Jill Wilson

Senior copy editor

Jill Wilson started working at the Free Press in 2003 as a copy editor for the entertainment section.

She came to the paper in a roundabout way: after graduating from the University of Winnipeg with a bachelor’s degree in psychology — as all good journalists should — she worked as an editor at the university’s music magazine, Stylus, before being hired at the Winnipeg Sun as a music reporter.

One year of interviewing terrible bands and navigating inebriated crowds at classic rock festivals made it clear the job was not for her, charming as it was to be encouraged to “take off your top” by groups of young men wearing Coors Light boxes as hats.

Her stint at the Sun was followed by a year as a medical receptionist — the highlight of which was seeing a live roundworm in a Zip-loc bag — and three years as a copy editor at Winnipeg’s weekly street paper, Uptown.

After 15 years at the Free Press, during which time she has edited the Tab, Detour and Uptown sections of the paper, she has joined the Arts & Life section as a reporter covering everything from food to films.

As a lifelong lover of Winnipeg’s arts and cultural scene, it’s a natural fit, and she enjoys talking to people who are passionate about what they do, whether it’s growing microgreens or cooking the perfect ramen.

Jill was a member of the inaugural jury for the Polaris Prize, Canada’s national music award. She is the winner of a Silver Medal and two Awards of Merit from the North American Travel Journalists Association and received an Award of Excellence in the American Copy Editors Society’s National Headline Contest.

She loves travelling — anywhere and everywhere — and tries to drink a beer and buy a book in every city she visits.

A passionate devotee of all matters grammatical and style-related, she wants you to know that “begs the question” doesn’t mean “raises the question.”