Brian Mooney honoured by King Charles

Former Reuters bureau chief and correspondent Brian Mooney (photo) has been honoured by King Charles for his services to the City of London and to his local area in Essex.

Mooney, who worked for Reuters for 30 years and reported from 50 countries, received the British Empire Medal in the King’s New Year’s honours list at the recommendation of the City of London Corporation, it said in a press release. 

He was first elected to the City’s Court of Common Council, the top decision-making body in London’s ancient financial district, in 1998 to represent the ward of Queenhithe near St Paul’s Cathedral. He was twice elected “Chief Commoner” of the corporation, a role dating from 1441, which made him first among equals in the 125-member Court.

The award was also for his activities in the Essex town of Coggeshall, where he helped to set up and run a team of volunteer litter-pickers called the Coggeshall Litterati. They filled nearly 700 refuse sacks with litter in 2023.
 
Since leaving Reuters in 2000, Mooney has worked in public relations, contributed articles to various publications, and published six books, including the highly critical, Breaking News: How the Wheels Came Off at Reuters, which he co-authored with the late Barry Simpson. ■