An old problem has been getting worse for TV reporters who report on stories in public locations. TheWrap reports that the level of sexually explicit taunting has been increasing, especially in the past year.

“The disturbing trend involves hecklers running up and yelling, ‘F–k her right in the p—y,’ into microphones as reporters stand in front of the camera,” the story reports.

“It’s a brand of harassment I was not expecting when I chose this profession,” NBC4 Southern California reporter Beverly White told the publication. “The acronym ‘F her in the P’ is constant. Total strangers, typically young men, shout that profanity like they have a right, and I beg to differ. It is deeply offensive and it’s infuriating.”

The report adds: “The obscene interruptions started to gain notoriety in May 2014. The first known incident was initially thought to have been said by a heckler during a live broadcast in Cincinnati, Ohio. The footage went viral, but the stunt turned out to be a hoax. Still, the copycat incidents are all too real.”

Other reporters — male and female — quoted in the story report similar taunting.

“According to experts, the problem stems from a generation of young men who grew up consuming prank-based shows like ‘Jackass’ and ‘Punk’d’ and feel emboldened to act out in public and film themselves doing so,” the report notes. “Factor in the Internet and the ability to share antics on the net, and it’s a recipe for disaster.”

Please click on the link near the top of this story to read the full report.

Beverly White (NBC4 Los Angeles)