My Sources

Where I'm Coming From

To accurately produce Project 1, I needed to gather a strong base of resources. In this blog, I will establish the context of each of these sources.

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The Sources

Source 1 - A & F Issue Apology

Where: This source comes from the website "NY Daily News". This affects the website's credibility in a positive way because "NY Daily News" is a very well known website, rather than a third-party website that people haven't heard of. Another factor is their 300,000 followers on Twitter, it shows their following is very large and vibrant. 

Who: The author is Beth Stebner, who is a University of Miami graduate. She no longer works for NY Daily News, as she works for Style Caster now. She used to do freelance journalism and was an employee for Daily Mail. Stebner has over 7 years of experience in New York's media brands during her career. She is verified on Twitter, and appears to be active. Her background in fashion and media only adds to her credibility, rather than detracts from it.

When: The Source came out May 22, 2013, around the same time that the civil war in Syria entered into Lebanon, and when France had an Anti-Gay marriage rally that drew unreasonable numbers of people. I think these events could have covered up the news media, as these would have been headlines to major news agencies. The topic of Gay marriage was growing, which could have overshadowed the Abercrombie and Fitch controversy. This modern day time period plays a big role in the fact that this time period is very big into social media, which impacted how viewers read news.

What: This source is important because it displays the fact that Mike Jeffries was sort of forced to apologize rather than willingly apologize. It took several thousands of signatures to get him to change is mind, if it actually did change. This represents the stakeholder Mike Jeffries because this what it took for him to understand what he said still impacted people, even 7 years later. This offers a view as to why Jeffries apologized rather than just leaving it at the fact that he did apologize.

Source 2 - The man behind Abercrombie & Fitch

Where: This source comes from "Salon" which was actually the original source of the interview of Mike Jeffries. Since Salon did the original interview, they appear to be a very reliable source.

Who: Benoit Denizet-Lewis wrote the article, and studied at Northwestern University. He is currently an Assistant Professor of Writing, Literature, and Publishing at Emerson College. He works as a writer for the New York Times, and is a New York Times Best Selling Author. His background appears to add to his credibility.

When: This was written on January 24, 2006. This was the original article that came out with Jeffries' comments that started the entire controversy. The main event that seemed to be occurring at this time were the trials for Saddam Hussein, which would have definitely left this story in the shadows. I couldn't find any fashion topics or issues occurring. 

What: This source is important because it signifies the beginning of the controversy, and provides support for the background of which my project will be based on. This directly represents Mark Jeffries as a stakeholder, due to the fact that this is the original interview that revealed his thoughts about who should wear his brand. this offers the raw information with little to no bias, which will allow the reader to decide how they feel about the original story.

Source 3 - A & F Refuses To Make Clothes For Large Women

Where: This article comes from "Business Insider" which is a newer website (opened up in 2009). It appears that it is a reliable website, as it cites its main source, the Salon interview.

Who: Ashley Lutz wrote this article, she is an Ohio University graduate. Lutz has worked for Business Insider for almost 4 years and prior to that she was a reporter for Bloomberg news. Although young, she seems to be a relatively credible source.

When: This was written May 3, 2013. This was written as the original interview with Jeffries had resurfaced. Similar to the first source, this story could have been overshadowed by the French Anti-Gay rally, and the spread of Syria's civil war. This modern day time period plays a big role in the fact that this time period is very big into social media, which impacted how viewers read news.

What: This article is important because it shows a comparison to one of A & F's competitors, American Eagle, and the article has some analysis of the quotes from Jeffries. That being said, the main stakeholders affected are Jeffries and American Eagle, since they are both highlighted in this story. This article offered analysis and comparisons rather than just focusing on the original story. It is important as it helps explain why much of A & F's business was lost to American Eagle.

Source 4 - How a CEO Can Wreck a Brand

Where: This article is from "Forbes" which is an extremely popular source, and its credibility shows through its 99 year existence (founded in 1917).

Who: Davia Temin wrote the article, a graduate from Swarthmore College. She later went to Columbia to pursue her graduate degree. She is the CEO of Temin and company, and is an avid writer for Forbes, Huffington Post, and American Banker.  Her career serves as a very credible background (CEO for 19 years). 

When: The source came out May 13, 2013. Just like sources 1 and 3, the main stories in the world were the Syrian civil war expansion and the French anti-gay protest. Both of these events could have overshadowed the reemergence of this article. This modern day time period plays a big role in the fact that this time period is very big into social media, which impacted how viewers read news.

What: This article offers the first insight on plus sized women, and how the article actually reemerged and truly blew up for the first time. The stakeholders in this are plus sized women and Jeffries himself. This article helped give evidence on how the controversy blew up, and it talks about strategies for how CEOs should face the media. This post is important as it truly analyzes all of the factors that contributed to a fiery situation.

Source 5 - A & F To Offer Larger Sizes

Where: This article was found on the "NY Post" which is a credible news source as it was founded in 1801. It has been around for so many years, rather than being an out of nowhere company.

Who: The author is Reuters, which is an independent news reporting group that was founded in 1851. Although no author is specifically identified, Reuters has been around for a long time and has proved to be a credible source.

