Colombia requests US military collaboration against 'narco-terrorism' under de la Espriella
Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth announces joint operations and Colombia’s membership in the 'Shield of the Americas' initiative
AI-assisted coverage comparison, editor-supervised · How this was made

Colombia requests US military collaboration against 'narco-terrorism' under de la Espriella
Photograph: Washington Top News (embedded from source)
What this story says
- Colombia’s government, led by President Abelardo de la Espriella, has formally requested US military collaboration in joint operations against 'narco-terrorism'.
- The US and Colombia will participate in the 'Shield of the Americas' initiative, making Colombia its 19th member.
- US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth urged Latin American countries to reject the International Criminal Court, citing US military strikes in the region.
- De la Espriella’s predecessor, Gustavo Petro, was not invited to the March summit that launched the initiative.
Who covered it
Percentages are shares of the 19 outlets carrying a published leaning rating. 2 of the 21 outlets we know ran this story carry no rating and are not counted in them. Coverage measured .
Trust
74/100
Craft
58/100
Hype
20/100
21 sources · methodology
Thin on the right so far
Only 2 of the 19 outlets with a published leaning rating that ran this story are rated right.
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.
Colombia’s newly inaugurated President Abelardo de la Espriella has requested US collaboration in joint military operations to combat what US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth called 'narco-terrorism'. The request was announced during a meeting of the Americas Counter-Cartel Coalition in Panama on 12 August 2026.
Hegseth also confirmed that Colombia would join the 'Shield of the Americas' initiative, becoming its 19th member. The initiative was launched at a March summit attended by US President Donald Trump and Latin American leaders, though Colombia’s then-President Gustavo Petro was not invited. De la Espriella, known as 'El Tigre', has previously stated his administration would join the US-led effort.
Separately, Hegseth urged the nearly 20 countries present to abandon the International Criminal Court, arguing that US military strikes against suspected drug traffickers in the region are 'entirely legal under international humanitarian law'. The Trump administration is pushing a campaign to dismantle the court, citing arrest warrants issued against Israeli officials and investigations into US personnel in Afghanistan.
What the coverage left out
None of the centre-rated digests mentioned Hegseth’s call for Latin American countries to reject the International Criminal Court. The right-rated digest did not include Colombia’s membership in the 'Shield of the Americas' initiative or the US push against the court.
Still developing. We have re-checked which outlets are covering this 6 times, most recently on 13 Aug 2026, 03:30, 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
11 rated outlets
- The 11 left-rated digests and two full reports led on Colombia’s request for US military collaboration and its membership in the 'Shield of the Americas' initiative. The Associated Press and Washington Top News, whose full reports were printed, both quoted Hegseth’s reference to de la Espriella as 'President El Tigre', a nickname used by Trump. Both also included Hegseth’s call for Latin American countries to reject the International Criminal Court.
- Le Monde’s digest framed the agreement as allowing Washington to 'accelerate its fight against drug trafficking in Latin America'. Colombia Reports and Infobae, in their digests, used the verb 'authorised' to describe de la Espriella’s request for joint operations. None of the left-rated digests omitted the US push against the International Criminal Court.
Centre
6 rated outlets
- The five centre-rated digests all carried the core announcement: Colombia’s request for US collaboration in joint military operations and its membership in the 'Shield of the Americas'. The Ottumwa Courier’s digest included that the request was made during a meeting of the Americas Counter-Cartels Coalition in Panama. None of the centre-rated digests mentioned Hegseth’s remarks on the International Criminal Court.
Right
2 rated outlets
- The single right-rated digest, from the Washington Times, carried the announcement of Colombia’s request for US collaboration in joint military operations. It did not mention the 'Shield of the Americas' initiative or Hegseth’s remarks on the International Criminal Court.
