The sad demise of Jade Goody

The decision this week by OK! to print a tribute magazine for Jade Goody is to many people, morally and tastefully abhorrent.

Firstly Jade is still alive, and the issue includes "Jade's final words". This really is obscene and is blatantly an attempt by the magazine to boost circulation.

The issue also includes the dates "1981 - 2009", which for many readers could lead to the assumption that Jade has already died. Surely the editor should have removed this?

The Goody family have supported the publication, but having presumably been paid a large sum of money is this wholly surprising? The death of Jade Goody has been played out in the full glare of the media, but this is one step too far.

For most of Jade Goody's adult life, she has courted the media and done well financially as a result, but in years to come her children will surely look back on these events with shame.

Jade says she is trying to make money for her family, but at what price? Her children may not want this money, knowing how it was raised. No-one should intentionally profit from a death but sadly OK! will do just that.

On the one hand, you could say that Jade allowed this to happen, but in her frail state how can we be sure that this was done soberly? Somebody should have stepped in and stopped the magazine being published. Sadly her family did not do this.

The tragic tale of Jade Goody's demise is a sad snapshot of how reality TV can function. Not only have we seen her life, we saw her cancer diagnosis live on Indian Big Brother, and of course now her slow death.

Is it also a sick joke that the TV channel that her dying has been shown on is called Living? I doubt it, but a sad coincidence all the same. By showing Jade's sad demise, regardless of her willingness for it to be shown, her dignity has been taken from her, and this is truly a shame.

One of the positive things to come out of this horrible episode is the increased awareness of the need for women to have smear tests. This is certainly a positive, but the negatives far outweigh the positives in this case.

The line "world exclusive words from Jade Goody and unseen pictures as the brave star clings to life" sums up the sick voyeurism that Jade's death has now become. It is worrying to think that anyone will buy this magazine, but it will probably do very well.

Reality TV is a programme maker's dream, cheap to make with big viewing figures, but if Jade's life and death can teach us anything, it is that there should be limits to the media's reach.

Jade's addiction to reality TV has been nourished by the greedy, but many people will hope this is the last time we are able to watch someone's demise in such graphic form.