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Brent Bozell, the founder and president of the right-leaning Media Research Center, has decided to cancel the contraception coverage currently included in the company's employee health insurance plan after reportedly being "horrified" to discover those benefits were included in the wake of the debate surrounding President Obama's recent healthcare mandate.

In a staff-wide e-mail acquired by the Web site The Jane Dough, Bozell allegedly wrote that the company is working with BlueCross, its insurance provider, so as not to comply with the "disgusting mandate."

"[We] are working to change our insurance policy so as not to have to comply with this administration's disgusting mandate to provide contraceptive, sterilization and abortifacient services," wrote Bozell, who said he would have never approved the insurance policy in question if he had known that coverage was included.

Bozell then encouraged employees to refrain from using their birth control coverage until he is able to sort through the necessary paperwork to institute the policy changes with BlueCross, although he acknowledged he cannot force them to comply with his request. However, he added that not complying with it "is to commit a mortal sin."

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"Do not avail yourselves to these ... services, not through the MRC. They are evil, and I am unequivocal about this," Bozell wrote.

The birth control mandate, a provision of the 2010 Affordable Care Act, requires all employers to provide contraception coverage as part of their health insurance coverage. Although churches and church-sponsored organizations were exempt from the rule, religiously-affiliated organizations -- such as hospitals, universities and charities -- initially were not.

After an uproar from conservative Republicans and Catholic Church leaders who claimed the mandate violated those organizations' religious liberty, the Obama administration consented to a compromise. Now, employees who work for religious institutions that object to contraception coverage can obtain it, still free of charge, directly from their insurer.

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Media Research Center to Eliminate "Evil" Birth Control Services from Company Health Plan

BEIRUT: After decades of living under state media control, Syrian journalists at home and abroad have established the Syrian Journalists’ Association (SJA).

With this new organization, which released its mission statement February 20, the journalists hope to counter the efforts of the government-run Syrian Journalists’ Union, which they say rather than protecting and supporting members of the press has instead pressured them to tow the government line, ever since the country’s ruling Baath party took power in 1963.

“Sadly, the Syrian Journalists’ Union didn’t act as an independent organization to support journalists. It was for propaganda,” says Ghassan Ibrahim, a founder of the SJA and head of the Arab Global Network, a news service based in London.

“We’re independent journalists who believe in freedom, and we decided to start this organization so that journalists can get access to the country and send a message.”

As for the organization’s first order of business, he says, “We’ll start by looking at where the SJU failed.”

Syrian journalists who founded the new association claim that the government-run union regularly monitors their activities.

“As soon as I registered with the union, police came to my house. I asked myself, ‘Why am I being investigated?’” recalls Ghalia Kabbani, another founding member of the association, who worked as a journalist in Syria between 1990 and 1994, during which time she was repeatedly questioned by the authorities simply for being a registered journalist.

She says she was ordered to write detailed reports on her friends and family, and was also asked to spy on any foreign journalists she knew who entered the country.

Similarly, Kinda Kanbar, publisher for four years of an independent magazine not recognized by the union, says, “I was afraid to knock on their door because the union was known to be part of the secret police department, the mukhabarat.”

Of the new organization, Kabbani emphasizes, “This is for journalists who are with the revolution. We want to say we’re not part of that [government-run] union.”

Indeed, as the bloodshed in Syria continues unabated, and with no clear resolution to the political conflict in sight, activists say it is important to develop institutions that would enable a transition to civil society. Similar associations have been set up by members of other professions, including one in December for artists and another in January for writers.

“When the regime falls, we’ll need established institutions,” Kabbani points out. And Ibrahim, of the Arab Global Network, predicts that “when the regime falls, the official union will have the same fate.”

Ibrahim also notes that no Syrian journalist will be required or pressured to join the association. Instead, he says that the group will defend media freedom and protect the rights of journalists.

It will be open to all Syrian and Syrian-born Palestinian journalists working in print, broadcast and online media whether they live inside Syria or abroad. Those interested in joining must provide a letter from their media outlet or obtain the approval of three founding members of the SJA.

As their manifesto reads, “The Syrian Journalists Association is a democratic and independent association. It is committed to the Syrian revolution’s goals and its calls for the freedom and dignity of the Syrian people, and moving towards building a democratic state that guarantees justice and equality to all Syrian citizens.”

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Syrian journalists look to promote media freedom with new association

23-02-2012 07:33 The Securities and Exchange Commission says scammers are selling real stocks on social networking sites.

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SEC Warns About Social Media Scam - Video

Two weeks ago I asked, "What's so social about social media?" I'm very critical not of social media per se, but of the overuse of and over indulgence in it: people hanging out on Linkedin, Facebook, and all kinds of other ersatz social environments - and not getting out and doing some real networking.

The sum and substance of my disenchantment with social media from a career coach's point of view is that it's just not doing for your career what you might think it is, while concurrently contributing to an appalling loss of interpersonal, team and in-person social networking skills. So I figured it's time for my "Six Amigos" to weigh in again. If I haven't convinced you yet, read on.

Diane Young, partner, Steps to Success; founder, Unemployed Optimists, Fair Lawn

Social media is a powerful tool for job-seekers when used correctly. Overuse, misuse and abuse of social media, however, are serious issues. Overuse is spending too much time on line. Limit social media time and spend it at public places where you will encounter people with mutually beneficial opportunities. Misuse is logging in with no clear goal. Have a specific plan to update your profile, research companies, or search keywords on job boards. Abuse is collecting without connecting. Don't boast about how many connections you have. Connect with appropriate people, get to know them, and correspond with them periodically. There is no substitute for face-to-face networking with other job seekers or at informational and industry-specific events.

