Craig Wilson - CBS News


Craig Wilson, a newswriter for CBS News, shares his journey from being a small-town Albertan reporter to becoming a writer for the largest news broadcaster in America. He speaks to my class of communications students, hoping for some insight into the career path of a journalist. Although his skill, drive, and persistence are obvious sources of Wilson’s success, he attributes accomplishments to luck, failure and simply acting on opportunity.

“It’s the little moments that can change your life.”

He is grateful in a way that is both touching and inspiring. He shares stories of his 30-year journey in the industry, including his first journalism experience working under the renowned broadcast professional, Andrew Bryce, whom ultimately fired him for his then, poor reporting ability. However, to him, these are the underlying moments that got him to where he is today.   

“I had something to learn…and I learned,” says Wilson. “I didn’t fully appreciate that moment until many years later. Those moments change people’s lives, and it changed mine.”

He gives the class valuable industry advice – the importance of knowing what medium you’re writing for and who your audience is because ultimately, it is how you tell the story that impacts people.

Wilson shared a short story of his early writing days, a time when he seized any opportunity he could get. This included writing articles on honeymoon destinations and working for tourism Alberta in a communications position – experiences he described as extremely isolating. Little did we know, the mentions of feeling lonely were simply a clever foreshadowing for the story of how he met his wife.

His personable approach to the romantic tale perfectly echoed his skill and understanding of how to impact an audience.

“You have to write to an audience of one,” Wilson says, “You want it to be personable, you want it to be impactful. Write to one, and you will find that one becomes a thousand.”

In a world of fake news and ideological polarization, it’s refreshing to encounter a journalist like Craig Wilson – offering the impression that he may just be one of the ‘good ones.’ His journey has consisted of hard work and many of his little moments, – experiences he has cultivated into valuable learning opportunities, while also acknowledging the people he’s encountered along the way.


“I’m still the guy from Medicine Hat. I still go home all the time. I love being attached to people from my past because they made me who I am today.”

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