Conservatives as Defenders of the Media

The conservative pundit Glenn Beck took the lectern at a conference center on Manhattan’s East Side last Thursday to accept the Freedom of Speech Award for his commentary on TheBlaze television network and his syndicated radio show.

Reporter James Rosen of Fox News. The Justice Department seized his phone and e-mail records.

Glenn Beck, who last week received a free speech award, spoke out about governmental investigations into leaks to the media.

The annual seminar hosted by the trade magazine Talkers is intended to discuss the leading issues affecting talk radio, from advertising to how to break through in a crowded field. But this year, the more than 55 speakers had a particular topic they wanted to discuss: the recent Justice Department investigation into media leaks.

“They’re doing some scary things in our country right now,” Mr. Beck told the crowd. “They were started by Republicans and they’re being furthered by the Democrats.”

The press â€" often the target of allegations of liberal bias by conservative media â€" has found an unlikely ally in right-leaning radio and television hosts who have taken to defending the First Amendment with a fire-and-brimstone zeal. (To drive home his point that anything goes when it comes to free speech, Mr. Beck waved the Koran and a napkin said to be stained with Hitler’s blood.)

The First Amendment has always been a hot-button issue for talk radio, but conservative hosts in particular have focused on freedom of the press after revelations last month that the Justice Department had seized the phone and e-mail records of a Fox News reporter, the Washington correspondent James Rosen, who had included details about a secret United States report on North Korea in a 2009 article published on FoxNews.com.

The Washington Post obtained an affidavit that described Mr. Rosen (without naming him) as “at the very least, either as an aider, abettor and/or co-conspirator.”

The investigation into Fox News became public only after The Associated Press said on May 13 that the government had subpoenaed its telephone records in an unrelated leak investigation. Fox News has said it had no knowledge of the Justice Department’s 2010 subpoena for Mr. Rosen’s telephone records.

The debate over the government’s approach to leaks widened on Sunday when The Guardian revealed the identity of Edward Snowden, a contractor for the National Security Agency and the source of disclosures about the government’s widespread collection of private Internet and telephone data. On Sunday evening Fox News pundits debated whether the Obama administration had overreached in the use of secret surveillance techniques.

There was little debate, however, when it came to Mr. Rosen.

“This is Big Brother,” Sean Hannity said during his “Hannity” program on Fox News shortly after the details about the investigation into Mr. Rosen became public. “Rosen is doing what reporters are supposed to do,” added Mr. Hannity, who also hosts the syndicated talk radio program “The Sean Hannity Show.”

In a memo to employees last month, Roger Ailes, president and chief executive of Fox News, said, “We will not allow a climate of press intimidation, unseen since the McCarthy era, to frighten any of us away from the truth.”

Critics and supporters have noticed the emergence of Fox News, known for its battle cries of liberal bias in other news outlets, as one of the most vocal defenders of those news outlets’ rights.

“I love the juxtaposition of the media being defended by the people they don’t typically like, which is conservatives,” said Seton Motley, president of Less Government, an organization devoted to diminishing the role of the federal government.

Michael Smerconish, an independent who hosts a talk radio program on Sirius XM and contributes to MSNBC, said conservatives’ outrage over the Obama administration’s leak investigations has everything to do with politics.

“Given a choice of who gets thrown under the bus â€" Obama or the liberal media â€" Obama is first on the list,” Mr. Smerconish said. He added, “The liberal media would be a close second.”

A version of this article appeared in print on June 10, 2013, on page B1 of the New York edition with the headline: Conservatives as Defenders of the Media.

Webdenda: Accounts and People of Note in the Advertising Industry

Accounts and People of Note in the Advertising Industry

ABC Regional Sports and Entertainment Sales, New York, part of ABC National Television Sales, and Branded Cities Network, part of EL Media Holdings USA, Phoenix, signed a sales and marketing agreement to collaborate on a digital out-of-home LED network in major cities around the country. Financial terms were not disclosed. ABC National Television Sales is a division of the ABC unit of the Walt Disney Company.

Chris D’Ablemont joined NuvoTV, New York, in a new post, vice president for new business development ad sales. He had been vice president for emerging networks at NBCUniversal, part of Comcast, working on Sprout.

Dentsu India Group, part of Dentsu, acquired an 80 percent stake in Webchutney, an Indian digital agency with offices in Delhi, Mumbai and Bengalooru, from a venture capital arm of Network18. Financial terms were not disclosed.

