Charlie Moloney appointed as new co-editor of McNae’s Essential Law for Journalists

Charlie Moloney, freelance journalist and media law trainer, has been appointed by the NCTJ and Oxford University Press to join Siân Harrison and Gill Phillips as co-editor of the 28th edition of McNae’s Essential Law for Journalists, due for publication in summer 2026.

First published in 1954 by Leonard McNae of the Press Association, McNae’s remains the definitive practical guide to media law, widely used by journalism students and practising reporters to navigate legal and ethical challenges in today’s fast-moving media landscape.

Charlie began his journalism career in 2017 as editor of a B2B magazine covering artificial intelligence in healthcare, while studying an NCTJ-accredited course at PA Training. He won the NCTJ’s Essential Media Law Award for achieving the top exam result that year.

After completing his course in 2018, Charlie moved to Reading and became a reporter for INS News Agency, covering courts and breaking news across the Thames Valley. He went freelance in 2021 and has since contributed regularly to national publications including The Times, The Guardian, the Law Society Gazette, and regional newspapers.

Charlie has led several high-profile open justice challenges. Most recently, he worked with the Media Lawyers Association to overturn a decision to hold an inquest in secret, a challenge which was shortlisted for Best Investigation (Regional) at the Media Freedom Awards 2025. He also persuaded a High Court judge to revoke the anonymity of a prominent solicitor and successfully challenged reporting restrictions in Crown Court cases. One of his cases, involving the identification of a 17-year-old knifeman who posted his prison number on social media, is included in McNae’s and forms part of NCTJ court reporting exams.

Alongside his journalism work, Charlie has taught media law and court reporting to students at News Associates in Twickenham since 2021. He is a senior examiner and member of the NCTJ’s media law examinations board and serves on the Ministry of Justice’s Courts and Tribunals Media Working Group.

Charlie Moloney said: “McNae’s strikes the perfect balance of providing the fascinating theory behind media law while giving journalists the tools they need to make practical decisions, usually under immense time pressure and while walking a tightrope of legal and regulatory perils.

“The open justice challenges I have been able to bring so far all stem from the accumulated wisdom and passion for press freedom which I absorbed from McNae’s. This is a book I found endlessly fascinating as a student and I am honoured to be able to contribute to its continued development.”

Announcing Charlie’s appointment, Joanne Forbes, chief executive of the NCTJ, said: “We are delighted to welcome Charlie as co-editor of the 28th edition of McNae’s, which will be published next summer and continue setting the benchmark for journalism training.

“His commitment to open justice, combined with his experience as a member of the NCTJ media law examinations board and his work practising and teaching media law, ensures the book will remain a trusted, practical guide for students and working journalists.”