Tracey Shelton

Shelton was raised on a farm in the central Victorian town of Darraweit Guim.[2][3] Shelton volunteered at Sunrise Cambodia at a young age and continued her involvement with the organisation and support for the children throughout her life.[4] In June 2015, Shelton married Syrian refugee Ahmad al-Haj, whom she met through mutual friends whilst she was living in Syria.[5]

In 2012, Shelton completed a master's degree from the University of Bolton's International Multimedia Photojournalism program based in China.[6]

An image by Tracey Shelton of an explosion from a tank shell in Aleppo

Shelton began her career in 2005 in Cambodia, freelancing and later working for The Phnom Penh Post, Post Khmer and Seven Days magazine.[6] 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.[7][8] She later obtained exclusive video of the death of Muammar Gaddafi.[9]

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.[10] Images and accounts of the encounter and Shelton's reporting style were widely redistributed by traditional news sites as well as social media.[11][12] 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."[13]

Shelton was presented with the 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."[14]

Shelton has since received 19 international awards and accolades for her work including a Peabody,[15] POYi Pictures of the Year International Award of Excellence in Multimedia[16] and the Media Award presented by the International Society for the Study of Trauma and Dissociation for broadcast news and articles on complex trauma and incestuous child abuse.[17]

As of September 2022 Shelton works for the Australian Broadcasting Corporation as a Middle East expert in the Asia Pacific newsroom.[18]

It was announced in September 2022 that Shelton, who had volunteered at the Sunrise Cambodia orphanage since 1998, would be taking over leadership of the charity network from Geraldine Cox.[4]

• Tracey Shelton on Twitter
• Official website