It's very much the whole media thing. The event was witnessed first hand by over 30,000 people, who saw professionals saving a man's life. It also involved high profile people. By the same token, several soldiers have died in Afghanistan over the last few days. Yes, they were mentioned on the news.
The contradiction I began to see, after the story began to unfold, was that a whole swathe of highly trained people worked like true professionals to give back to a person the most highly treasured thing he possessed - his own life. In any true and undistorted society, these highly trained professionals would be amongst the most valuable people on Earth, and yet they are pretty much also-rans in the great scheme of things. While the people who skilfully kick a pig's bladder around on a field are actually the prized and important ones. Bit odd that, isn't it..?
OK, I've distorted their relative values to society by playing up the medical professionals and playing down the entertainment professionals. But doesn't society do this everyday, only the other way round, so that it appears entirely normal to us..? Just a thought.