Podcast Summary

Consider This from NPR

Episode: Reporting on the invasion of Venezuela
Date: January 10, 2026
Host: Sarah McCammon
Guest: Eder Peralta, NPR International Correspondent

Overview

This episode of "Consider This" dives into the US-led special forces operation in Venezuela that resulted in the capture of Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro. NPR’s Sarah McCammon speaks with international correspondent Eder Peralta, who is reporting from Colombia near the Venezuelan border. The conversation explores the challenges of frontline journalism amidst crisis, escalating political consequences in the region, and parallels to historic US interventions.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

The Operation: Capturing Maduro

• Breaking News: Americans awoke to news of US special forces entering Venezuela, capturing Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Celia Flores.
  • “Last Saturday, Americans woke up to the news that US Special forces had swooped into Venezuela and captured the country's leader, Nicolas Maduro, and his wife, Celia Flores.” – Sarah McCammon (00:01)
• Details of Detainment: Maduro was quickly transferred to a federal detention center in Brooklyn, NY, after his extradition.
  • “Maduro had a federal detention center in Brooklyn, New York. He arrived in the US by plane, and then he was put on a helicopter, which flew right in front of the Statue of Liberty before landing in Brooklyn.” – Eder Peralta (00:11)

On-the-Ground Reporting Challenges

• Immediate Response: Eder Peralta describes the frenetic initial hours, rapidly contacting sources in Venezuela and even Cuba to confirm and understand the events.
  • “The first thing you do is…calling every government source you can possibly find in Venezuela, the people you had been talking to. You start calling, you know, even like, my Cuban sources to see if they had anything to say.” – Eder Peralta (00:29)
• Logistics and Border Difficulties:
  • Venezuela had closed its airspace and airports.
  • Journalists require a visa, which few international journalists possess.
  • Peralta and others gathered at the border city of Cúcuta, Colombia, seeking access.
  • “Venezuela is a special case...the airport was closed because the airspace was closed. And then...the government of Venezuela requires a journalist visa for you to get in there. And so we don't have one of those.” – Eder Peralta (00:58)

The Consulate and Visa Ordeals (03:53)

• Consulate Bottleneck:
  • Dozens of journalists flocked to the Venezuelan consulate at the border, all vying for entry.
  • The consulate enforces strict rules and arbitrary dress codes (e.g., no shorts), and bureaucratic hurdles (sloppy handwriting on visa forms leads to rejections).
  • “This little Venezuelan consulate is just...mobbed by journalists. And we're all asking the same question, which is can you please give us journalist visa? And they just have put us through the wringer. They, they threw people out who were wearing shorts.” – Eder Peralta (03:53)

Risks of Reporting & Safety Calculus

• Physical and Legal Risks:
  • Weighing the risk of crossing into Venezuela, with dangers of being detained or expelled.
  • NPR’s policy is to declare their journalist status transparently, adding to complications.
  • “A lot of what we do that never gets on air...is trying to figure out, even if I do make it past that border crossing, what happens afterwards. Can I make a 12 hour ride to Caracas without getting sent back or getting thrown in prison?” – Eder Peralta (05:37)

Regional Protests and Public Reaction (06:14)

• Anti-American Sentiment:
  • Protests in Colombia’s right-wing stronghold, Cúcuta, feature around 200 people chanting, “No, no, no, we will not be an American colony.”
  • “We heard a lot of anger about what the United States had just done.” – Eder Peralta (06:34)
• Complex Latin American Views:
  • Protesters express solidarity with the Venezuelan people and skepticism of both US and local leadership.
  • Expressed frustration reflects deeper regional dynamics and echoes similar protests within Venezuela itself.
  • “We know the real suffering of the Venezuelan people. We've received millions of people. ... And President Trump should have started with him first, right?” – Quoted by Eder Peralta, retelling a protestor’s remarks (06:34)

Historical Perspective (07:40)

• US Military Interventions:
  • Peralta contextualizes the Venezuela operation as the most significant US intervention in Latin America since the 1989 Panama invasion.
  • “The United States hasn't done something like this since 1989, when President George H.W. Bush sent troops into Panama to extract Manuel Noriega.” – Eder Peralta (07:40)

Journalism in a Changing World (08:28)

• Increasing Restrictions on Journalism:
  • Governments, including those in Latin America, Ethiopia (during the civil war), and Gaza, are increasingly restricting access for international media.
  • “What governments across the world have learned is that they don't have to allow journalists into their country.” – Eder Peralta (08:43)
• Impact on Coverage:
  • Less international scrutiny during crises can mean major events go underreported or misrepresented.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On evolving press freedoms:
  • “In an odd way, I feel like the world is changing, governments are changing. And what governments across the world have learned is that they don't have to allow journalists into their country.” – Eder Peralta (08:43)
• On patience in journalism:
  • “I think they just make you patient, honestly.” – Eder Peralta, about how past experiences have prepared him for current reporting (08:43)
• On the basic risks of entering Venezuela:
  • “Can I make a 12 hour ride to Caracas without getting sent back or getting thrown in prison?” – Eder Peralta (05:37)
• On the practical absurdity of the visa process:
  • “If you filled [a visa form] out in bad handwriting, they would throw it out and, and make you buy a new form.” – Eder Peralta (04:34)

Timestamps for Major Segments

• 00:01-00:22 — Recap of the US Operation to Capture Maduro
• 00:29-01:30 — How the story broke and initial journalistic response
• 01:51-03:06 — Obstacles to journalistic access in Venezuela
• 03:29-04:49 — Reporting from the border and consular challenges
• 05:31-05:50 — Weighing safety and ethical risks in reporting
• 06:14-07:40 — Protests in Colombia; Latin American reactions and historical context
• 08:28-10:07 — Reflections on the evolution of press freedom and access

Conclusion

Through vivid storytelling and honest reflection, Eder Peralta gives listeners a window into the perilous logistics and ethical complexities of reporting on international interventions. This episode underscores the importance—and increasing difficulty—of frontline journalism during pivotal world events.

“No, no, no, we will not be an American colony.”
– Colombian protestors, as reported by Eder Peralta (06:34)