Tricia Jenkins, professor of film, television and digital media
Hollywood never tires of a good government spy story. Tricia Jenkins, professor of film, television and digital media, teaches courses in critical media and industry topics and focuses much of her research on the role of government agencies in shaping film and television content. She was recently highlighted in a news feature on the topic and is also in an upcoming documentary exploring the subject.
“In general, the CIA’s liaisons can offer assistance to preproduction and production teams in the form of access to technical consultants, high-level personnel, the agency seal, stock footage, props, shooting locations and even agency employees as extras — all at little to no charge,” she told TheWrap in a story available on Yahoo News. “But before agreeing to provide these services, the CIA will review each script to ensure that it presents the agency in a positive light and will not undermine morale or jeopardize recruitment efforts. If it does not think the script meets these requirements, the liaison office will refuse to offer the artist assistance.”
Also, the Media Education Foundation is launching a documentary entitled “Theaters of War” in which Jenkins is featured along with power players like director Oliver Stone. With the release of government documents that have shed more light on the subject, the documentary explores the U.S. military’s editorial role in films and television. The trailer is available on YouTube, and the documentary will be available to stream on Kanopy Streaming or through mediaed.org.