Alex Freund, The Landing Expert, career coach, Princeton

With great impetus, the pendulum of social media has swung all the way in one direction in its support, fueled ferociously by itself. While such self-serving activity has many positive aspects, it often leads to the question "So where did all the time go?" I also see its negative impact on job seekers. Over 27 percent of hiring companies have already stated that they're reducing their use of social media in locating candidates, as it has produced huge numbers of unqualified candidates. They also know that good candidates are harder to find, as a result. Make yourself easier to find by getting out there.

Janelle Razzino, executive recruiter, Razzino Associates, Westwood

As a recruiter for 24 years, I've always kept an open mind to many changes, new tools and now, social media channels. But (and that's a BIG sigh), I am always leery of shortcuts to accomplish enormous tasks like looking for a new opportunity. Nothing feels as good as or takes the place of a firm handshake or a great smile while networking on your feet instead of on your screen. Stop hanging out on social media sites and start hanging out in real life with other great people at your networking groups. Companies call people who know people who are well-suited for open positions.

Cathy Love, director of Career Development Center, Fairleigh Dickinson University, Teaneck

The old adage "never put all your eggs in one basket" was never as true as it is today in the job-hunting arena. Spending days on the Internet isn't enough. Use multiple approaches. Join a professional association, meeting others in your field - they may know of hidden market opportunities. Connect with job-seeker support groups to exchange information. Volunteer at your favorite non-profit; you'll feel good helping others, and it may afford networking opportunities.

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Career Coach: Los 'Seis Amigos' y Social Media

A recent report from Pew Research indicates social network users are now paying more attention to managing their online profiles than in recent years. The study found an increase in the use of social networks' privacy controls, a climb in users who only let friends see their profiles, and a growing proportion of people who've at one point punted a 'friend' from their rosters, for whatever reason.

Users of social networks, especially women and younger members, are managing their accounts better in recent years, Pew Research has found.

About two-thirds of Internet users belong to social networking sites, and metrics for profile management have improved, Pew said.

For one thing, users are cleaning house more. Overall, 63 percent of social networking site users have deleted friends, up from 56 percent in 2009.

They're also getting better about keeping the front door shut. Fifty-eight percent of users say their main profile is set to "private," which on most networks means it's only viewable by an approved list of friends.

However, users are roughly equally divided in their ability to manage privacy controls on user profiles. Pew found that 48 percent of users report some level of difficulty; 49 percent say it's not difficult at all.

Pew based its findings on a survey of nearly 2,300 adults in April and May.

"It's clear from the big stories in the news right now that people really care about privacy," Electronic Frontier Foundation spokesperson Rebecca Jeschke told TechNewsWorld.

Blaming users for not using privacy controls would be a mistake because "companies need to be much more transparent about the tools available and what they do or don't do," Jeschke added.

Who Does What Where

Pew also found that 44 percent of respondents have deleted comments made by others on their profile, and 37 percent have removed their names from photos on which they were tagged.

Women were more prudent profilers than men. Pew found that 67 percent of women on social networking sites had deleted people from their network; the figure for men was 58 percent. The same trend showed up when it came to profile privacy -- 67 percent of women set the highest privacy restrictions on access to their profiles, while only 48 percent of men did so.

Male users and young adults are more prone to post content that they'll regret later. Pew found that 15 percent of men and 8 percent of women posted content they later felt sorry for.

Only 5 percent of social networking site members 50 years and older posted content they regretted later, while 15 percent of social networking site members aged 18 to 29 did so.

Oh, to Be Young Again

Teenagers who use social media generally display the same behavior as their adult counterparts, Pew has found.

More than 60 percent of teenaged social networking site members said they most often set their profile to be private so access to their posts is restricted only to their friends. Another 20 percent maintain partially private profile settings, and only 17 percent set their profiles to be fully public.

The corresponding figures for adults are 58 percent using a private profile setting, 19 percent partially private and 20 percent completely public.

Young adults are more likely than their older counterparts to delete contacts from their friends list. About 70 percent of young adults surveyed said they've trimmed their friends list, compared to 63 percent of those aged 30 to 49, 56 percent of those aged 50 to 64, and 41 percent of those aged 65 or more.

Young adults were also more likely to delete comments on their profiles and remove photo tags, Pew found.

Privacy Isn't Social Profile Control

"Pew doesn't know what they're doing," Jeffrey Chester, executive director at the Center for Digital Democracy, told TechNewsWorld. "Their research is so one-dimensional here."

Pew and "most members of the public" don't understand the "powerful marketing strategies" Facebook uses to collect data on users and then influence their actions, Chester said.

"Before Pew analyzes user attitudes on Facebook, it should first examine the social network's business practices," Chester remarked. "Failure to peer into the stealth world of Facebook marketing limits Pews' ability to come to any meaningful analysis."

In November, well after the Pew survey was conducted, Facebook agreed to settle charges made by the Federal Trade Commission that it had violated users' privacy. The FTC had alleged that Facebook had reneged on privacy promises it had made to users over the years to the extent that its actions at times threatened the health and safety of users.

That settlement requires, among other things, that Facebook get consumers' approval before it changes the way it shares their data.

Pew Research did not respond to requests for comment for this story.

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Social Network Users Dumping Friends and Locking Doors