Jewish News Syndicate

Jewish News Syndicate (JNS) is a news agency and wire service that primarily covers Jewish and Israel-related topics and news. While officially nonpartisan, compared to its larger and older competitor, the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, JNS is considered to be more conservative.^[1]

History

The wire service was launched in September 2011 with an exclusive U.S. distribution deal with free Israeli daily Israel Hayom. It is published by Russel Pergament and Joshua Katzen. Its editor-in-chief is American journalist Jonathan S. Tobin^[2] and its CEO is Alex Traiman.

The editor-in-chief until 2016 was Jacob Kamaras.^[3]

By 2013, JNS began to grow much quicker than its more left-leaning competitior, the Jewish Telegraphic Agency (JTA), with The Forward crediting JNS's pro-Israel perspective and cheaper price. Subscribers to JNS paid between $400 to $700 per month for access to the wire service.^[2] In 2015, JNS had between 40 and 55 newspapers.^[4]

In 2020, JNS's largest single donor was Sheldon Adelson.^[5] Since then, JNS's budget has grown exponentially, and in 2024, JNS received over 8,000 contributions from over 3,000 readers and supporters.

JNS won its first two Rockower Awards in 2019.^[6] Since then it has won awards each year, earning a record 11 awards in 2024. ^[7]

Editorial positions

In 2015, The Forward described JNS as focusing heavily on Israeli security threats. Frequent columnists Ben Cohen and Stephen M. Flatow wrote often against the Iran Nuclear Deal and the Obama administration more generally, and the JNS board included Middle East Forum president and pro-Israel hawk Daniel Pipes and neoconservative Harvard professor Ruth Wisse.^[4]

JNS's publisher Russel Pergament described the wire service as a "nonpartisan, objective, straight down the middle newswire with no axe to grind except one: to see that Israel gets a fair shake in the news."^[2] "There are some editors who do not want to upset their readers so they’ll publish a JNS news brief about someone in Israel inventing a new flavor of ice cream, but they won’t run anything that’s kind of scary," he told the Jewish Press.^[8]

JNS has been described as conservative,^[9] right-leaning,^[2] and more hawkish than the JTA. According to Rick Kestenbaum of the American Jewish Press Association, editors of Jewish media outlets are aware of JNS's ideology and difference from JTA.^[4]

On February 12, 2025, JNS inaugurated a Multimedia Center with studio facilities to broadcast podcasts, including Israel Undiplomatic by Ruthie Blum and Mark Regev.

Finances

The Adelson Foundation was revealed in 2015 to be the largest single funder of JNS.^[4] Between 2013 and 2015, the Adelson Foundation had contributed over $1.2 million.^[4][10] In 2015, Adam Milstein donated $12,500.^[11]

References

1. "Sheldon Adelson is bankrolling JNS.org".
2. Nathan-Kazis, Josh (June 28, 2013). "Fledgling Jewish News Service Rocks Boat With Strident Pro-Israel Message". The Forward. Archived from the original on May 26, 2022. Retrieved June 28, 2013.
3. Lapin, Andrew (November 30, 2021). "The new owner of a San Diego Jewish news site has no qualms about blurring journalism and PR". Jewish Telegraphic Agency. Retrieved July 29, 2022.
4. Nathan-Kazis, Josh (December 22, 2015). "Sheldon Adelson's Jewish Media Secret Revealed". The Forward. Retrieved April 4, 2022.
5. Zonszein, Mairav (February 5, 2020). "What happened to The Forward?". Columbia Journalism Review. Archived from the original on February 6, 2020. Retrieved December 22, 2023.
6. "Tobin wins JNS's first journalism honors with AJPA's top columnist award". Columbus Jewish News. June 28, 2019. Retrieved June 14, 2024.
7. "JNS Takes Home 11 Awards in AJPA Journalism Contest". JNS. June 5, 2024. Archived from the original on June 5, 2024. Retrieved August 25, 2024.
8. Pergament, Russel (October 22, 2014). "'Almost A Conspiracy In The Media To Delegitimize Israel': An Interview with Maverick Publisher Russel Pergament". The Jewish Press. Interviewed by Elliot Resnick. Archived from the original on February 14, 2015. Retrieved August 24, 2024.
9. Kampeas, Ron (August 23, 2019). "For this prominent Jewish Republican, Trump's 'disloyalty' jab is a bridge too far". Jewish Telegraphic Agency. Archived from the original on August 23, 2019. Retrieved July 30, 2022.
10. Oster, Marcy (December 22, 2015). "Report: Adelson largest funder of Jewish news service". Jewish Telegraphic Agency. Retrieved July 30, 2022.
11. Kane, Alex (March 25, 2019). "Right-Wing Donor Adam Milstein Has Spent Millions of Dollars to Stifle the BDS Movement and Attack Critics of Israeli Policy". The Intercept. Archived from the original on March 25, 2019. Retrieved July 30, 2022.

External links

• Media related to Jewish News Syndicate at Wikimedia Commons
• Official website