Public Affairs
The Director of OPA serves as a senior adviser to the Director of the CIA and other senior leaders on media, public relations and communication matters. The Director oversees the daily interaction with the media, the general public and the CIA’s workforce. OPA also manages the Agency’s cadre of speechwriters, who help prepare speeches and testimony for the Agency’s most senior leaders and write other communications for employees.
The office is composed of three mission areas:
Our media relations staff’s objective is to be as responsive as possible to the media and therefore the American public while protecting classified information and intelligence sources and methods.
The Agency’s Entertainment Industry Liaison is a member of the media team and engages with actors, authors, directors, producers and screenwriters who are featuring the CIA in their creative ventures. The protection of national security equities is always paramount in any engagement with the entertainment industry. Our goal is accurate balanced portrayal of the men and women of the CIA, their vital mission and the commitment to public service that defines them
The public communications staff manages interaction with members of the public by:
- Responding to letters, phone calls, e-mails, and faxes from the American public. You may contact us by mail, phone or fax during our normal business hours Monday through Friday between 7 a.m. and 4 p.m. US Eastern Standard Time.
- Conducting outreach to select academic, civic and other governmental groups.
- Distributing publications on CIA’s mission and history to help educate the public.
- Overseeing the content and design of CIA.gov.
- Coordinating the CIA Director’s public appearances.
- Communicating with retirees about changes and developments at the CIA.
The internal communications staff keeps the workforce informed about news and information affecting employee’s professional lives and working environment by:
- Publishing an employee newsletter
- Managing the Agency’s intranet homepage
- Marketing and promoting Agency events and seminars
- Supporting internal events
