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As a young 23 year old PR practitioner – my social views may be the complete opposite of those who are 15 to 20 years older than me. Maybe that’s why, in recent weeks, I’ve taken offense to some of the media’s jokes pointed in the direction of Caitlyn Jenner. Frankly, I don’t understand what would compel someone to make jokes about something so sensitive and personal, even if it’s your job to provide two hour long commentary to fill your TV or radio talk show. But maybe I’ve already shared too much. Thankfully, in this post I don’t have to give my specific stance on the issue and bore anyone with my social opinions. The value here is in discussing how the media has reported this news story.

Let’s look at some statistics before we go any further.

A study conducted by The Williams Institute found that 4.6 percent of the overall U.S. population has self-reported a suicide attempt and 41 percent of trans or gender non-conforming people surveyed have attempted suicide. Let me put that in a format that public relations professionals may understand more.

Do you see the trend in the numbers? Notice the eye-catching arrow underscoring the trend. Shouldn’t the media be a little bit more sensitive to discussing issues? Maybe not, if there marching orders are to shock or entertain. It is in that entertaining command that it seems the potential to cross the lines of sensitivity and discrimination can occur. CLICK HERE to read the entire post at Commpor.biz.