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Business & Economy22 outlets ran this5 min read

Colombia requests US tariff suspension after earthquake devastates western cities

President Abelardo de la Espriella asked Donald Trump to lift 12.5% duties on Colombian exports to aid recovery

AI-assisted coverage comparison, editor-supervised · How this was made

Published
Colombia's President Abelardo de la Espriella speaks after leading and earthquake response meeting in Bogota, Colombia, Monday, Aug. 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Sebastian Barros)

What this story says

  • Colombian President Abelardo de la Espriella asked US President Donald Trump to suspend tariffs on Colombian exports after a 7.4-magnitude earthquake struck western Colombia on 12 August 2026.
  • The US had increased tariffs on Colombian products from 10% to 12.5% on 24 July, days before the earthquake, which killed 294 people and destroyed about 13,000 homes.
  • De la Espriella framed the request as economic relief for businesses affected by the disaster, which an engineering firm estimated caused $30 billion pesos (US$9.5 billion) in losses.
  • The US had already pledged US$26.5 million in aid and sent 22 rescue experts to Colombia, as reported by La Silla Vacía.

Who covered it

Left 15%(2)Centre 31%(4)Right 54%(7)

Percentages are shares of the 13 outlets carrying a published leaning rating. 9 of the 22 outlets we know ran this story carry no rating and are not counted in them. Coverage measured .

Trust

78/100

Craft

87/100

Hype

15/100

22 sources · methodology

Thin on the left so far

Only 2 of the 13 outlets with a published leaning rating that ran this story are rated left.

This story is still being watched, so it is a count and not yet a finding. Coverage keeps arriving for hours after an event, and a side that has published nothing this morning may publish by tonight. If it is still true when we stop checking, we will say so plainly.

Colombian President Abelardo de la Espriella asked US President Donald Trump to temporarily suspend tariffs on Colombian products after a 7.4-magnitude earthquake struck western Colombia on 12 August 2026. The earthquake killed 294 people, injured 3,935 and left 320 missing, according to one digest. Another digest reported nearly 300 deaths and about 13,000 homes destroyed. The cities of Cali and Pereira were the worst affected.

The US had raised tariffs on Colombian exports from 10% to 12.5% on 24 July, as reported by CTV News and The Straits Times. De la Espriella made the request in a 10-minute call with Trump on 15 August. He said the tariffs were affecting Colombian businesses already struggling with the earthquake’s impact. Trump expressed condolences and described the conversation as friendly, according to CTV News.

An engineering firm, Ingeniar, estimated total losses at $30 billion pesos, approximately US$9.5 billion, La Silla Vacía reported. The US had already pledged US$26.5 million in aid and sent 22 rescue experts to Colombia, the same report said. De la Espriella also spoke to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who sent a rescue team and thanked Colombia for recognising Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights.

What the coverage left out

None of the right-rated digests mentioned the US$26.5 million in US aid or the $30 billion pesos loss estimate published by Ingeniar. The centre-rated report did not include the number of rescue experts the US sent. The left-rated report did not mention de la Espriella’s membership in the "Shield of the Americas" alliance.

Tags:#ColombiaEarthquake#USTariffs#LatinAmericaEconomy#DisasterRecovery#USColombiaRelations

Still developing. We have re-checked which outlets are covering this 5 times, most recently on 15 Aug 2026, 23:30, and will add the sides that appear.

How other outlets pictured it

Which photograph to run is each newsroom’s own choice. The leaning beside a name is that outlet’s published rating, not a claim that the pictures divide along it. Every picture is shown from the outlet’s own server and links to the article it ran in.

Colombia requests US tariff suspension after earthquake devastates western cities
La Silla VacíaLeft

How each side covered it

Our own reading of the reporting listed below, written from the outlets’ articles rather than quoted from them. The reasoning is set out on our methodology page.

Left

2 rated outlets

  • La Silla Vacía led on the cost of the earthquake and the US aid already committed. It reported the $30 billion pesos (US$9.5 billion) estimate from Ingeniar and the US$26.5 million in US aid. The report also detailed the 22 US rescue experts sent to Colombia and the 12.5% tariff rate, which it said applied to Colombia and 40 other countries over forced labour concerns. It quoted de la Espriella’s description of the economic situation as "apocalyptic" and his mention of a "Plan Marshall" for reconstruction.