When: This article is from November 6, 2013, which occurred at the same time as the Warsaw Climate change conference, but that was all I could find. Due to a lack of news stories or controversial events, this story would be able to soak up some of the spotlight from that time. This modern day time period plays a big role in the fact that this time period is very big into social media, which impacted how viewers read news.

What: This article was one of the first that highlighted how A & F was finally making the change into the production of plus size clothes. This story represents the larger women of America finally getting a victory, even though I highly doubt that they want to wear A & F now. This post is significant as an after effect of the harsh words of Mike Jeffries.

Source 6 - A & F Stands By CEO

Where: This article was found on "Bloomberg" which was founded about 35 years ago. Although Bloomberg can sometimes pick sides, it offers insight on popular trends that appear to be credible.

Who: This article is written by Susan Berfield, who has been in the writing industry for 20 years, including 6 years at Bloomberg. She studied at Brown University and then pursued higher education at Columbia University. Her long years of service add to her credibility. 

When: This article is from December 9, 2013 which came at the same time as a Denver school shooting. Due to the media doing all they can to broadcast school shootings, it is very probable that this article was covered up and hidden during the time it was released. This modern day time period plays a big role in the fact that this time period is very big into social media, which impacted how viewers read news.

What: This article provides the first backing of A & F of its CEO at the time. Rather than leaving him out in the cold and rain, A & F suggested that it supports its CEO and even said it renew his contract. This story highlights A & F as a company along with Jeffries which will be key to my project, as we can view what the rest of the company thought of this situation.

Source 7 - A & F Employee Hiring Changes

Where: This article was found at the "Washington Post" which was founded in 1877. Due to its long history of publishing news it appears to be a credible news source.

Who: Jena McGregor is the author of this article. She graduated from the University of Georgia and has been writing posts for 14 years, with more than 5 of those years at the Washington post. These credentials definitely add to her credibility.

When: April 24, 2015 was when this article was produced. The main event that took place during this time was the Iran nuclear deal which swallowed up all of the news media at that time. This time period is apart of the social media revolution, where information can be shared and distorted quickly and easily.

What: This article announced the first win for the people against A & F, such as bigger women and the less "beautiful" people of the world. As our stakeholder, larger women scored a win as now A & F would quit hiring based on looks like they originally did. This proves important to my project because it shows that A & F felt that they were wrong to essentially discriminate as Jeffries outlined back in 2006.

Source 8 - Celebrity Backlash Against A & F

Where: "Diversity Inc." is where this source is from, although it isn't a formal news source it does provide a celebrity insight to the situation. It offers the views of stars such as Miley Cyrus.

Who: Manuel McDonnell Smith wrote the article. He studied at Fordham University and has had experience working with Urban Suburban Magazine and Mail Online. He currently works for SEPTA as a Public Information Manager. He has been working for over 14 years holding various jobs in the area revolving around media. He appears to be a credible source.

When: June 19, 2013 is when this article was released. The reporting of chemical weapons in Syria had just come about, along with reports of the Taliban establishing headquarters in Qatar. With terrorism on the rise over the past few years, they probably took precedence over an article like this. This modern day time period plays a big role in the fact that this period is very into social media, which impacted how people read the news.

What: this article was the first to show how celebrities reacted to the A & F issue, which were primarily women. Therefore, the main stakeholder in this article was women, as the celebrities offered support to the women rather than to A & F. This provides context to who was involved, and how the non-common people were reacting to the situation, which gives a larger perspective to my topic.

Source 9 - In and Out of Love With A & F

Where: "Business Insider"

Who: Michael Thrasher wrote this article. He studied at Ohio University and worked for Business Insider for 6 months mainly as an intern. Although new to the scene, he has become successful as he now works for Value Penguin.  He became an intern after getting his first job out of college. Although young, he still appears to be a reliable source.

When: July 10, 2013 is when this took place, which was also during the time that both England and Wales legalized same sex marriage. Same sex marriage was a rising issue, and with the growing support for social topics such as same sex marriage, an article such as this one may have been pushed aside.

What: This post gives a better background of A & F which allows readers to get a better understanding of where they are coming from. The stakeholders involved in this article is the company of A & F and Mike Jeffries, as they are highlighted in the timeline. It proves to be important as this will provide insight on a timeline of where A & F appeared to have gone wrong.

Source 10 - Stock Tanks 18%

Where: "CNN" is where this article is from, although it is from a subsection of CNN that focuses on money and finances of popular news stories.

Who: Hibah Yousuf wrote the article, and worked for CNN for close to 5 years. She now works as a Public Relations Manager at Charles Schwab. She studied at Northwestern University, obtaining a degree in Journalism. These credentials make her appear to be a credible source.

When: August 22, 2013 is when this took place, which was right around the time that the United States was trying to get Edward Snowden back from Russia. This topic was a headline, whereas articles like this one weren't really on the front lines of media. With most people playing the roles of politician, issues like the Snowden issue were taking precedence.

What: This post gives the most economic information to my project. It shows the effect on the stocks of the company and how they affected the company once they went out of style. After losing many customers, the key stakeholders affected were A & F as a company and the shareholders of A & F as well. The article shows the drop in stock price which usually indicates how well the company is doing as a whole. This will be key to my project as it serves as a basis for the slowly sinking A & F.