Why was Glasgow's helicopter tragedy reported through the celebrity prism?

http://www.theguardian.com/media/greenslade/2013/dec/02/celebrity-dailymail

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In a superb piece at the weekend by my colleague, Marina Hyde, she lamented at the newspaper habit of telling serious stories through references to celebrities.

Within hours came more proof of this sad phenomenon. Mail Online's original report of the Glasgow helicopter tragedy was headlined:

"'It was total bedlam. There was an almighty explosion and then a huge fireball': Three revellers killed as police helicopter crashes though roof of Glasgow music venue where Billy Connolly once got in a punch-up"

Followers of the story will note the wild inaccuracy - what explosion? what fireball? - quite apart from the irrelevance of foregrounding Connolly's link (many, many years ago) to the pub.

In fairness, it would appear that the Mail later realised its tastelessness - and factual errors - and published a much better piece of reportage.

Nor was the Mail alone. The Daily Mirror report was headlined "Cultha Vaults: Popular Glasgow pub destroyed in police helicopter crash was favourite of comedian Billy Connolly."

Of course, a mention of Connolly and other personalities who have played in the bar is perfectly understandable. It underlines the fact that it was a key music venue.

But was it really necessary, amid the deaths of nine people, to headline Connolly's name in the news reports? Did the tragedy require celebrity "endorsement" to engage readers?

Read Hyde and weep at the way in which celebrity obsession dominates the media - and those who consume it.

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