedicated to informed public discourse and responsible journalism.
