dr. O (Olivier) Nyirubugara

Biography

Dr. Nyirubugara started his teaching career in 2012 right after completing his PhD in Media Studies at the University of Amsterdam. He taught various courses related to journalism and media, amongst other subjects, at Erasmus University Rotterdam (2012–2016 & 2019–) at both the BA and MA levels. He has also been working as senior lecturer in Journalism, Media Theory, and Research Skills, among others, at The Hague University of Applied Sciences since 2013.

Dr. Nyirubugara’s current research interests are focused on Ethics of Journalism, more specifically on the ethics of war reporting and on the ethical challenges of live-blogging. His latest paper titled “Shooting Kids” (published in Journalism Studies, 2018) is about visual representation of children in the international press coverage of the Syrian civil war. Next to that, his research investigates the workings and political and social implications of collective memory in post-genocide Rwanda.

Prior to embracing his academic career, Dr. Nyirubugara worked as a journalist both in Africa and Europe for international media outlets including the UN News and Information Agency (IRIN), Radio France International, Deutsche Welle, The Economist Intelligence Unit, and Africa News. Between 2007 and 2015, he coordinated a citizen journalism project that aimed to empower grassroots reporters throughout Africa. He trained and coached more than 100 citizen journalists in 8 African countries.