She was previously an international correspondent for NPR, heading up bureaus in Kabul, Cairo and Berlin during her 13 years with the network.

[2] She subsequently joined the Los Angeles Times as a reporter, and following the September 11 attacks went on extended assignment in Iran and Afghanistan.

[5] The award recognized Nelson's efforts over the previous year, which included a series on Afghan citizens turning to drugs to escape everyday miseries and the country's limited ability to offer rehabilitation; the story of determined girls breaking societal taboos and facing dangers to pursue an education; and a detailed account of how US Marines struggle to establish trust with locals in order to combat the Taliban.

Nelson's reporting on the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the Arab Spring uprisings, and subsequent developments in the Middle East were credited for her receiving these honors.

[7][1] Nelson joined English-language radio station KCRW Berlin as program director in spring 2020.

The difficult economic headwinds of the early COVID pandemic led to the shuttering of the station in November 2020, marking the signoff of Berlin’s last U.S. radio broadcaster, a long-running tradition since the end of World War II in 1945.