Katie G. Nelson is an award-winning journalist, photographer and filmmaker from Minneapolis, MN. She covers human rights, racial justice and global health in the United States and East Africa. She is currently based in New York City, NY.

Katie’s work has been published by The New York Times, National Geographic, BBC, Al Jazeera, Frontline PBS, Telegraph, Associated Press and Public Radio International. She co-owns Far on Foot Productions and is a contributor at SOPA Images.

Katie believes her meaning in work - and life - is to bear witness to those who have been silenced and find strength in the stories of those who remain.

Trained as an investigative journalist, Katie cut her teeth as a print reporter in the Midwest before moving to East Africa where she was based for more than a decade. Her investigations into health care corruption, human rights abuse and political finance loopholes spurred policy changes at home and abroad.

In 2013, Katie was diagnosed with a rare neurological condition that made writing nearly impossible. Faced with leaving journalism or learning to adapt, Katie picked up a camera and taught herself photography and filmmaking.

Currently, Katie is most well known for her visual coverage of George Floyd’s murder for The New York Times. Her team’s video reportage earned nods from Pictures of the Year International, the National Press Photographers Association, the Rory Peck News Trust and the News Leaders Association. Additionally, their visual investigation “How George Floyd Was Killed in Police Custody” was nominated for a 2021 Emmy Award and remains one of the most viewed videos in New York Times’ history.

Katie has extensive experience reporting in conflict and civil unrest. She is certified in Hostile Environment and Emergency First Aid Training by RISC, with additional instruction by The Wall Street Journal and IWMF.

During the pandemic, Katie served as the Vice Chair of the International Press Association of East Africa. She is dedicated to bringing more women + nonbinary reporters to the frontlines, and your front page.

Prior to journalism, Katie developed HIV/AIDS education curriculum for the Kenya Red Cross Society and co-founded a nonprofit to support vulnerable children in western Kenya. She has a Bachelor of Arts and a Master of Public Health from the University of Minnesota.

In 2023, Katie enrolled in a novel medical treatment that restored her ability to write. She is now considered a triple threat in the newsroom.