Public Affairs

The Office of Public Affairs is part of the Office of Communications and Marketing within GSA. It carries out the agency’s effort to assist the media and the public in understanding the important work performed by GSA as we strive toward helping other agencies better serve the public and simplifying access to government information and services.

Although it serves as the official point of contact for national inquiries, the Office of Public Affairs in Washington, DC, works closely with its regional counterparts to ensure the media have public affairs experts to speak with when necessary.

The Office of Public Affairs serves the agency, the media, and the public by providing the following key elements:

• Briefings for domestic and foreign media;
• Pursuing media outreach, enabling Americans everywhere to hear directly from key agency officials through local, regional, and national media interviews;
• Producing and coordinating electronic and broadcast products and services in the U.S. and abroad for the public and the media.

GSA Newsroom

Recognizing the importance of a reporter’s access to information, the GSA Newsroom provides a helpful resource, with links to:
 

• Recent GSA News Releases
• Budget and Performance
• Speeches
• Congressional Testimony
• RSS feeds
• Web News

By visiting the GSA Newsroom, a reporter may also request to be added to agency’s news release distribution list.

Media Inquiries

Media inquiries should be directed to the Office of Public Affairs in Washington, DC, open weekdays, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., Eastern time, except on federal holidays. The Office of Public Affairs may be reached at (202) 501-1231.

GSA Media Contacts:

Subscribe to GSA News Releases

Media who wish to be added to GSA’s distribution list may do so electronically on the GSA Newsroom page or by calling the Office of Public Affairs at (202) 501-1231. This service is available only to credentialed, working media. Members of the general public are invited to visit our website to read about the latest news concerning GSA.

Journalist Item Request Form

Media interested in scheduling an interview; or getting a news release, media kits, or other information about GSA may submit their request electronically through the Journalist Item Request Form available through the GSA Newsroom.

Reporters with time-sensitive requests are encouraged to contact the Office of Public Affairs at (202) 501-1231.

Guidance for Employees – Working With the Media

The agency's public affairs officers facilitate the active dissemination of agency policies, programs, initiatives and results and to coordinate media and public relations activities.  Employees needing assistance with media requests for information or interviews, or planning events that will be open to media, or who have information about a GSA program that might be of interest to the media, should contact the appropriate Central Office public affairs officer covering their business line or service/staff officer, or regional public affairs officer if in a region.  A listing of these individuals appears above.  In addition, all print, radio and TV media inquiries may be directed to the media relations office at (202) 501-1231.  This line is staffed weekdays from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Eastern time. All requests for interviews, photographs, or details about agency sponsored or co-sponsored events should be directed to this number.

Employee Rights

Agency employees have the fundamental right to express their personal views, provided they specify that they are not speaking on behalf of, or as a representative of, the agency but rather in their private capacity. So long as this disclaimer is made, the employee is permitted to mention his or her institutional affiliation and position if this has helped inform his or her views on the matter.

Employees have the right to review, approve, and comment publicly on the final version of any proposed publication that significantly relies on their research or work, or identifies them as an author or contributor.

Final authority over the content of and parties to any particular media communication resides with the reporter and the employee with whom he or she communicates.

Responsibilities

OCM is responsible for:

• Focusing  media attention on important agency developments;
• Coordinating and facilitating contact between journalists and the requested agency staff;
• Providing both reporters and employees with timely, accurate, and professional media assistance; and
• Providing draft press releases or other public statements to agency employees whose work is included, to assure the accuracy of information being communicated.

Note:  GSA does not engage in "puffery" of the agency, purely partisan communications, and/or covert propaganda.

Employees are responsible for working with OCM to make significant agency developments accessible and comprehensible to the public.

Employees are responsible for the accuracy and integrity of their communications and should not represent the agency on issues of politics or policy without prior approval from the public affairs officer (PAO).

Media and Public Interactions

To help OCM best fulfill its responsibilities, employees should:

• Keep the PAO informed of any media interest or potential for interest in their work;
• Notify the PAO of impending media contacts and provide the PAO with a recap of the non-confidential aspects of the media conversation afterward;
• Review drafts of press releases written by the PAO both for their format and accuracy of content  being communicated; and
• Work with the PAO to review presentations or news conferences for their format and content to assure the accuracy of information being communicated.

Public Affairs Officers should:

• Respond to all initial media inquiries as soon as possible;
• Do all they can to help reporters get the appropriate information needed for an article;
• Know the reporter’s deadline to ensure timely response;
• Draft regional and national press releases whenever warranted;
• Ensure a timely turnaround on press releases (within one week or less);
• Develop (or coordinate the development of) talking points in collaboration with the relevant experts for the release of agency programs and products; and
• Assure that as part of any relevant agency communications to its employees, the agency includes the congressional addendum required by the Anti-Gag Statute, reaffirming the supremacy of the Whistleblower Protection Act (protecting non-classified public communications) and other congressional acts over conflicting agency policies.

Media Coverage

In the spirit of openness, media representatives shall be granted free access to open meetings of advisory committees and other meetings convened by this agency, as well as permission to reasonably use tape recorders, cameras, and electronic equipment for broadcast purposes.

The PAO coordinating a meeting may be present, or consulted, to undertake all responsibilities of a news media nature, including but not restricted to necessary physical arrangements.

It shall be the responsibility of the PAO to cooperate fully with and accede to reasonable requests from news media representatives. In instances where conflicts or misunderstandings may arise from the expressed views, wishes, or demands on the part of news media representatives, such matters should be referred at once to the associate administrator of OCM for resolution.

The OCM Associate Administrator shall exercise full authority and assume responsibility for all decisions involving the news media and related activity.