Read it at the source
21 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
11- Hegseth says Colombia’s new president has requested US collaboration in anti-drug efforts (opens The Seattle Times in a new tab)
The Seattle Times — is The Seattle Times biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Hegseth says Colombia’s new president has requested US collaboration in anti-drug efforts (opens The Hamilton Spectator in a new tab)
The Hamilton Spectator — is The Hamilton Spectator biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Hegseth says Colombia’s new president has requested US collaboration in anti-drug efforts (opens The Toronto Star in a new tab)
The Toronto Star — is The Toronto Star biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Hegseth says Colombia's new president has requested US collaboration in anti-drug efforts (opens Associated Press News in a new tab)
Associated Press News — is Associated Press News biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Colombia Authorizes Joint Anti-Drug Operations with the United States (opens Le Monde in a new tab)
- Colombia asked US to carry out joint military operations: Hegseth (opens Colombia News in a new tab)
Colombia News — is Colombia News biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Colombia's new president has requested U.S. support in anti-drug efforts, Hegseth says (opens NBC New York in a new tab)
NBC New York — is NBC New York biased? Our profile of this outlet
- De La Espriella Authorizes Military Operations with the U.S. in Colombia, According to Hegseth (opens Infobae in a new tab)
Show 3 more
- Colombia's new president has asked U.S. to join fight against 'narco-terrorism,' Hegseth says (opens NBC Dallas-Fort Worth in a new tab)
NBC Dallas-Fort Worth — is NBC Dallas-Fort Worth biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Colombia's new president has asked U.S. to join fight against 'narco-terrorism,' Hegseth says (opens NBC Bay Area in a new tab)
NBC Bay Area — is NBC Bay Area biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Colombia's new president has asked U.S. to join fight against 'narco-terrorism,' Hegseth says (opens NBC LA in a new tab)
Centre
6- Hegseth says Colombia’s new president has requested US collaboration in anti-drug efforts (opens Washington Top News in a new tab)
Washington Top News — is Washington Top News biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Hegseth says Colombia's new president has requested US collaboration in anti-drug efforts (opens Winnipeg Free Press in a new tab)
Winnipeg Free Press — is Winnipeg Free Press biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Hegseth says Colombia's new president has requested US collaboration in anti-drug efforts (opens KPRC-TV in a new tab)
- Hegseth says Colombia's new president has requested US collaboration in anti-drug efforts (opens Ottumwa Courier in a new tab)
Ottumwa Courier — is Ottumwa Courier biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Hegseth says Colombia's new president has requested US collaboration in anti-drug efforts (opens WKMG in a new tab)
- Colombia's new president has asked the U.S. to join fight against 'narco-terrorism,' Hegseth says (opens NBC Chicago in a new tab)
NBC Chicago — is NBC Chicago biased? Our profile of this outlet
Right
2- Hegseth says Colombia's new president has requested US collaboration in anti-drug efforts (opens The Batesville Daily Guard in a new tab)
The Batesville Daily Guard — is The Batesville Daily Guard biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Hegseth says Colombia’s new president has requested U.S. collaboration in anti-drug efforts (opens Washington Times in a new tab)
Washington Times — is Washington Times biased? Our profile of this outlet
Not rated
2- Colombia Authorizes Joint Military Operations with the United States Against Drug Trafficking (opens Sopitas.com in a new tab)
Sopitas.com — is Sopitas.com biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Hegseth Said De La Espriella Authorized Military Operations with the U.S. in Colombia (opens focoinformativo.site in a new tab)
focoinformativo.site — is focoinformativo.site biased? Our profile of this outlet
Questions about this coverage
- How did the left and right cover Colombia requests US military collaboration against 'narco-terrorism'…?
- Of the 19 outlets on this story carrying a published leaning rating, 58% are rated left, 31% are rated centre, 11% are rated right. Those percentages are shares of the rated outlets, not of every outlet that ran it, which was 21. The sections above set out what each side emphasised, in its own terms.
- Is Colombia requests US military collaboration against 'narco-terrorism'… left or right?
- Neither side dominates it. Of the 19 rated outlets on this story, 58% are rated left, 31% are rated centre, 11% 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 military collaboration against 'narco-terrorism'… biased?
- Colombia requests US military collaboration against 'narco-terrorism' under de la Espriella is one event reported by 21 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 military collaboration against 'narco-terrorism'…?
- When we first saw this story, outlets rated right 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 military collaboration against 'narco-terrorism'…?
- 21 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 request from the US?
- Colombia’s President Abelardo de la Espriella requested US collaboration in joint military operations to combat 'narco-terrorism', as announced by US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth. The request was made during a meeting of the Americas Counter-Cartel Coalition in Panama on 12 August 2026.
- What is the 'Shield of the Americas' initiative?
- The 'Shield of the Americas' is an initiative launched at a March summit attended by US President Donald Trump and Latin American leaders. Colombia joined as its 19th member, following de la Espriella’s request for US military collaboration against drug cartels.
- Why did Hegseth urge Latin American countries to reject the International Criminal Court?
- Hegseth argued that US military strikes against suspected drug traffickers in the region are 'entirely legal under international humanitarian law'. The Trump administration is pushing to dismantle the court, citing arrest warrants against Israeli officials and investigations into US personnel in Afghanistan.
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.
