US Energy Secretary Denies Stealing Venezuelan Oil
Chris Wright confirms a revenue-sharing agreement for 20% of oil reserves.
AI-assisted coverage comparison, editor-supervised · How this was made
US Energy Secretary Denies Stealing Venezuelan Oil
Photograph: SANA (embedded from source)
What this story says
- US Energy Secretary Chris Wright denied claims that the United States intends to steal Venezuelan oil.
- An agreement grants the US rights to exploit 20% of Venezuela's oil reserves.
- President Donald Trump announced on August 28 that the US would receive over 65 billion barrels of Venezuelan oil.
- Wright stated that private companies provide capital for oil production, but profits and taxes return to Venezuela.
Who covered it
Percentages are shares of the 7 outlets carrying a published leaning rating. 11 of the 18 outlets we know ran this story carry no rating and are not counted in them. Coverage measured .
Trust
76/100
Craft
62/100
Hype
30/100
18 sources · methodology
Thin on the left so far
Only 1 of the 7 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.
US Energy Secretary Chris Wright has denied accusations that Washington is seeking to steal Venezuelan oil. The comments follow an agreement that grants the United States rights to exploit 20% of Venezuela's oil reserves. President Donald Trump announced on August 28 that the United States would receive over 65 billion barrels of Venezuelan oil as part of this arrangement.
Wright stated that private companies are providing the necessary capital for oil production, but that profits and taxes will go entirely to the Venezuelan government and its people. He described the agreement as a revenue-sharing arrangement, involving an untapped underground asset that currently yields no return for the Venezuelan people. Wright also signed several contracts with multinational companies for fuel investment and the rehabilitation of Venezuela's electricity grid.
Disagreement on the total amount of oil
Reports differ on the total quantity of Venezuelan oil the United States is set to receive. Source 1 (SANA) and Source 12 (Globo) state that President Donald Trump announced on August 28 that the US would receive over 65 billion barrels. Source 4 (TUOI TRE ONLINE) states the US says it did not 'steal' 65 billion barrels of Venezuelan oil. Source 13 (PressNewsAgency) quotes President Donald Trump describing the pact as 'the biggest oil deal in world history'.
What the coverage left out
None of the right-rated digests mention the specific figure of 20% of Venezuela's oil reserves that the United States has rights to exploit. The left-rated report from SANA and the centre-rated report from Morgan County Citizen both included this detail.
Still developing. We have re-checked which outlets are covering this 4 times, most recently on 3 Sept 2026, 13:00, and will add the sides that appear.
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
1 rated outlet
- The left-rated report from SANA led with the headline "The U.S. Energy Minister Denies Washington's Quest for Venezuelan Oil Theft and Confirms Revenue Sharing." It quoted US Energy Secretary Chris Wright directly, stating that Venezuelan resources and oil belong to the Venezuelan people and denying Washington's pursuit of Venezuelan oil theft. The report noted Wright's confirmation of revenue sharing and his signing of contracts with multinational companies for fuel investment and electricity grid rehabilitation. It also mentioned President Donald Trump's August 28 announcement regarding the US receiving over 65 billion barrels of Venezuelan oil.
Centre
1 rated outlet
- The centre-rated report from Morgan County Citizen used the headline "US not 'stealing Venezuelan oil,' energy secretary insists." The digest stated that US Energy Secretary Chris Wright dismissed claims of Washington stealing Venezuelan oil after the nation granted its northern neighbour access to a large portion of its natural resources. The report did not include further details from the energy secretary's statements or mention the specifics of the agreement.
Right
5 rated outlets
- The right-rated reports generally focused on US Energy Secretary Chris Wright's insistence that the US is not stealing Venezuelan oil. Headlines across these reports, such as "US not ‘stealing Venezuelan oil’, energy secretary insists" (Free Malaysia Today News, The Straits Times, Islamabad Post, KahawaTungu, PressNewsAgency) and "Secretary of Energy Denies that the U.S. Is ' Stealing' Venezuelan Oil: 'Priority Is the People'" (Globo), reflect this emphasis. The digests noted Wright's defence of the agreement, with some mentioning that private firms provide capital for oil production while royalties and taxes go to Venezuela (Free Malaysia Today News). Globo reported that President Donald Trump announced on August 28 an agreement by which Washington would assume majority control of more than 65 billion barrels. The Straits Times mentioned Wright stressing the importance of fixing Venezuela’s electricity sector.
Questions about this coverage
- How did the left and right cover US Energy Secretary Denies Stealing Venezuelan Oil?
