Erin Carson, 33, died Feb. 20, 2023 at 7:20 a.m. when she was hit by falling debris from construction on Belmont University’s campus, after which, she was taken to Vanderbilt Medical Center and pronounced dead on arrival.
Carson worked as a senior writer at CNET following a string of positions with magazines and media outlets like American Songwriter Magazine and TechRepublic at CBS Interactive. Carson also spent her time mentoring journalism students at Belmont University, including both students on the Belmont Vision staff and in her media writing class, and connecting with her friends and family.
Carson was born June 1, 1989 in Los Angelos, California. Erin is survived by her parents, Dan Carson, 73, and Loraine Carson, 70.
Prior to her death, Carson told her class that she grew up in a household that prioritized watching the news every night at 5:30. Her passion for news and her love of writing from a young age eventually led her to a career in journalism and a degree in the same field from Belmont, where she graduated in May 2011. Following her graduation, Carson got her master's degree in magazine, newspaper, and online journalism from Syracuse University in 2012.
Carson began as a staff reporter for CNET in June 2016, and in August 2021, Carson was promoted to senior writer at CNET. In this role, she focused on covering the intersection of tech, science, and culture. She traveled to many areas of the U.S. to cover stories including to Nevada for the Area 51 raid and to San Diego, California for Comic-Con’s famous Hall H.
“The only word that comes to mind when I think of Erin is that she was very cool. She had a cool life, and I was always impressed with the things that she did. I don’t know how she pulled everything off like it was no big deal,” said Mary Henderson, a college friend of Carson’s.
In January 2023, Erin began teaching as an adjunct professor at Belmont where she was able to share her industry knowledge with journalism students in media writing. In an interview last week, Carson shared that she had gotten a kick out of being back at Belmont as a professor, and she was thrilled to be able to share a decade of life and professional experience with “baby journalists.”
“I looked forward to coming to class every day, not only because of the content, but because I loved having her as a teacher. She was funny and she made the content so approachable,” said Lauren Haney, a freshman journalism major at Belmont.
Ashleé Clark, one of Carson’s coworkers at CNET, said she valued Carson’s honesty and bubbly personality, sharing that Carson “impacted [her] life for the better.”
“Erin reminded me that it was okay to enjoy silly stuff. You can be a serious journalist or writer or whatever you want to be, and you can still find joy in really frivolous things,” said Clark.
Carson spent her time outside of work decorating her newly purchased condo, reading for her book club, keeping a spreadsheet of every concert she attended, watching “Love is Blind,” on Netflix, competing in trivia tournaments and frequenting game night at Mary Henderson’s house. Clark said that Carson’s hobbies taught Clark a valuable lesson.
“I’ve learned from Erin to enjoy life more, from the big moments to the little moments,” said Clark.
Haney had similar sentiments in the wake of Carson’s death, sharing that she wished she could give Carson one last “big fat thank you.”
“If she could do something for one of her students, she was going to do it and go above and beyond,” said Haney.
Carson’s friends commented more than once on her tendency towards kindness and her positive personality, both of which made her a valuable person to have in their corner.
“Erin is very laid back and she’s always up for anything. She’s always been there, and she is a very loyal friend,” said Henderson.
Funeral services and burial information for Carson are yet to be determined.
Comments