Tracey Shelton
| Tracey Shelton | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Nationality | Australian |
| Occupation | Journalist, photographer |
| Known for | Coverage of the Syrian civil war and the Libyan Civil War |
Tracey Shelton is an Australian journalist for the news site GlobalPost. In 2012, her photographs of a Syrian tank attack on rebel fighters in Aleppo gained significant attention from mainstream and social media. She also covered the Libyan Civil War and obtained exclusive footage of Muammar Gaddafi's death which led to a UN enquiry. Shelton has won many international accolades for her work including a George Polk Award, an Overseas Press Club honour and an award of excellence from POYi.[1]
Education
In 2012, Shelton completed a master's degree from the University of Bolton's International Multimedia Photojournalism program based in China.[2]
Journalism career
Shelton began her career in 2005 and began working in Cambodia, freelancing and later working for The Phnom Penh Post, Post Khmer and Seven Days magazine.[2] She was on assignment in Iraq when she moved to Libya to cover the civil war. She was tied and brutally beaten in her hotel room in Benghazi during a robbery and attempted kidnapping, from which she escaped by jumping to another balcony.[3][4] She later obtained exclusive video of the death of Muammar Gaddafi.[5]
In September 2012, Shelton was reporting on rebel fighters near the front lines in Aleppo. Shortly after a warning that a Syrian tank was near, Shelton filmed a shell impact as it exploded nearby, killing three of the four rebels at the position.[6] Images and accounts of the encounter and Shelton's reporting style were widely redistributed by traditional news sites as well as social media.[7][8] In her account of the incident, Shelton said, "I was covered in the dust and debris; it started really coming down. So I ran back a bit, and we stood back behind this cloud and were waiting for these guys, the guys to come running through.... and no one came."[9]
Shelton was presented with the coveted George Polk Award for Video Reporting by Carl Bernstein for a series of video reports on Aleppo Syria throughout 2012. Bernstein remarked that Shelton had communicated "the human tragedy of the conflict in Syria in a way that is impossible to ignore or forget. Through powerful video, viscerally engaging images and authoritative writing, she gave voice and face to those most affected by the civil war."
Shelton is currently based in Syria covering the wider middle east region.
References
- ↑ "Award of Excellence to Tracey Shelton GlobalPost, Feature Multimedia Story". POYi. Retrieved 6 September 2014.
- 1 2 Shelton, Tracey. "Tracy Shelton Profile". Retrieved 12 September 2012.
- ↑ "Libya frontline exclusive for Tracey" (PDF). The Bolt. University of Bolton. Summer 2012. Retrieved 12 September 2012.
- ↑ "Australian journalist attacked by assailants in Benghazi". Committee to Protect Journalists. 22 August 2011. Retrieved 12 September 2012.
- ↑ Mackey, Robert (21 October 2011). "Video Offers Glimpses of Qaddafi and His Son in Rebel Hands Before Their Deaths". The New York Times. Retrieved 12 September 2012.
- ↑ Shelton, Tracey (7 September 2012). "Life and Death in Aleppo". globalpost.com. Retrieved 12 September 2012.
- ↑ Fantz, Ashley (11 September 2012). "Photographer captures attack in Syria, lives". CNN. Retrieved 12 September 2012.
- ↑ Simpson, Connor (8 Sep 2012). "What It's Like to Be Attacked by Syrian Tanks". Retrieved 12 September 2012.
- ↑ Shelton, Tracey. "Horror of Syria's civil war captured on the frontline". Channel 4 News. Retrieved 12 September 2012.