The Tribune

ON Friday, September 7, Hugo Zarate, Associate Professor at the College of the Bahamas, met with US Charg d’Affaires John Dinkelman to discuss his recent participation in the US State Department’s Study of the United States Institute programme on media and journalism hosted by the University of Ohio.

Mr Zarate was among a group of 18 international journalists and scholars who participated in a six week professional exchange this past July and August, focused on four main themes – media, ethics and society; the legal framework for media freedoms; roles and responsibilities of journalism in a democracy and changing media business models in an era of technological change.

While in the United States, Mr Zarate had the opportunity to observe local, national and international news organisations in Washington DC, Atlanta, Pittsburgh, and Chicago.

Mr Zarate was also selected as a panellist to address the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication’s annual conference with fellow scholars from Russia, Afghanistan, Sudan and Yemen. The panellists brought a unique perspective to the discussion that included international news journalists representing CNN, BBC and Aljazeera.

During the courtesy call, Mr Zarate shared how he intends to use the information and best practices learned through the experience to enhance COB’s journalism programme.

Mr Dinkelman applauded Mr Zarate for his efforts to inspire the Bahamas’ next generation of journalists and expressed the US Embassy’s continued commitment to supporting Bahamian educators and journalists through USG-sponsored training opportunities and exchanges.