If you were anywhere near social media or any type of media last week, it was impossible to oversee the posts, tweets and reports regarding the incredibly insensitive comments made by Abercrombie & Fitch CEO, Mike Jeffries, in a 2006 interview for SALON.

It proves that in 2013, an older article can resurface and receive much more attention than it did before social media became the norm and begin a PR nightmare for a company and its much disliked and highly controversial CEO.

So what did Jeffries say that was so terrible 7 years ago?

"In every school there are the cool and popular kids, and then there are the not-so-cool kids," he told Salon. "Candidly, we go after the cool kids. We go after the attractive all-American kid with a great attitude and a lot of friends. A lot of people don't belong [in our clothes], and they can't belong. Are we exclusionary? Absolutely. Those companies that are in trouble are trying to target everybody: young, old, fat, skinny. But then you become totally vanilla. You don't alienate anybody, but you don't excite anybody, either."

Oh, THAT's all.

The comments were cruel and greatly criticized, but all you have to do is go into one of the darkly lit establishments and peruse their garment displays or go online to see the blatantly obvious exclusion of XL sizes and higher for women, and pants no larger than a size 10. However, the double standard is painfully clear for men who have shirts available to them at XL and XXL. Regardless of your personal opinions about Jeffries or the company's way of advertising, it has caused backlash that will most likely affect a portion of their bottom line this year.

Many took to the Abercrombie Facebook page to express their outrage with comments such as these:

"So, will A & F be paying hospital bills for all the young girls that are hospitalized for eating disorders after your CEOs damaging and hateful comments?"

"Abercombie & Fitch supports bullying and eating disorders. Pass it on."

"And you wonder why young girls are so self conscious and depressed. You are contributing to the downfall of our young women. Shameful."

The fact is that Abercrombie & Fitch, even after the comments were originally made in 2006, still raked in the big bucks, but now with so many people disgusted with Abercrombie, what will happen next? Will Jeffries be fired? Has he angered enough people to warrant his removal? Has the size XS scarlet letter been branded on the company for good?

What are your thoughts? Should Jeffries be fired? Are you no longer shopping (if you ever did) at Abercrombie & Fitch?

Bless the folks in the Abercrombie PR department who will have to deal with this mess for a while and most certainly never allow Jeffries to ever speak on record again.

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Image courtesy of Flickr user prayitno

May 3 is World Press Freedom Day, which according to UNESCO is "a date which celebrates the fundamental principles of press freedom; to evaluate press freedom around the world, to defend the media from attacks on their independence and to pay tribute to journalists who have lost their lives in the exercise of their profession."

On this 20th anniversary, we reflect on the fact that here in the United States we have freedom of the press, freedom of expression, while too many nations around the globe do not have this basic right. Media outlets are censored and journalists are attacked or murdered for exposing the truth or for reporting something unfavorable in regards to a certain person or group.

We often take for granted that we go to work, do a story and return home. The most someone will do is write a negative comment after our story on a website, call and say they did not like or agree with a story, but other than that we do not usually fear going to bed that night or worry every time we dine al fresco at our favorite restaurant. For the most part, journalists are respected. Not to say violence against journalists does not happen here because it does, but not in the same manner as in other countries.

Overseas, many never return home, their next stop being a morgue instead of their living room. It is a sad and terrible situation, but one that cannot be forgotten and ignored. Critics of journalists who place themselves in precarious situations or who work in dangerous countries will often say to simply find another profession or to get out of such a place.

What these people fail to realize is the concept that being a journalist is sometimes not "just" a profession, but a calling. It can be a way for that journalist to stand up for what is right and to report about a violent and corrupt government or to bring awareness to the unthinkable events and atrocities that take place daily. It is not something they just like to do but need to do, the same way one may know from childhood they want to be a surgeon or a performer.

