Although
diabetes is one of the most common diseases in the U.S., our mass media and popular
culture don’t always portray it accurately. 
Some of the most common misunderstandings result from confusion between
type 1 diabetes (T1D) and type 2 diabetes (T2D).  Reports in the media may refer to “diabetes”
as a preventable disease.  News stories
may explain T1D as “juvenile diabetes” and show images of overweight children
eating sugary treats.  As a result, people
with T1D and their loved ones are often frustrated and wish that more people
had a better understanding of what T1D is and how they live with it.

When possible, JDRF seeks opportunities to
draw more media attention to T1D and ensure that it’s portrayed accurately and
responsibly.   Creating more awareness and understanding not
only eases some of the frustration that people with T1D face in their daily
lives, but also increases support for our efforts to cure, treat and prevent
T1D.  Recently,
a number of news outlets as well as popular television programs have featured
stories that accurately portray T1D, which we think are worth sharing with the
T1D community:

• A Wall Street Journal article, “New Push to Treat the Other Diabetes” focused on
  TrialNet, an important JDRF-funded trial resource for
  people and families with T1D.  After
  the article was published, many in the T1D community commented that the
  article accurately portrayed T1D and the importance of early screening to
  identify family members at genetic risk of developing T1D in the future.

• CNN ran a news
  story about
  a JDRF-funded clinical trial testing a closed-loop artificial pancreas system.
  The story featured JDRF Children’s Congress 2011 Chair and Government Relations
  Committee member Stefany Shaheen and her daughter Elle, who participated in the
  trial. 

• A few weeks later, the national daytime talk show, The Doctors aired a segment on
  JDRF’s artificial pancreas trial.  The
  segment featured Stefan and Elle sharing information on how this new technology could help Elle
  and other people with T1D manage their condition on a daily basis.

• ABC’s hit show Body of Proof featured a story
  line in which the lead character’s daughter was diagnosed with T1D.  During the character’s diagnosis the story
  stressed facts about T1D to help educate others about the
  disease.  At the end of the show, a 10 second
  message aired,
  informing viewers that every day 80 kids and adults are diagnosed with T1D and
  inviting them to contact JDRF for more information.  After
  the show aired, the T1D community expressed widespread support for the episode’s accurate portrayal of T1D and the
  feelings and fears many families face during times of diagnosis. 

Another
opportunity to create awareness about T1D among a wider audience will be JDRF’s
appearance on an upcoming episode of AMC’s new unscripted
reality series, The Pitch.  The episode will feature JDRF’s president and CEO Jeffrey Brewer, along
with JDRF’s senior vice president of development, Mania Boyder, and JDRF’s
chief marketing officer, Scott McCormick, as they select a winning advertising
agency to design a campaign for JDRF. 
The challenge for the ad agencies is to create a campaign for JDRF
focused on T1D at all ages and at all stages of the disease.

Be
sure to tune in to The Pitch on AMC on Sunday, May 27 at 11 p.m. (10 p.m. CT) to
see the episode featuring JDRF.  For news
and updates about the episode, follow us on JDRF.org, Facebook and Twitter.