this post was submitted on 05 Jan 2026
850 points (99.1% liked)

World News

55456 readers
2653 users here now

A community for discussing events around the World

Rules:

Similarly, if you see posts along these lines, do not engage. Report them, block them, and live a happier life than they do. We see too many slapfights that boil down to "Mom! He's bugging me!" and "I'm not touching you!" Going forward, slapfights will result in removed comments and temp bans to cool off.

We ask that the users report any comment or post that violate the rules, to use critical thinking when reading, posting or commenting. Users that post off-topic spam, advocate violence, have multiple comments or posts removed, weaponize reports or violate the code of conduct will be banned.

All posts and comments will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis. This means that some content that violates the rules may be allowed, while other content that does not violate the rules may be removed. The moderators retain the right to remove any content and ban users.


Lemmy World Partners

News !news@lemmy.world

Politics !politics@lemmy.world

World Politics !globalpolitics@lemmy.world


Recommendations

For Firefox users, there is media bias / propaganda / fact check plugin.

https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/media-bias-fact-check/

founded 2 years ago
MODERATORS
 

WHAT WOULD DONALD Trump have to do for the U.S. media to frame what he is doing in Venezuela as an act of war?

This isn’t a rhetorical question. It’s an actual inquiry, the pursuit of which can reveal a lot about how U.S. media’s default posture is state subservience and stenography. In the past few months, President Trump has committed several clear acts of war against Venezuela, including: murdering — in cold blood — scores of its citizens, hijacking its ships, stealing its resources, issuing a naval blockade, and attacking its ports. Then in a stunning escalation on early Saturday morning, the administration invaded Venezuela’s sovereign territory, bombing several buildings, killing at least 40 more of its citizens, kidnapping Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife from their bed, and announcing they will, henceforth, “run” the country.

This episode seems to indicate that the president can do almost anything in the context of foreign policy, and the media will still overwhelmingly adopt language that is flattering and sanitizing to the administration when describing what has unfolded. This dynamic reached a new low Saturday morning, when the U.S. media rushed to frame the administration’s unprovoked attack as, at worst, a “ratcheted up” (CBS News) “pressure campaign” (Wall Street Journal) and, as was more often the case, some type of limited narcotics police “operation” (CNN).

top 50 comments
sorted by: hot top controversial new old
[–] xenomor@lemmy.world 176 points 3 months ago (7 children)

If China decided that trump had violated some domestic law of theirs, and sent their military into Florida, dragged him and his third wife out of their beds, flew them back to their territory, and put them in prison, would these assholes consider that an act of war?

[–] velindora@lemmy.cafe 69 points 3 months ago (3 children)
load more comments (3 replies)
[–] aarch0x40@piefed.social 48 points 3 months ago (1 children)
[–] JLock17@lemmy.world 10 points 3 months ago

50% chub, and rising.

[–] Witchfire@lemmy.world 30 points 3 months ago

Don't promise me a good time

[–] ayyy@sh.itjust.works 29 points 3 months ago

Stop, I can only get so erect.

[–] lka1988@sh.itjust.works 23 points 3 months ago (1 children)

MAGA would be screaming about it until the end of time if that happened. Because it's different. Somehow.

[–] amorangi@lemmy.nz 20 points 3 months ago (2 children)

It's called American Exceptionalism, and it's much older than MAGA.

load more comments (2 replies)
[–] Mrkawfee@lemmy.world 9 points 3 months ago (2 children)

They'd say "interesting that you'd use China as an example you commie"

load more comments (2 replies)
load more comments (1 replies)
[–] SarahFromOz@lemmy.world 110 points 3 months ago (2 children)

“I could stand in the middle of 5th Avenue and shoot somebody and I wouldn’t lose voters,”

Or the support of the press !

[–] NateNate60@lemmy.world 32 points 3 months ago (2 children)

Major news organisations in general are really scared when it comes to pointing out things which are extreme, because they believe describing those things as extreme will lead to accusations of sensationalism. The reason they think that is because sensationalist outlets are indeed more likely to describe everything as extreme and make unjustified comparisons to extremities, so major media outlets often think that to be "unbiased" is to refuse to acknowledge that an action is extreme.

Vox described this as the "this is fine" bias.

[–] Mrkawfee@lemmy.world 17 points 3 months ago* (last edited 3 months ago)

Major "news" organisations are owned by oligarchs who support Trump so they have abandoned any pretence of accountability

load more comments (1 replies)
[–] ripcord@lemmy.world 6 points 3 months ago

Once you have replaced the press leadership with lackeys then yes. They had a very very productive 2025 for doing things to eliminate resistance

[–] rylock@piefed.zip 101 points 3 months ago (3 children)

ABC was covering it like it was a football game. "Incredible performance from the US military", "Flawless victory over the Venezuelans", "Impressive display of professionalism from the troops"

Makes me sick.