Let us take some time to read the stories of some journalists who never returned home this year, who made it their life's work to speak for those with no voice, to expose the truth, to tell a story that needed to be told:

• Mohamed Ibrahim Rageh (Somalia)

• Rodrigo Neto (Brazil)

• Carlos Manuel Artaza (Paraguay)

• Mikhail Beketov (Russia):

Whether you're a reporter, blogger, author or other content creator, ProfNet can help you with your search for expert sources. You can send a query to tens of thousands of experts and PR agents, search the more than 60,000 profiles on ProfNet Connect, or get timely experts and story ideas by email -- all for free! Need help getting started? Email us at profnet@profnet.com 

If you're a journalist who's ever thought about starting your own business, then this will be a good read for you. The National Association of Hispanic Journalists held their regional New York City conference last weekend and one of their workshops was called "Yo Soy Mi Propio Jefe (I Am My Own Boss)," moderated by Sylvia Jaregui, CEO Kue Productions & Hyperlocal ElizabethaInsideOut.tv.

The panelists shared their ideas and strategies regarding how to be successful as an entrepreneur. The panelists were:

• Alberto Ferreras, Writer, Filmmaker
• Claudio Ivan Remeseira, award-winning journalist, writer and cultural critic and Director of the Hispanic New York Project, hosted by Columbia University's American Studies Program
• Rosa Victoria Alonso, entrepreneur, speaker on multicultural marketing, technology, digital and social media (Mi Vida Tec)
• Julio Sabater, President/CEO/Founder at Workforce Advantage/Entrepreneur

One of the first things Alonso said was, "Have a passion for what you want to do. It's a rollercoaster." Starting a business and being successful is not easy.

There are many difficulties when starting a business and for journalists, being an entrepreneur can be tricky. Remeseira stated, "When you're a journalist and you want a business, you also need to know how to become a marketer. It's usually thought that the marketer makes the money and the journalist makes the content, but as an entrepreneur, you need to be both of them."

The panel stressed that many ideas don't get past the business plan stage. "You'll have many conversations and maybe 2 or 3 will become concrete ideas," remarked Remeseira.

Sabater gave a statistic that shocked a few when he said, "Many small businesses fail in the first year." This is the reason why your idea must be unique and something on which people will need to rely. As far as investors go, Sabater stated, "Try to use your own capital and use funds from friends and family -- those closest to you. Use little because it will teach you efficiency." He also advised, "Find groups that cab help you in your state. Economic development agencies are a big help."

Ferreras, who was in Buenos Aires and live via Skype, said "Use the minimum amount of money. You'll have to do a lot of the work on your own and you must be conservative with the money you spend."

Before you even get to the point where you meet with an investor, however, you have to have the plan. Know your market, your competitors, how you plan to make money and the investors will also need to know how quickly they'll get their money back. Know all of this before you have your first meeting with a possible investor. Remeseira recommends already having a job to help fund your project and to be realistic -- if it fails or looks like it will, it's time to stop.

To decrease the possibility of failure, Sabater recommends, "Do something within your realm of knowledge. Use your skill set and stay there. Your partner in the business should complete you and not do the same thing as you."

Sabater gave an eye-opening statement when he noted, "The mistake entrepreneurs make is that they have passion, but they also need to separate that feeling. Your plan and your goals will change completely from the original plan. It will somehow steer away from what you intended."

 Whether you're a reporter, blogger, author or other content creator, ProfNet can help you with your search for expert sources. You can send a query to tens of thousands of experts and PR agents, search the more than 60,000 profiles on ProfNet Connect, or get timely experts and story ideas by email -- all for free! Need help getting started? Email us at profnet@profnet.com 

On Saturday, March 9, I attended the regional New York conference of the National Association of Hispanic Journalists at the CUNY Graduate School of Journalism where I was also asked to moderate a panel discussion. The conference was a huge success by all accounts as a larger than originally expected crowd came to network with other journalists and participate in various workshops.

