A multi-platform Emmy-award winning journalist with nearly 15 years of experience, Kiran Dhillon is on-air reporter at Pix 11 News in New York. Hailing from Winnipeg, Manitoba, Kiran has also reported for CBS New York and Bloomberg on its Oil Trading Americas team. She received her master’s degree from Columbia University’s Graduate School of Journalism in May 2019. Before moving to New York, Kiran was an on-air breaking news reporter with CP24, Toronto’s most-watched specialty channel. She also worked for Canada’s top two news organizations, CTV News and CBC News in Toronto, Vancouver, Winnipeg, Regina and Saskatoon. During her time with CTV News, Kiran was a national correspondent with CTV News Channel as well as a national digital producer with CTVNews.ca.
We caught up with Kiran in between filing stories to learn more about her life and career in New York as well as how she became one of the few Canadian reporters who have made it in the number one media market in the United States.
What was your first experience with New York?
I first came to New York City while on a school trip when I was 18 and I found it to be a magical place. There was so much energy, so much going on. I loved the arts, the culture and the multicultural aspect of the city.
I knew I wanted to live here one day. I thought it would be a challenge, but after having lived and worked in big cities across Canada, I wasn’t as overwhelmed as I thought I would be when I eventually made the move.
New York is the kind of city that brings you alive and will reward you if you work really hard. New Yorkers have a reputation for being unfriendly, but they’re just really busy. They’re really kind, helpful and smart once you get to know them. You can learn a lot from them.
Such as?
How to persevere. How to be tough, to grind, to hustle. It’s a competitive city. You learn to develop a thick skin.
What’s been the most memorable story you’ve covered?
The COVID-19 pandemic comes to mind, especially in the early months. There were tent hospitals in Central Park and at the Javits Center. The city completely shut down; the streets were empty; Times Square was empty, but we still had to be out reporting from the field every day. I don’t know if that kind of experience will ever happen again in my lifetime.
I reported on the pandemic for two years and saw the resilience of New Yorkers. Their response to the shutdowns was really inspiring. I saw how a community can come together to get through adversity. Seeing the city come back has been just as incredible.
How do you maintain your connection to Canada?
I’m a proud Canadian. Through and through, it’s who I am. Living in New York is the best of both worlds. because I get to be myself in a great international city.
I also have family across the country, so I go back all the time. The funny thing is that a lot of my friends here are Canadians, too. I feel like Canadians find each other in the mix and we gravitate toward each other. It’s nice.
Being away from Canada has made me appreciate it more. I always love that moment when I get to Toronto on my way back to Winnipeg at Pearson Airport when the Canada Border Services agent says to me, “Welcome home.” I can’t explain how it feels but it’s lovely.
How do you unwind from the stresses of the day?
It’s beautiful to run through the Central Park Reservoir, or along the West Side Highway. Just getting outside into nature within Manhattan is lovely. I also love the West Village. You have the world at your fingertips – every kind of food, great galleries, great bakeries. I love to grab a newspaper and coffee and just sit in a café on a day off.
Any advice for young reporters looking to follow your example?
Never give up. I know it sounds cliché, but news is a competitive business, especially TV journalism. It’s challenging every step of the way. But if you put your head down, work hard, and focus on your craft, you can make it.
Hone the skills that you’re good at – whether that’s writing, researching, asking questions, editing, shooting, whatever it may be.
Follow Kiran’s reporting in New York here, on X or on Instagram.