- Of the 7 outlets on this story carrying a published leaning rating, 14% are rated left, 15% are rated centre, 71% are rated right. Those percentages are shares of the rated outlets, not of every outlet that ran it, which was 18. The sections above set out what each side emphasised, in its own terms.
- Is US Energy Secretary Denies Stealing Venezuelan Oil left or right?
- Too few of the outlets on this story carry a published leaning rating to say. 7 of them do, and this site does not characterise a field under 12: at that size one newsroom filing moves the share by ten points. The percentages above are the count as it stands.
- Is the coverage of US Energy Secretary Denies Stealing Venezuelan Oil biased?
- US Energy Secretary Denies Stealing Venezuelan Oil is one event reported by 18 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 US Energy Secretary Denies Stealing Venezuelan Oil?
- 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 US Energy Secretary Denies Stealing Venezuelan Oil?
- 18 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 is the agreement between the US and Venezuela regarding oil?
- The agreement allows the United States to exploit 20% of Venezuela's oil reserves. US Energy Secretary Chris Wright stated that private companies provide capital for production, but profits and taxes return to Venezuela. He denied accusations of theft, describing it as revenue sharing.
- How much Venezuelan oil will the US receive?
- President Donald Trump announced on August 28 that the United States would receive over 65 billion barrels of Venezuelan oil. One report described the pact as 'the biggest oil deal in world history'.
- What did US Energy Secretary Chris Wright say about the deal?
- Chris Wright denied claims that the US was stealing Venezuelan oil. He asserted that the resource belongs to the Venezuelan people and that American businesses are providing capital and technology for its extraction, with revenue being shared.
Read it at the source
18 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
1Centre
1Right
5- U.S. Secretary of Energy Ensures U.S. Doesn't Want to " Steal Oil" Venezuelan (opens Sapo in a new tab)
- Secretary of Energy Denies that the U.S. Is ' Stealing' Venezuelan Oil: 'Priority Is the People' (opens Globo in a new tab)
- US not ‘stealing Venezuelan oil’, energy secretary insists (opens Free Malaysia Today News in a new tab)
Free Malaysia Today News — is Free Malaysia Today News biased? Our profile of this outlet
- US not ‘stealing Venezuelan oil’, energy secretary insists (opens The Straits Times in a new tab)
The Straits Times — is The Straits Times biased? Our profile of this outlet
- LIVE NOW: Energy Secretary Chris Wright Holds Press Gaggle in Caracas (opens The Epoch Times in a new tab)
The Epoch Times — is The Epoch Times biased? Our profile of this outlet
Not rated
11- US and Venezuela Sign Oil Agreement; Secretary of State Wright: "China Has No Claim to New revenues." (opens Unknown in a new tab)
Unknown
- US not 'stealing Venezuelan oil,' energy secretary insists (opens KahawaTungu in a new tab)
KahawaTungu — is KahawaTungu biased? Our profile of this outlet
- The US Says It Did Not 'Steal' 65 Billion Barrels of Venezuelan Oil. (opens TUOI TRE ONLINE in a new tab)
TUOI TRE ONLINE — is TUOI TRE ONLINE biased? Our profile of this outlet
- The United States Minister of Energy Denies the Allegations of His Country's Attempts to Steal Venezuelan Oil. (opens alborsaanews.com in a new tab)
alborsaanews.com — is alborsaanews.com biased? Our profile of this outlet
- U.S. Secretary of Energy Ensures U.S. Doesn't Want to " Steal Oil" Venezuelan (opens SIC Notícias in a new tab)
SIC Notícias — is SIC Notícias biased? Our profile of this outlet
- US not ‘stealing Venezuelan oil,’ energy secretary insists (opens Islamabad Post in a new tab)
Islamabad Post — is Islamabad Post biased? Our profile of this outlet
- "It's Not true." The U.S. Doesn't Want to Steal the Oil From Venezuela. (opens Noticias ao Minuto in a new tab)
Noticias ao Minuto — is Noticias ao Minuto biased? Our profile of this outlet
- The US Claims that “Nobody Steals Venezuelan Oil Anymore” and that China Made It Cheap (opens The Objective in a new tab)
The Objective — is The Objective biased? Our profile of this outlet
Show 3 more
- The U.S. Secretary of Energy Confirms that His Country Doesn't Want to Steal Venezuela's Oil. (opens Unknown in a new tab)
Unknown
- US not ‘stealing Venezuelan oil’, energy secretary insists (opens PressNewsAgency in a new tab)
PressNewsAgency — is PressNewsAgency biased? Our profile of this outlet
- US not 'stealing Venezuelan oil,' energy secretary insists (opens rtl.lu in a new tab)
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.
