This handbook examines media portrayals of intelligence institutions, cultures, and conduct in various political regimes, showing how they inflect and reflect public views of the intelligence community.

Specifically, this volume assesses how popular media portrayals of intelligence agencies influence such realms as public perception, opinion, and support of intelligence; recruitment endeavours; democratic transformation of intelligence services; transparency versus secrecy; outreach and messaging efforts; and intelligence interagency sharing, cooperation, and collaboration, both domestically and internationally. The book chapters are divided into three thematic sections:

Section I: Theoretical Concepts

Section II: Case Studies of Non-Democratic or Nominally Democratic Regimes

Section III: Case Studies of Consolidated and Consolidating Democracies

The volume also looks toward newer and emerging media around the world to explore ways in which both the intelligence sector and its image in media and popular culture may be changing.

Filling a clear gap in the literature, this book will be of much interest to students of intelligence studies, media and communication studies, national security, and international relations.