Senior lecturer of the Mass Communications Department at FBC and Chairman of the Media Reform Coordinating Group MRCG Dr. Francis Sowa has described the contributions of Dr. Ibrahim Seaga Shaw to both academia and Journalism as prolific and unmatchable.
He made the statement at the launch of the book authored by Dr. Ibrahim Seaga Shaw titled: Media, Conflict and Peace building in Africa; conceptual and empirical consideration, at the Sierra Leone Library Board hall in Freetown.
Reviewing a chapter of the book, Dr. Sowa said the research guru Dr Shaw, highlighted the prospects and challenges of mediating peace building in Africa towards a human rights approach, using CNN’s news anchor Christiana Amapour’s interview of former Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan as a case study in the opening section, noting that journalists have a key role to play not only in conflict resolution but even in the preventive aspect of conflicts.
Dr. Sowa concluded that the book is a must read for not just for the those in academia, but for all journalists, policy makers, and researchers interested in reporting conflict and peacebuilding.
Author Dr. Ibrahim Seaga Shaw who also doubles as the Chairman and Information Commissioner of the Right to Access Information Commission RAIC in his statement gave a background to the work noting that two things informed it; one the interview between Amanpour and Goodluck which he used in lecturing Reporting Conflict at the Northumbria University in the UK as he prepares journalists to be honest and critical as well as remaining neutral in the process, which he has developed for publication. Secondly, having published extensively about reporting Human rights and conflict, the author said he thought it fit to do some work on peacebuilding because of its resonance with human rights journalism. Dr Shaw added that his chapter is actually based on a presentation he delivered in 2015 to postgraduate students of Peace and Conflict at the University of Bradford on the invitation of Foreign Minister, Professor David Francis, who was then Head of the Peace and Conflict Studies department at Bradford..He admonished journalist not to be afraid of challenging public officers on issues of national interest and must always stay apolitical in the dispensation of their duty.
Chairperson of the Book Launch, Head of Department, Mass Communications FBC Dr. Williet James applauded the tremendous contributions Dr. Shaw has made to academia both at home and abroad which is why they at USL are happy to announce that they have fully brought in Dr. Shaw at the Mass Communications Department as an associate lecturer. She added that his work behind the scenes as external examiner for Masters and PHD candidates was awesome and believe that having him on board is a great addition to the academic staff of the department which has recently been upgraded to a faculty.
Other participants hailed the works of Dr. Shaw and urged young journalists and writers to follow the footsteps of one of Sierra Leone’s best writers in the person of Dr. Ibrahim Seaga Shaw.