[1] Prior to becoming the director of INGUAT, Whitbeck worked as a correspondent and Latin America bureau chief for CNN.

In Latin America, Whitbeck has covered important political, economic, and social developments, as well as numerous devastations caused by natural disasters.

On the political side, Whitbeck reported on the presidential elections in Mexico, Peru, and Argentina, the Augusto Pinochet extradition process, the coup attempt in Ecuador,[which?]

Whitbeck has received various journalism accolades, such as the National Headliner Award for coverage of the Ciudad Juárez killings in 1999 and two others for his special report on the presence of Middle Eastern terror organizations in South America's Triple Borders region, Argentina, comprising Brazil and Paraguay in 2001.

The project has received international attention for sparking development and local job opportunities when residents painted the town's buildings in vibrant hues.