Kevin Gentzel joined The Washington Post, part of the Washington Post Company, as chief revenue officer. He succeeds Ken Babby, who is now owner and chief executive of a minor league baseball team, the Akron Aeros, in Ohio. Mr. Gentzel had been chief revenue officer at News Distribution Network, New York.

Shelby Houston Haro cq joined GetGlue, New York, in a new post, executive vice president for sales. She had been vice president for entertainment sales and product strategy at the Penske Media Corporation, Los Angeles.

Jeff Knapple, executive vice president at the Los Angeles office of Van Wagner Sports and Entertainment, part of Van Wagner Communications, was named president and chief executive at Van Wagner Sports and Entertainment, based at the New York headquarters. He succeeds Cliff Kaplan, who left “as a result of differences in strategic direction,” the company said in a statement, and is pursuing other opportunities.

Jennifer Maltby joined Full Contact Advertising, Boston, in a new post, director for strategic planning. She had been director of the Idea Group, an internal research group, at Communispace, Boston.

Lincoln Millstein, executive vice president and deputy group head of Hearst Newspapers, New York, part of the Hearst Corporation, was named to a new post, senior vice president of the corporation and special assistant to the chief executive, Steven R. Swartz, who succeeded Frank A. Bennack Jr. on June 1.

Parade Publications, New York, part of Advance Publications, was renamed the Parade Media Group.

Parham Santana, New York, started a licensing division named BrandSlam, to be led by Aaron Spiegeland as vice president for brand strategy and licensing; he had previously been a director for brand management at Beanstalk, part of the Omnicom Group.

Omar Quiñones joined RP3 Agency, Bethesda, Md., as director for strategic planning. He succeeds Scott Gold, who left, the agency said. Mr. Quiñones had been senior strategist for cultural and business insights at Crispin Porter & Bogusky, Boulder, Colo., part of MDC Partners.

Donald Reilley joined Major League Gaming, New York, in a new post, executive vice president for sales. He had most recently been head of United States advertising sales for Kindle at the New York office of Amazon.

Jeremy Rosenberg joined Allison & Partners, New York, part of MDC Partners, in a new post, senior vice president for digital media, leading the agency’s digital media operations. He had been senior vice president for digital media at Cohn & Wolfe, part of WPP.

Eric Segal joined Anomaly, New York, part of MDC Partners, as an executive creative director, working with Ian Toombs, who was recently promoted to executive creative director for creative director. Mr. Segal had been an executive creative director at Grey New York, part of the Grey division of the Grey Group, which is owned by WPP. Also at Anomaly, Sheena Brady, creative director, was promoted to a new post, global creative director. Ms. Brady, Mr. Toombs and Mr. Segal all report to Mike Byrne, global chief creative officer.

Media Decoder: Kelly Wallace to Return to CNN

CNN Rehires Kelly Wallace, Primarily as Digital Reporter

CNN said it will announce on Monday the rehiring of Kelly Wallace, a former correspondent there, as it continues on a talent recruitment effort led by Jeff Zucker, who took over the cable news channel at the beginning of the year.

Ms. Wallace, 46, was a national correspondent on television when she last worked at CNN seven years ago.

In a sign of all that has changed since then, she will be a digital correspondent this time, working primarily for CNN.com and appearing regularly on television, CNN said. When she starts in July, her beat will be women’s issues.

“Kelly’s hiring signifies that CNN is increasingly packed with journalists who play across all platforms, delivering to our audiences the best story in the best format on the most convenient screen,” Meredith Artley, the vice president and managing editor of CNN.com, said in an e-mail message.

Ms. Wallace worked at CBS after leaving CNN, then in 2010 joined iVillage, the Web site aimed at women and owned by NBCUniversal, where Mr. Zucker was the chief executive at the time.

At iVillage, she produced and hosted online videos (including interviews with the first lady, Michelle Obama) and developed programming for advertisers.

Ms. Wallace said CNN would provide her a more prominent and more challenging role, including as a contributor to CNN Parents, a new section of CNN.com that will be added this month.

Ms. Wallace said Mr. Zucker, who took charge in January, instigated her return to the company: “With his energy, passion and vision, it already is a new CNN. He loves the news, and I love that. Plus, he totally gets digital, and he’s shown that for years.”

Mr. Zucker has mounted something of a hiring spree, bringing Jake Tapper and Chris Cuomo to CNN from ABC, Rachel Nichols from ESPN, and Michaela Pereira from KTLA in Los Angeles, among others.

In a statement, Mr. Zucker said the decision to have Ms. Wallace work principally for CNN’s Web sites “underscores our commitment to this space as clearly as ever.”