Why do I feel like the luckiest man to exist?

My starting point was suburban, my family unit was unstable and despite moving thousands of miles away from my roots as a kid, I’ve found a sense of purpose; to pursue fascinating stories. It has pulled me all around the world and showed me amazing things so now I’m on a mission to share everything I’ve absorbed.

This passport-punching trek has taken me from being a gap-toothed kid in Milton Keynes, England to being the only Black-British broadcaster on American TV for the country’s most-watched channel.

I’m now fulfilling a dream by anchoring the CBS Morning News weekdays @ 7a ET streaming for free everywhere highlighting much of what I witnessed along the way. And I can say I’ve personally been inspired most by those who beat the odds because they convince me - I can do the same.

I was born in the UK and moved to the US with my older sister, mother, and American stepfather at age 10. But within a few short and turbulent years, my sister passed away; my mother fell into depression; my stepfather left the family; my world simply imploded.

My teenage years were confusing and challenging, so I threw myself into school, sports and any extra curricular activity I could find. Young, foreign, and unsure of my role in the world, it would be journalism that gave me a sense of purpose more than anything else.

In a way it was therapeutic, as I found comfort in asking people about their biggest challenges while I was still confronting many of my own but privately. 

As it turns out through luck, hard work, and amazing opportunities, I’ve been a reporter my entire adult life, assigned to various posts on four continents.

The day I turned 18 was a flashpoint. A current events show tailored for teens known as Channel One News hired me, based me in Los Angeles, and sent me throughout the US, reporting on major news events to their audience of millions. I learned so much about the size and diversity of America from Itasca, Texas to Seward, Alaska.

Best of all I worked alongside Seth Doane, Melissa Knowles, Gotham Chopra, Maria Menounos and others who showed me something unique in their approach to reporting. Thanks to my salary, this first-generation college student earned a political science degree at UCLA. So I’m always down for an eight-clap!

At 25 I was hired by CNN International as an anchor/correspondent, ultimately reporting from Atlanta, London, Abu Dhabi, and Johannesburg bureaus as all across the African continent.

In fact, hosting “Inside Africa” exposed me to people and adventures in 22 countries over two years and without a doubt was the most incredible assignment of all (thank you Ethiopia, Madagascar, Tunisia and the DRC to name a few). Looking back, it feels like I’ve lived multiple lifetimes in these places, and made so many good friends. And don’t let me near some good injera - it will be gone.

In 2014 I returned to the U.S. - Atlanta specifically - to co-anchor eight live weeknight hours of ‘CNN Newsroom’ on CNN and CNN International with Rosemary Church in a broadcast seen in more than 300 million households around the world.

By now I’ve been at CBS News for almost a decade, currently living in New York City as an anchor and national correspondent. For a few years I was based in Washington, D.C. covering the Obama and Trump 1.0 White House. I’m still in awe at the fact a kid like me made it to a place like CBS, an American institution with profound journalistic heritage.

Still, the point of this page is to share some of what I’ve had the privilege to experience - hopefully in a way that’s meaningful for you. To see what I’ve been up to lately look over this this playlist on my youtube channel where I post regular videos.

For my latest reporting scroll through this playlist. And to see some interesting interviews - check this out.

And let my work encourage you to seek out your own adventure - you never know what you might be lucky enough to see.

Watch standout reports, subscribe to my youtube channel, or send me a note.

Here you can to tell me your story.

Thanks for visiting!

errol barnett