The first panel was also the opening discussion where all conference attendees could enjoy the lively discussion at the start of the day. Targeting U.S. Hispanics was moderated by Ramon Escobar, Senior VP of Talent Development, CNN. The panelists were:

• Chris Peña, Executive Editor, NBC Latino
• Francisco Cortes, Director, FOX News Latino
• Patricia Pedraza, Bureau Chief and Senior Producer, CNN en Espanol
• Christina Constantini, National Affairs Correspondent, Fusion (ABC and Univision partnership)
• Geraldo Lopez, Executive at MundoFox

The various representatives of each media outlet described their strategies for building audiences, how they serve the Latino community, and who they want as members of their respective organizations.

Escobar is a veteran of the news business and has worked at many outlets -- most recently at Telemundo as executive vice president of news before joining CNN.  One of the first things he mentioned was his realization regarding the "lack of critical thinking skills" he sees with many journalists. He said, "Before you even get the job, take responsibility for what you do."

He asked the room full of veteran and aspiring journalists to name the acting president of Venezuela and said we need to educate ourselves if we didn't know the answer. He added that he's not willing to mentor someone who can't help themselves. He's not there to tell them the news, that's something the journalist already has to know.

The topic of hiring minority journalists came up and Escobar stated, "You may get your foot in the door because you're Latino, but you won't keep it for that reason."

Francisco Cortes discussed the type of journalist he wants and said, "I like hungry journalists who have drive and passion for their work." He added, "Don't be afraid to get your hands dirty." Chris Peña stressed, "You have to be a good writer. It's the key to everything in journalism regardless of platform." He also added, "Have you worked on CMS? If you don't know what it is, you're behind." It's also very important to "Play well in the sandbox with others."

Many of the journalists attended the conference to network and to try and land a coveted position at any one of these respected outlets so when they were asked what type of person they were looking for, ears perked up. Christina Constantini commented, "We want social media to be inherent to the station, not an afterthought. We want people who understand internet and TV. Social media is not an addition but a big part of it." She also added, "We are not going to be liberal or conservative, but pro-Hispanic." Geraldo Lopez, an executive at MundoFox looks for, "Someone who has passion for journalism and knowledge of the Latino community." He adds, "We treat Latinos as survivors, not victims."

Patricia Pedraza was asked about how CNN en Español works with CNN and said, "Rather than being the unit that begs and steals, we have the opportunity to contribute."

Escobar closed the discussion saying, "Strategic partnerships are more important instead of reinventing and doing it alone. Media is a team sport. It's not individual like golf."

Whether you're a reporter, blogger, author or other content creator, ProfNet can help you with your search for expert sources. You can send a query to tens of thousands of experts and PR agents, search the more than 60,000 profiles on ProfNet Connect, or get timely experts and story ideas by email -- all for free! Need help getting started? Email us at profnet@profnet.com 

Whether you're a journalist or a public relations professional, you've almost certainly heard of the Associated Press, one of the largest newsgathering services in the world. I will be hosting a free webinar, "A Day in the Life of an AP Reporter," featuring Joyce Rosenberg, small-business reporter at the AP.

Since 1999, Joyce has written Small Talk, the AP's widely published weekly column, covering finance, tax, employment, marketing and management. In this webinar, she'll discuss her day-to-day responsibilities, how she gathers information for her stories, what it takes to cover small business, and much more, including tips on how those in public relations can work and develop a relationship with her.

Join me and ProfNet for this FREE webinar on Thursday, March 7 at 3 p.m. EST, as we go in-depth into the world of an AP journalist. To register for the webinar, please click here.

About Joyce Rosenberg

Joyce Rosenberg is the AP's small-business reporter. She began covering the topic full-time this year after writing Small Talk, the news cooperative's column on small-business, for nearly 13 years.

She has also served as the AP's financial markets editor and held other supervisory and management roles in the Business News Department. She has also covered retailing and mergers.

Whether you're a reporter, blogger, author or other content creator, ProfNet can help you with your search for expert sources. You can send a query to tens of thousands of experts and PR agents, search the more than 60,000 profiles on ProfNet Connect, or get timely experts and story ideas by email -- all for free! Need help getting started? Email us at profnet@profnet.com