This article is part 1 in a 4 part series uncovering U.S. national news coverage of Venezuela from 1968 to 2025. Part 2: 1979-1989, Part 3: 1990-2008, and Part 4: 2012-2026 are now available.
On January 3, 2026, President Trump announced the U.S. military had captured Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and was bringing him to New York to face prosecution for narcoterrorism. The event dominated headlines for several days, and news media outlets continue to offer updates and contextual analysis to the story. To assist researchers who are curious how this story relates to past news events from Venezuela, the Vanderbilt TV News Archive (TVNA) and McGee Applied Research Center for Narrative Studies prepared the following research guide: an archival footage assessment of media coverage of U.S.-Venezuelan relations from 1968 to 2025.
Our analysis revealed several recurring themes in news coverage, including ties to oil exports, drug trafficking, and anti-communist/socialist sentiments, with the occasional but consistent reporting of accidents and natural disasters.
Part 1: Cold War and Oil Exports, 1968-1978
The earliest news segments in the TVNA relate to foreign policy strains between Venezuela, the U.S. and Cuba. From reports of Venezuelan gunboats harassing Cuban fishing boats, to airline hijackings and suspected sabotage that led to a Pan American jet crashing off the Venezuelan coast [1, 2], U.S. news during this time period highlights the tumultuous environment in Venezuela, with notes of Cuban involvement in the context of the Cold War and communism [3].
As early as the summer of 1970, U.S. news reports from Venezuela begin to skew more towards the country's role in the global oil shortage. In addition to timely reports of airplane hijackings, transportation accidents, and natural disasters, news networks mention or highlight Venezuela as a key player in the international trade of oil and gas [4,5]. The networks also reported on U.S. delegations traveling to South American countries, including Venezuela, in efforts to strengthen relations with the U.S., which is commonly framed as an effort to both address the energy crisis and reimagine foreign policy in a post-Vietnam era [6].
U.S. relations with Venezuela strained under the newly elected Venezuelan President Carlos Andres Perez who in 1973 announced his country would use oil exports as a weapon in international trade [7]. On January 1, 1976, ABC World News Tonight announced from the studio that Perez and his government have nationalized Venezuela's oil industry. One month later, NBC profiled Secretary of State Henry Kissinger's trip to South America with an emphasis on Venezuela "the last democracy in Latin America" [8].
One year later, Perez visited President Carter in the United States to discuss oil exports as well as human rights [9]. The decade ends with more coverage of Venezuela's role in the energy crisis mixed with various terrorist incidents, like the Nicaraguan hostage event in 1978. Also in 1978, ABC profiled Venezuela's presidential election, highlighting democracy in South America [10].
The segments referenced in this article are available for loan from the Vanderbilt Television News Archive:
[1] "Plane Crash / Venezuela." CBS News. December 13, 1968. 30 seconds
[2] "Airline Disaster / Venezuela." March 17, 1969. 2 minutes 40 seconds
[3] "Cuba-Venezuela." CBS News. November 20, 1968. 30 seconds 30 seconds
[4] "Venezuela / Oil." NBC Nightly News, June 3, 1970. 10 seconds.
[5] "Venezuela Refineries / Accident." February 8, 1974. 20 seconds.
[6] "Venezuela / Oil." ABC World News Tonight, January 1, 1976. 20 seconds.
[7] “Venezuela / Oil / US.” CBS Evening News. December 13, 1973. 2 minutes.
[8] "Kissinger / Venezuela." NBC Nightly News. February 17, 1976. 2 minutes, 10 seconds.
[9] "Carter / Perez Visit." CBS Evening News. June 28, 1977. 1 minute, 40 seconds.
[10] "Nicaragua." NBC Nightly News. September 1, 1978. 2 minutes, 30 seconds