Daniel Benjamin Wheeler is a British journalist and award-winning documentary filmmaker known for his extensive coverage of human rights issues and armed conflicts. His work has covered diverse and compelling topics such as child labour in Sierra Leone, women’s rights in Afghanistan, the fight against ISIS in Iraq, the civil war in South Sudan, and child marriage in Syrian refugee camps. His compelling narratives have been extensively featured in global media outlets including the BBC, Sky News, Bloomberg, and El Pais.
Throughout his career, Wheeler has shed light on pivotal stories, such as the link between Europe’s cocaine consumption and terrorism financing in West Africa, and the exploitation of children as young as three years old in Sierra Leone’s stone quarries. His reporting has taken him from documenting suicide bombings in Baghdad to climbing with Afghanistan’s first female mountaineers in the Panjshir Province. He has reported directly from the frontlines of wars in South Sudan, Iraq, and Ukraine.
Wheeler has served as an adviser to various leading international humanitarian organisations, with a particular focus on investigating and raising awareness of the psychological impacts and challenges faced by children in conflict zones.
While on assignment with World Vision International in Iraq, Wheeler uncovered how social media use contributed to the rise in child marriages within Syrian refugee camps. His findings, published in El País, alerted international organisations to the issue, prompting further research and uncovering that the problem extends beyond Iraq, affecting Syrian refugee girls in camps across the Middle East region.
During the COVID-19 pandemic’s initial outbreak, Wheeler investigated the mental health effects on refugee children, leading to widespread recognition of his work. His findings were cited in various academic, inter-governmental, and humanitarian reports, enhancing the understanding of the pandemic’s impact on this vulnerable group. His documentary film, Stressed: A Pandemic of Fear, which showcased these insights, earned the Grand Prix at the World Health Organization’s International Film Festival in 2021, in the Health Emergencies category.
Wheeler’s 2021 documentary, Edge of the Valley, revealed the plight of Syrian refugee children forced into child labour due to COVID-19. It poignantly narrates the story of a nine-year-old Syrian girl who grapples with her future after leaving school amid Lebanon’s economic crisis and the pandemic.
Reclaiming the Night, Wheeler’s 2023 documentary, showcases the efforts of Norwegian Professor Jon-Håkon Schultz, who has spent over a decade addressing the trauma-induced nightmares of war-affected children through his pioneering programme. The film narrates Schultz’s encounter with a Syrian child in Lebanon, traumatised by an act of violence by ISIS, highlighting the profound impact of these stories. The film highlights the resilience of the human spirit against traumatic experiences and has been recognised with several awards at international film festivals.
Wheeler is a leading global advocate for trauma-sensitive reporting in the humanitarian sector, emphasising the need for ethical storytelling that protects individuals, especially children and families, from re-traumatisation. Since 2021, he has partnered with the Dart Center for Journalism and Trauma at Columbia University and the Norwegian Refugee Council to introduce trauma-sensitive training and practices within the aid sector.
Working internationally from his base in the Middle East, Wheeler has earned widespread recognition within the journalism and filmmaking community for his empathetic storytelling and independent reporting.
