CEO and Editor-in-Chief

Dr Ibrahim Seaga Shaw

Dr Ibrahim Seaga Shaw is the Chief Executive Officer and Publisher of Expo Times Newspaper and Expo Magazine, both of the Expo Media Sierra Leone Limited.  Dr Shaw is Chairman and Information Commissioner, Right to Access Information Commission in Sierra Leone. Before taking up this post in October 2018, he worked as Senior Lecturer in Media and Politics at Northumbria university in Newcastle Upon Tyne, UK since September 2011. He was Secretary General of the International Peace Research Association (IPRA) between 2012 and 2016 following my election at the organization’s biennial conference in Japan on November 24-28 2012. In 2013, 2015, and 2016, he was nominated Best Lecturer for student-led teaching by the Northumbria Students Union, and in 2014 for an award for Communication for Social Change run by the Centre for Communication for Social Change at Queensland University, Australia.

He contributes  his expertise to scholarship and policy in the following areas: Media and human rights; Human Rights Journalism; Humanitarian Journalism, media, conflict and development; Media and Business; Business and Journalism; Intercultural Communication; Media, democracy and Human Rights; Media, Digital Media and Political Economy;  international development, public diplomacy, Media, Culture and Human Rights; Political Communication, Media History, peace journalism; global journalism; and media and humanitarian intervention.  Dr Shaw supervised four PhD students working on human rights journalism, conflict, social media, political communication, and public diplomacy. He has examined five PhDs and one MPhil theses as external examiner.

Dr Shaw’s background is in journalism as a reporter, editor, sub-editor and correspondent in Sierra Leone, France and the UK (www.ibrahimseagashaw.com). He is founder, editor and publisher of Sierra Leone’s award winning Expo Times newspaper published in print in Sierra Leone between 1995 and 1998, and since 2000 available online (www.expotimesonline.net and now www.expotimesonline.com and www.expomediasl.com). Dr Shaw relaunched the print version of Expo Times Newspaper in September 2022 and launched Expo Magazine in January 2023 as Sierra Leone’s first and only monthly magazine. He worked as sub editor in London and correspondent in Paris for New African magazine between 2000 and 2003. He was postdoctoral fellow at the University of West of England between 2007 and 2009, and then Senior Research Fellow and RMS Project Manager until 2011. Dr Shaw joined Northumbria university in Newcastle UK in September 2011 as Senior Lecturer in Media and Politics where he served till 2018 before returning to Sierra Leone.

Dr Shaw holds a PhD from the Sorbonne in Paris and has published several articles in leading academic journals, including the Journal of Global Ethics and International Communication Gazette. He is author and co-editor of five books including Human Rights Journalism (Palgrave Macmillan, 2012); Business Journalism: A Critical Political Economy Approach. (2015, Routledge), and co-editor of Communicating Differences: Culture, Media, Peace and Conflict Negotiation. Palgrave Macmillan (2016); ‘Human Rights Journalism’ Palgrave Macmillan (2012) and co-editor of ‘Expanding Peace Journalism’ Sydney University Press (2012).  He is co-editor of the book by Palgrave-Springer titled ‘Reporting Human Rights, Conflicts, and Peacebuilding: Critical and Global Perspectives published by Palgrave in 2019. He guest co-edited two issues of journal of International Communication Gazette and Journal of African Media Studies in 2012.

He was commissioned by UNESCO to do a module on humanitarian journalism as a contribution to the revised:  UNESCO journalism Education Model curricula (http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0022/002211/221199E.pdf)   launched by the organization’s Director General in July 2013. He served as editor of the newsletter of the Black and Minority Communication Commission of the Association for Journalism and Communication Education between 2012 and 2013. Dr Shaw previously served as Senior Research Fellow in media and politics, and Project Manager of the Refugees and Migrant Support Hub at the University of West of England in Bristol between 2007 and 2011. He also served as a commissioner for the Bristol Legacy Commission between 2008 and 2011

Managing Editor

Sheku Putka Kamara

Sheku Putka Kamara is the Managing Editor of Expo Times Newspaper an Expo Magazine. Sheku Putka is a professional media and communications Lecturer and Consultant. He has over ten (10) years’ experience in Professional Communications, Media and Public Relations. He is a media expert covering old, new and new-new media. He finds pleasure in learning, teaching and to impact knowledge. He is committed to upholding strong work ethics and essential humanistic tenets. A stronger advantage of Putka is that working overtime is not much of an issue for him, hence the rightful work environment and materials/equipment needed are provided.  He is a young and energetic scholar who believes that giving back is always a plus.

Sheku holds a BA Hons and a Masters’ Degree in Mass Communication at Fourah Bay College. He’s also a Part-Time Lecturer at the Communications and Public Relations Department, Faculty of Communication, Media and Information Studies, Fourah Bay College, University of Sierra Leone.

Reporter

Alusine Fullah

Alusine Fullah is a reporter for Expo Times Newspaper and Expo Magazine.  Alusine is also a senior teacher form Government Municipal Senior Secondary School Freetown. In terms of journalism, Alusine Fullah has over five years’ experience. In the field of teaching, Alusine Fullah has over 10 years’ experience.

Alusine Fullah is an energetic, ambitious person who has developed a mature and responsible approach to any task that he undertakes, or situation that he is presented with. Alusine Fullah is excellent in working with others to achieve certain task on time and with excellence

In addition, Alusine Fullah has knowledge in computer literacy especially in MS word, power point and publisher. In terms of journalism/ public relations, Alusine Fullah also has expertise in community reporting, community relations, marketing strategy, media and internet, investigative journalism, gender-based violence reporting etc.

In terms of academic qualification, Alusine Fullah is a holder of B.A Hons. in Mass Communication from Fourah Bay College (USL). Alusine Fullah is also a holder of Diploma Certificate in Mass Communication from Fourah Bah College (USL). Apart from that, Alusine Fullah has also received several certificates, especially in the teaching field.

General Editor

Amara Thoronka

Amara Thoronka is the current General Editor of Expo Newspaper & Magazine.

He is a graduate in Mass Communication and a practising journalist with practical reporting and editorial experience in Sierra Leone and The Gambia.

Amara was Editor-in-Chief of Beyond Borders Newspaper and later Managing Editor of Covenant Newspaper in Sierra Leone, two capacities he performed management and editorial roles.

From October 2021 to September 2023, he was Editor-in-Chief at The Fatu Network, the leading and most-followed online print and television news platform in The Gambia. Aside assigning reporters, editing and writing TV news scripts, Amara was also in charge of updating contents on the Network’s website and social media handles.

He has an exploring passion for journalism.