NATO’s Propaganda Campaign Quietly Recruits Hollywood and European Writers

NATO Courts Film and TV Writers in Controversial Outreach Program

NATO has been conducting a series of closed-door meetings with film and television creators across the United States and Europe, sparking debate about the appropriate relationship between creative industries and military institutions. The initiative, which NATO officials claim has already generated “three separate projects” in development, has drawn sharp criticism from some writers who view it as an attempt to enlist them in producing propaganda.

The meetings have taken place in Los Angeles, Brussels, and Paris under the Chatham House rule, which protects the identities of participants. A fourth session, described by NATO as part of a “series of intimate conversations,” is scheduled for next month in London, targeting members of the Writers Guild of Great Britain.

Several writers invited to the London session have expressed strong objections. Alan O’Gorman, award-winning director of “Christy,” which won best film at the 2026 Irish Film and Television Awards, called the initiative “outrageous” and “clearly propaganda.”

“I thought it was tone deaf and crazy to present this as some sort of positive opportunity,” O’Gorman said. He noted that many writers have “friends and family or themselves come from countries that are not in NATO, that have suffered under wars that NATO has joined and propagated.”

O’Gorman believes NATO is attempting to “get some of its messaging out there in film and TV,” and said fellow writers were “pretty offended that art would be used in a way that was supporting war.”

Screenwriter and producer Faisal A. Qureshi, who has over 20 years of industry experience, raised concerns about the psychological dynamics of such briefings. Although he had applied to attend the London session, he was forced to withdraw due to scheduling conflicts.

“The risk for any creative who dips into this unattributable world of intelligence or military briefings is that they can get seduced into thinking they now have some secret knowledge,” Qureshi warned. He questioned whether writers would sufficiently challenge information presented with “the veneer of truth given to it by an authority that rarely deals with the public.”

NATO officials frame the initiative differently, claiming the sessions respond to “interest expressed by members of the industry” who want to learn more about the alliance. Former NATO spokesperson James Appathurai, now deputy assistant secretary general for hybrid, cyber and new technology, is expected to attend the London meeting alongside other alliance representatives.

In communications to Writers Guild members, organizers highlighted that the earlier sessions had already yielded three projects in development. They described NATO’s core purpose in terms designed to resonate with writers, saying the alliance was “built on the belief that cooperation and compromise, the nurturing of friendships and alliances, is the way forward.”

This outreach aligns with broader institutional strategies. Earlier this year, the Centre for European Reform, an influential think tank, published a report encouraging governments to engage with cultural figures, including screenwriters and producers, to build public support for increased defense spending.

The initiative follows a 2024 visit to NATO headquarters in Brussels by eight American screenwriters, including a writer and executive producer from “Friends” and a writer from “Law and Order.” This delegation met with then-Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg at the invitation of the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies.

O’Gorman’s objections carry particular significance given Ireland’s longstanding military neutrality. Though not a NATO member, Ireland has increased its defense spending to record levels following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine – a move that has received broad political support. Public enthusiasm for NATO membership remains limited in Ireland, however. According to an Ipsos poll, in the context of a hypothetical united Ireland, 49 percent of voters in the Republic opposed joining the alliance, compared to just 19 percent in favor.

“I think there’s fearmongering throughout Europe at the moment that our defenses are down,” O’Gorman said. “I see it in an Irish context, where there’s been a push through some of the media and government to present NATO in a positive light.”

The Writers Guild of Great Britain emphasized it had simply passed the invitation to members as professional information rather than an endorsement. “Our members are free thinkers,” a spokesperson noted, calling this “a valuable and vital skill that they bring to their craft.”