The Listening Post – "Why isn’t US media busting the ‘narco-state’ myth?"

Al Jazeera | Episode Date: November 29, 2025

Episode Overview

This episode of The Listening Post critically examines how US media have uncritically propagated the Trump administration’s narrative that Venezuela is a “narco-state.” The episode explores the myth-making process behind this label, the historical parallels with other US interventions, the complicity of mainstream outlets, and the real stakes: Venezuelan oil and regime change. The show also spotlights the challenges for journalists reporting inside Venezuela and connects these media dynamics to broader themes in Western interventionist policies, touching briefly on Ukraine negotiations and Israeli settler media strategies.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Origins and Motives Behind the 'Narco-State' Narrative

• US Counter-Narcotics Operations in Venezuela:

  • Recent lethal force policies, including drone strikes against alleged drug smugglers, are justified by the US under the “narco-state” label.
  • No actual evidence has been presented of drugs on targeted Venezuelan boats ([00:28]).
  • Parallels are drawn to the build-up to the 2003 Iraq invasion, where "official talking points helped manufacture public consent" ([00:28]).

• Historical Context:

  • The US last sent comparable military force to the Caribbean during the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis, then against a nuclear threat—now purportedly against drug traffickers ([01:00]).
  • Multiple failed US-backed coup attempts in Venezuela (2002 against Chávez; 2019 attempt to install Juan Guaido) are discussed ([03:13]).

• Main Motivation: Oil, Not Drugs:

  • Venezuela, sitting on the world’s largest known oil reserves, is considered a "field day" by oil interests if regime change is achieved ([02:43]).
  • Direct quote:

    "Venezuela, for the American oil companies will be a field day because it will be more than a trillion dollars in…economic activity."
    — Political Analyst/Critic ([02:43])

2. Debunking the 'Narco-State' Label

• Myth of the Cartel de los Soles:

  • Originally a slang term for corrupt military personnel, it’s been elevated via US media and policy into a full-fledged 'narco-terrorist' state apparatus ([04:31]).
  • Quote:

    "[Cartel de los Soles]…started out as a slang term…wandered through journalism over the years…now become a fixed idea, invention of the Trump administration to justify a regime change in Venezuela."
    — Media Analyst/Commentator ([04:31])

• Disproportionate Focus and Manufactured Consent:

  • Comparisons are drawn to how mainstream US media, particularly during the Iraq War, helped “manufacture public consent” for intervention ([05:56]).
  • Despite lack of evidence, major outlets continue to repeat the regime’s language:

    "The US Media…still tends to default to the terms that he uses, that Maduro is a head of a narco state."
    — Media Analyst/Commentator ([06:56])

• Reality of the Drug Trade:

  • Far more cocaine enters the US from countries like Mexico, Colombia, Peru, and Ecuador than from Venezuela—none face similar intervention rhetoric ([05:56]).

3. Media Complicity and Journalism Failures

• Reluctance to Challenge Official Narratives:

  • Even outlets critical of Trump, like the New York Times, still "manufacture consent" by uncritically repeating administration talking points ([06:56]).

  • "The New York Times really never met a war it wouldn't manufacture consent for. Not just in Venezuela during the 2002 coup, but also the Iraq War, the Afghanistan war…"
    — Media Analyst/Commentator ([08:26])

  • "What is the New York Times saying today? Bret Stephens arguing there's vital American interests at stake. What are those interests? Not freedom and democracy—oil, oil, oil."
    — Political Analyst/Critic ([08:01])

• Lack of Investigative Journalism:

  • Only AP reporters verified that many killed in attacks on alleged drug boats were ordinary people, not cartel members ([07:36]).

  • "They're not doing investigative journalism...The only one that did investigative journalism was AP..."
    — Investigative Journalist ([07:36])

4. Impact on Venezuelan Journalism and Society

• Severe Press Suppression:

  • Freedom of the press has plummeted in Venezuela (Reporters Without Borders ranking dropped from 117th to 160th since Chávez’s death) ([08:50]).
  • Inside Venezuela, journalists face suspension or worse for covering taboo topics—such as reporting opposition leader Maria Corina Machado’s Nobel Prize ([09:51]).

