Many public relations executives would consider it a good thing to see their client’s name in the media every day.

Mark Regev, however, is inclined to disagree.

Regev is the spokesman for the Israeli Embassy in Washington, which forces him to tackle the difficult task of addressing questions from the media about the state of Israel, a country which is constantly in the news.

Regev, who has been the embassy spokesman for the past five years, said sometimes, it is a good thing that Israel is not in the news.

“It means that, today, we are not the center of the attention,” Regev said.

Regev explained there are two parts to the job of the press office. “First there is the input,” he said. “[This part comprises] the main ideas that are currently portrayed in the American media about Israel that we send to the policy makers in Israel.”

The second part is the output. “This is our way of getting the message out,” he said. “This is done by having the ambassador or any other Israeli official [speak] to the different media outlets such as CNN, writers and columnists.”

Working in the embassy provides a unique perspective, Regev said, because of access to internal coommunications that provide insight into discussions between Israeli and American officials. As a result, he has the information that reporters need.

“In order to be a good spokesman, one needs to always be one step ahead,” Regev said. Journalists will come to him to get responses about the latest occurrences, and it is his responsibility to be informed about everything that is going on in connection with Israel.

Regev said that he starts the day at an early hour by reading the online Israeli newspapers Ma’ariv and Ha’aretz. He then proceeds into reading the Washington Post and the New York Times. On his way to work, he bounces around the radio stations.

“By the time I enter my office, I understand everything that is making news during this day,” Regev said.

The press office receives seven more newspapers, including the Washington Times, the Los Angeles Times, USA Today, and The (Baltimore) Sun.

“I also look at the news wires such as UPI and sometimes I ‘Google’ the word ‘Israel’ to see what comes up during a specific day,” Regev said. The office also receives the Israeli and Arab press roundups.

“Hopefully, by then, I will know everything that is going on in the public, which will be a little more than what the journalists know,” Regev said. During the day, the press office tries as much as it can to answer the journalists’ questions, while maintaining the Israeli government’s underlying position.

Part of advocating that position is making sure that stories about the Middle East are balanced with Israel’s point of view.

“Sometimes having a critical columnist write a little less critical piece about Israel is no less of a victory” than getting positive coverage, Regev said.

Another of the press office’s responsibilities is to book press conferences for the Israeli officials coming to Washington for state meetings. “This is an interesting part of the job, where I can pitch stories [on behalf of Regev] to the press and get them briefings about the latest occurrences,” Lynn Gefsky, senior assistant to the spokesman, said.

Gefsky explained that, in the press office, part of the excitement is never knowing what to expect, but on the other hand, when a major story breaks, that story leads the day and will preoccupy the entire staff.

When such a story is developing, Regev may even receive press calls on a Saturday or Sunday evening.

“I like working with the journalists,” Regev said. “I identify with them; my job is basically to help them. But on the other hand, there is very little time for private life.”