The lamestream media told you:

"People turn out to pay last respects to deceased firefighter." Civil servants and others line route as fire truck carries the casket of the fallen Captain. The color photo ran large, above the fold, on page one of the Local news section. Similar stories run in newspapers nationwide with some frequency.

The Uninvited Ombudsman notes however that:

By glorifying the death of a single government worker, newspapers reinforce the idea that we are not all equal. Any death can be tragic, but a reason to promote one over another is hard to justify, unless unusual bravery and extenuating circumstances exist.

Merely publicizing a death because the person was an official on a government payroll, instead of an average citizen who pays those bills, violates several ethical principles. The employee in this case was waiting for a second kidney transplant, and died at his desk.

Reporters, who generally do not divulge this fact, are encouraged to use "official sources" in gathering, compiling and verifying "news" stories, believing it is somehow superior to other sources. This often leads to government pronouncements, edicts, and glorifications appearing where the news is supposed to go. Other funerals were reportedly held the same day. The obituary section was two pages long and packed with small type and small grayish photos.