[–] phoenixz@lemmy.ca 28 points 3 months ago (6 children)

That is nauseating. These are human lives, 80 people died

[–] ShaggySnacks@lemmy.myserv.one 11 points 3 months ago

That's cause only white people matter.

load more comments (5 replies)
load more comments (2 replies)
[–] random_character_a@lemmy.world 82 points 3 months ago (6 children)

"Special military operation"

[–] ewo@piefed.ca 18 points 3 months ago* (last edited 3 months ago)

At least Dr Evil was evilly cool compared to these facists!

load more comments (5 replies)
[–] Bakkoda@lemmy.world 28 points 3 months ago

Billionaire owned media isn't covering this?

[–] Naevermix@lemmy.world 27 points 3 months ago (2 children)

It is an act of war, the "capture" of Maduro is a kidnapping, and the deaths of ~80 cuban and venezuelan security and civilians is murder.

USA is a rogue state.

[–] bytesonbike@discuss.online 7 points 3 months ago

Not many people are bringing up that the US invaded a country and not only kidnapped a guy, but left a trail of bodies.

https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/us-attack-venezuela-death-toll-rises-80-civilians-and-military-personnel-1

[–] shiftymccool@piefed.ca 5 points 3 months ago* (last edited 3 months ago)

Please, we desperately need to be invaded and conquered by the most convenient communist country

Edit: not sarcasm

[–] joyjoy@lemmy.zip 22 points 3 months ago (1 children)

Special Millitary Operation in Venezuela. Quick 30 minute adventure. 

[–] random_character_a@lemmy.world 10 points 3 months ago (2 children)

Dipshits are gonna be greedy, fuck it up and turn it in to an another Afganistan. This time really close to home.

Nobody likes Maduro. They should play with that, take their successful 30min and exit.

load more comments (2 replies)
[–] CircaV@lemmy.ca 20 points 3 months ago (1 children)

The world is sleepwalking into WWIII

load more comments (1 replies)
[–] melsaskca@lemmy.ca 15 points 3 months ago (1 children)

The subscription billionaire media companies are all complicit, and have been for quite a while.

[–] FiniteBanjo@feddit.online 11 points 3 months ago (1 children)

Do ya'll not have search engines? Literally anybody can find like 20 articles calling it an Act of War with the press of a button.

[–] Bakkoda@lemmy.world 15 points 3 months ago (1 children)

And you can find as many saying it isn't. Confirmation bias is in play here

load more comments (1 replies)
[–] J92@lemmy.world 11 points 3 months ago (1 children)

Christ, I hope my country is putting some serious effort into jailbreaking their F-35s.

load more comments (1 replies)
[–] reddig33@lemmy.world 10 points 3 months ago (2 children)

Will be interesting to see what Maduro’s trial judge says.

load more comments (2 replies)
[–] sturmblast@lemmy.world 8 points 3 months ago (1 children)

This was an act of war wrapped in the shroud of narcotics enforcement

[–] Naevermix@lemmy.world 6 points 3 months ago* (last edited 3 months ago) (1 children)

Who actually believed that justification? Not even the MAGA crowd believe it, they just straight up say its about oil. Back in 2016 they called neocons "rhinos", now MAGA is neocon, cheering for the very same things they previously hated Bush Jr. for.

load more comments (1 replies)
[–] OshagHennessey@lemmy.world 8 points 3 months ago

The US media is owned by the same oligarchs who benefit from his fascism. Why would they bite the hand that feeds?

[–] velindora@lemmy.cafe 7 points 3 months ago

It’s just locker room abduction.

[–] roserose56@lemmy.zip 6 points 3 months ago* (last edited 3 months ago)

Why they would? like come on dude! do you want to be taken to el salvador ? like wake up! USA is a dead country where people are deported for what they are saying. Why The media or any media would want that?
USA started a war with Iraq and many other countries including Venezuela. We all pretend that didn't expect it, but yet we knew, and we are partners in a crime. The thing is we didn't stop it and we wont(as countries).
Sit and watch.

[–] CircaV@lemmy.ca 6 points 3 months ago
[–] tooLikeTheNope@lemmy.ml 5 points 3 months ago

"Special Military Operation"

[–] stiffyGlitch@lemmy.world 5 points 3 months ago

nah bro its just a gentle love tap

[–] Lembot_0006@programming.dev 5 points 3 months ago (1 children)

Does Venezuela see this as an act of war? Regardless of if they're going to fight or not. Ask people.

[–] NateNate60@lemmy.world 8 points 3 months ago (12 children)

The Venezuelan government might. But according to some DW reporting and footage earlier today, the actual reaction of ordinary Venezuelans is mixed, and mostly concern and confusion rather than anger or fear. Maduro is generally not popular in Venezuela but I doubt many people really wanted the US to come and kidnap him. And understandably those who supported him are in the streets calling for his release.

load more comments (12 replies)
load more comments
view more: next ›