Nelson Mandela's great-granddaughter has been killed in a car crash after a concert on the eve of the World Cup.It is tragic whenever anyone dies prematurely, and especially painful for friends and family when the death is utterly unexpected.
It is disappointing, albeit predictable, that the death of Mandela's great-granddaughter, who herself has no special claim to fame, will get such disproportionate coverage. Many more worthy people die on the roads of South Africa, and of Great Britain, every day.
I often wish that media reports would remind us of everyday tragedies, to put the highlighted cases in context. Absent commercial pressures, the BBC is ideally placed to do this. Can you imagine a preamble like this?
Yesterday, 1400 British people died. 9 people comitted suicide. 7 people died in transport accidents. 1 person was murdered.The Guardian has a very good report on the official statistics: How do we die? The latest death rates
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