Mr. Diego Valenzuela discussing ethics with CIME president Kayeromi Gomez.

By Kayeromi Gomez

With the help of Eisenhower Fellowships, an organization chaired by the former U.S. secretary of state Colin Powell, Diego Valenzuela, a distinguished Argentinean journalist and author, visited the Center for International Media Ethics CIME in late October 2008.

During his visit, the professor and host of “Noticias de la Historia,” a television program devoted to history in Argentina, was briefed on the activities of CIME as well as its history and membership involvement.

It was then the turn of Mr. Valenzuela to tell CIME about the reason for his visit. “I had a particular interest in visiting the Center for International Media Ethics and in having the opportunity to speak with its president about the work of the organization, because I am curious about what patterns the Center has found with regard to media ethics in Latin America as compared to other regions of the world,” he said at the beginning of his 2-hour visit.

Mr. Valenzuela, who has been trying for the past year to unite the academic world to the journalistic world, said he was very impressed by the history of CIME. He is grateful that in his journalism work he doesn’t have to deal with one single boss – this helps him avoid any unethical pressures from owners of the media in Argentina.

According to Mr. Valenzuela, journalism is the first draft of history and that is why he has combined history with journalism. He hopes bridge in this way the alpha and the omega of communications in today’s world.

During his fellowship, Mr. Valenzuela had the opportunity to meet with experts in the academic, government, non-profit and media sectors to discuss issues relating to communication, politics and history.

Eisenhower Fellowships is a nonprofit organization that engages emerging leaders from around the world to enhance their professional capabilities, broaden their contacts, deepen their perspectives, and unite them in a diverse, global community, according to the organization's website.