Centre

4 rated outlets

  • CTV News led on the tariff request and the political relationship between de la Espriella and Trump. It reported the 10% to 12.5% tariff increase and the 24 July effective date. The report quoted de la Espriella’s request to Trump: "I asked him to consider to temporarily suspend the high tariffs that are affecting Colombian products, in order to give some relief to our business owners, who are facing very difficult times due to the effects of the earthquake." It also noted Trump’s endorsement of de la Espriella during his presidential campaign and de la Espriella’s membership in the "Shield of the Americas," an anti-cartel alliance led by Trump.

Right

7 rated outlets

  • The four right-rated digests all reported the tariff request and the 12.5% rate. The Straits Times and Le Figaro noted the 10% to 12.5% increase. Clarín quoted de la Espriella’s statement that "the alliance with the United States is an imperative for reconstruction." None of the right-rated digests mentioned the US$26.5 million aid pledge or the $30 billion pesos loss estimate.

Read it at the source

22 outlets, grouped by the leaning a published rating gives them. Every headline links to the original; an underlined outlet name opens our profile of that publisher.

Left

2

Centre

4

Right

7

Not rated

9
Show 1 more

Questions about this coverage

How did the left and right cover Colombia requests US tariff suspension after earthquake devastates…?
Of the 13 outlets on this story carrying a published leaning rating, 15% are rated left, 31% are rated centre, 54% are rated right. Those percentages are shares of the rated outlets, not of every outlet that ran it, which was 22. The sections above set out what each side emphasised, in its own terms.
Is Colombia requests US tariff suspension after earthquake devastates… left or right?
Neither side dominates it. Of the 13 rated outlets on this story, 15% are rated left, 31% are rated centre, 54% are rated right, and no side holds the 70% this site would want before calling a field one-sided. A story is not left or right in any case; the outlets that carried it are what carry ratings.
Is the coverage of Colombia requests US tariff suspension after earthquake devastates… biased?
Colombia requests US tariff suspension after earthquake devastates western cities is one event reported by 22 outlets, and this page does not rate the story as biased or unbiased. What it publishes is the spread: which outlets ran it, where named rating organisations place each of them on the spectrum, and what each side chose to lead with. A leaning rating describes an outlet's record over time, not this article, and the two should not be run together.
Which side is not reporting Colombia requests US tariff suspension after earthquake devastates…?
When we first saw this story, outlets rated left had barely covered it. Coverage accretes for hours after an event, so that is where to look rather than a verdict — the split above is the current count, and it is the one to read.
Which outlets covered Colombia requests US tariff suspension after earthquake devastates…?
22 that we know of, every one of them listed further up this page with a link to its own report and to what we hold on the publisher. Nothing here is a summary of somebody else's summary: the outlets are named so the original reporting can be read.
What did Colombia ask the US to do after the earthquake?
Colombian President Abelardo de la Espriella asked US President Donald Trump to temporarily suspend tariffs on Colombian exports. The US had raised tariffs from 10% to 12.5% in late July, days before the 7.4-magnitude earthquake struck western Colombia on 12 August 2026.
How many people died in the Colombia earthquake?
Reports disagree on the exact toll. One digest reported 294 deaths, 3,935 injured and 320 missing. Another reported nearly 300 deaths and about 13,000 homes destroyed. The earthquake struck western Colombia on 12 August 2026.
How much damage did the earthquake cause?
An engineering firm, Ingeniar, estimated total losses at $30 billion pesos, approximately US$9.5 billion. The US had pledged US$26.5 million in aid, as reported by La Silla Vacía. The earthquake struck western Colombia on 12 August 2026.
Which outlets reported the US aid to Colombia?
La Silla Vacía reported the US had pledged US$26.5 million in aid and sent 22 rescue experts. None of the right-rated digests mentioned the aid pledge. The centre-rated report did not include the number of rescue experts.

How did this read?

About the coverage, not about the story. We do not ask whether you agree with what happened — we have no honest use for that answer.

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