• Public Opinion and Sanctions:

  • Widespread hardship from 10 years of US sanctions; another pressure point fueling calls for and against regime change ([10:15]).

  • "8 out of every 10 people in Venezuela feel a political regime change is necessary...But...most people in Venezuela are against an intervention."
    — Venezuelan Journalist (Anonymous) ([10:52]), Investigative Journalist ([11:16])

• Danger of Social Media Manipulation:

  • Bots and fake accounts distort perceptions of support for US intervention ([11:16]).

5. Related Media Narratives: Ukraine & Israel

While the main focus is on Venezuela, the episode also touches on:

• Leaked Peace Negotiations in Ukraine:

  • Leaks have complicated Ukraine-Russia peace talks, with allegations that Trump’s team is negotiating primarily with Moscow ([12:01]-[13:44]).
  • Growing Ukrainian public support for negotiation:

    “Gallup polls indicate that 69% of Ukrainians are now in favor of negotiations, compared to 22% back in 2022...”
    — International Affairs Correspondent (Meenakshi Ravi) ([13:48])

• Israeli Settler Movement & Media

  • Rebroadcast of a report on how Israeli media platforms have mainstreamed far-right settler ideology, and how October 7th shifted public discourse ([14:12]-[23:46]).

  • "There is not a major TV channel or a newspaper that don't include at least one settler or two."
    — Israeli Media Expert ([20:19])

  • The settler agenda, once fringe, is now center stage—amplified by trauma-centric media coverage.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On US Oil Interests:

  "The empire has never been more naked about its intention here, about just stealing…oil reserves and they don't care if thousands of Venezuelans die as a result."
  — Political Analyst/Critic ([02:49])

• On Mainstream Media’s Role:

  "The New York Times really never met a war it wouldn't manufacture consent for...you can rely on mainstream media...to oppose the last war, but support the current or the future one."
  — Media Analyst/Commentator ([08:26])

• On Press Freedom:

  "People have to be very careful of what words they use, what information they put out, what topics they cover. There are subjects that simply need to be ignored."
  — Venezuelan Journalist (Anonymous) ([09:51])

• On Social Media Fabrication:

  "If you were to look at social media where bots proliferate...you would be bombarded with 'welcome' signs for US marines. But the average Venezuelans don't want a war..."
  — Investigative Journalist ([11:16])

Major Timestamps

• 00:28 – Introduction of the US “narco-state” narrative; dive into regime change motivations
• 02:43 – Open discussion of oil as core motive for US policy by expert panel
• 04:31 – Breakdown of the Cartel de los Soles myth and language migration into policy
• 06:56 – Analysis of US media’s complicity and the recurring patterns with Iraq War
• 08:50 – Decline of press freedom in Venezuela; perspectives from a local journalist
• 10:52 – Analysis of Venezuelan opinion on regime change and US intervention
• 12:01 – Segment on Ukraine-Russia leaks and media coverage
• 14:12 – Studying Israeli settler narrative mainstreaming after October 7 attacks

Episode Takeaways

• The “narco-state” myth about Venezuela in US media mirrors past propaganda strategies designed to justify regime change—primarily in the service of oil interests, not drug interdiction.
• Mainstream reporting—even from supposedly critical outlets—often adopts administration language and frames, failing to investigate or challenge official narratives.
• Real investigative journalism remains rare; the AP’s on-the-ground reporting stands out as an exception.
• Venezuelan journalism now operates under intense threat and censorship, making outside reporting both more important and more fraught with risk.
• Broader Western media patterns—whether in coverage of Venezuela, Ukraine, or Israeli settlements—show a recurring reluctance to challenge state narratives, especially when "vital interests" are at stake.

For listeners seeking to understand how policy myths are built, and why mainstream media repeatedly fails to expose them, this episode is an incisive investigation and critique—anchored in real-world impacts and first-hand testimonies.