Josh Nass: Advocating for Israel through the Media

There is unquestionably rampant intellectual dishonesty in the media’s coverage of Israel. The media bias that exists toward Israel is certainly not something new; and there are media watchdogs and NGOs who have studied this matter extensively and are far more qualified than I to elaborate on what motivates certain members of the media to continue reporting fundamental untruths about Israel. Instead, I’d like to focus on the need for us in the pro-Israel community to utilize the media as a way of advancing pro-Israel narratives and sharing the truth about the events on the ground with the masses and the public writ-large. Josh Nass is an excellent example of a media relations professional who has properly sought to expose intellectual dishonesty in media’s coverage of Israel where it exists. And he has done so effectively.

Nass is regularly turned to by leaders in the pro-Israel community to help advance pro-Israel narratives in the media. He’s consistently called upon to right wrongs and to expose examples of deception by Israel’s detractors in the media. A recent example of this was when a leading community member reached out to Nass through his public relations firm Josh Nass PR, with concerns about the Weather Channel formally listing Jerusalem as the capital of the fictional “State of Palestine.” The fact that the world’s most trusted forecasting website would sink to the low of having to engage in this sort of blatantly anti-Israel deception is further evidence of how universal this assault against Israel in the media has become. Nass immediately turned to his contacts in the media in an effort to maximize exposure of this absurdly pathetic attempt at deceiving the public on the part of The Weather Channel. Within less than twenty-four hours, Fox News ran a story about this outrage, and within hours, the story began being aggressively shared and promoted on social media. The Weather Channel was forced to respond and issue a statement apologizing for what it described as a misstep and error on its part. This is just a small example of the ways media professionals dedicated to the pro-Israel cause like Josh Nass can make a substantive difference in pointing out the media’s continued intellectual dishonest coverage of all things related to Israel.

Josh Nass’ media advocacy for Israel started early on in his career. While still a student at Brandeis University, he was regularly featured across cable news platforms to offer expert commentary on current events related to Israel. During that time, Nass played an active role in voicing opposition to the American Studies Association’s boycott of Israeli institutions in appearances on Fox News and elsewhere. His work in utilizing the media to combat BDS on campus and the deceptive methods the movement employs to achieve its aims, is well-known. In recognition of his activism on behalf of Israel, Nass was selected by The Jewish Week as one of the 36 most influential Jews under the age of thirty-six facing challenging communal times with innovation, optimism and creativity. Josh was also awarded the Lover of Israel award by Amir Sagie, the Deputy Consul General of Israel in 2016.

But Nass’ advocacy for pro-Israel causes has certainly been an ongoing feature as his professional life has developed. His award-winning public relations firm, Josh Nass PR represents some of the world’s leading pro-Israel organizations. Among them are American Friends of Likud, the Zionist Organization of America, the International Association of Jewish Lawyers and Jurists, One Israel Fund and many more.

Israel is constantly under assault, not only on the military battlefield but also in the media. The Israeli government doesn’t do nearly enough in focusing its energies and resources on promoting the truth about the situation on the ground through media channels. For that reason, it’s imperative that we in the pro-Israel community provide recognition and thanks to those that have taken this responsibility on in their individual capacities. Josh Nass is one such example, and he deserves our collective gratitude for his continued efforts to promote Israel in the media, in the most positive light possible.