Did US News Outlets Know About Trump's Venezuela Operation? Why Did They Choose To Stay Quiet?

New Delhi: Hours after the United States conducted a massive airstrike in Venezuela and successfully ‘captured’ its President Nicolás Maduro over charges of ‘narco-terrorism’, it has now come to light that the operation was not kept completely under wraps by the US administration, after all. The New York Times and The Washington Post, two most formidable news publications in the US, were in the know about this ‘secret’ US raid before its was carried out. 

However, reports indicate, that despite being aware of this critical information, they chose not to publish this, given the sensitive nature of the operation, and since this disclosure might put the lives of American troops involved in the raid at risk.  

Senior Editors Briefed

According to American news website Semafor, senior editors at both these two publications were briefed on the operational details of the raids in Venezuela, ahead of the mission. Following this, both the newsrooms, after some internal deliberations, decided not to publish this information. They reasoned that publishing these crucial facts, ahead of the operation, might jeopardize the safety of US personnel.

What Stopped Them From Publishing

Semafor reported that the step taken by these two newspaper publications is not an exception. US publications have always refrained from publishing sensitive operational details, despite being in the know, when it comes to matters impacting national security, especially when American lives may be at risk. 

Earlier, Jeffrey Goldberg, the editor-in-chief of The Atlantic, initially did not publish sensitive operational details of US airstrikes in Yemen in 2025 only because of national security concerns. Goldberg was mistakenly added to a private message group chat where top US officials were discussing military tactical plans. However, after the operation, Goldberg went on to publish the full details of the operation, along with the screenshots of the messages, igniting a fresh controversy regarding privacy of such high-level classified conversations, within the Trump administration.

The latest move by these top US publications is in line with the principles followed by Goldberg and other journalists who have always stood by their editorial integrity and refrained from publishing sensitive information, particularly in matters related to military operations abroad. This stance is being maintained despite recent hostility between US President Donald Trump and several media outlets, which have been critical of his policies.

What's Behind The Operation

The US military carried out Operation Absolute Resolve in Venezuela, marking a significant escalation from years of economic sanctions against the oil-rich South American country to direct military intervention. The Trump administration claimed that President Maduro was involved in drug trafficking and had even rigged the 2024 election. 

Venezuela's vast oil reserves, estimated at around 303 billion barrel, make it ripe for international players to flex its muscles in the region. Earlier the country was a major oil exporter, and foreign companies like Chevron and ExxonMobil played a major role in the country. However, in the late 1990s and early 2000s, the government nationalised all its oil exporting companies and took over the assets of these foreign players. Many experts believe that the US may reenter this space, followed by successfully implementing a regime change.

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