The Navy Office of Information West, also referred to as NAVINFO West, is a
public affairs office in
Westwood, Los Angeles
Westwood is a commercial and residential neighborhood in the northern central portion of the Westside region of Los Angeles, California. It is the home of the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). Bordering the campus on the south ...
that serves as the primary Navy liaison to
feature films
A feature film or feature-length film is a narrative film (motion picture or "movie") with a running time long enough to be considered the principal or sole presentation in a commercial entertainment program. The term ''feature film'' originall ...
,
documentaries
A documentary film or documentary is a non-fictional motion-picture intended to "document reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction, education or maintaining a historical record". Bill Nichols has characterized the documentary in term ...
, and
television programs
A television show – or simply TV show – is any content produced for viewing on a television set which can be broadcast via over-the-air, satellite, or cable, excluding breaking news, advertisements, or trailers that are typically placed betw ...
depicting or involving the
US Navy
The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage of ...
. The office was founded in 1918. This office also maintains close relations and contacts in the
entertainment industry
Entertainment is a form of activity that holds the attention and Interest (emotion), interest of an audience or gives pleasure and delight. It can be an idea or a task, but is more likely to be one of the activities or events that have dev ...
with the goal of telling the US military's story by facilitating accurate information and relevant themes and messages. In exchange for providing access and cooperation, Navy officials are shown early drafts of scripts.
Much like the rest of the U.S. military's 20-year involvement in Hollywood, the Navy is interested in entertainment projects that cast both itself and its sailors in a positive light, ending with the Navy's military justice prevailing. NAVINFO maintains that they do not censor film and TV projects that do not enhance the image of the Navy. The office is part of the
Pentagon's role in actively controlling the popular image of national security shaped by the film and television products with which it is involved. In 2014 Captain Russell Coons, director of NAVINFO, stated, "We're not going to support a program that disgraces a uniform or presents us in a compromising way."
References
{{Reflist
United States Navy support organizations
Civil–military relations