UK media reacts to Nelson Mandela death
Nelson Mandela’s death yesterday evening prompted a bout of late front page adjustments as the press scrambled to get their coverage in place, below are a selection of some of the headlines from the newsstands.
The guardian led with ‘Nelson Mandela 1918 – 2013’, profiling the civil rights campaigners life spent campaigning against racial apartheid and describing him as a ‘towering figure’.
Over at the Metro meanwhile Britain’s biggest circulation daily opted to let its picture do the talking with a simple black and white image of the South African leader. The paper goes on to list 10 of the South African’s most inspiring quotes.
At The Daily Telegraph another portrait shot of Mandela peers out peers out from the shadows, describing how the world is now in mourning for ‘South Africa’s liberator’.
Adopting a slightly different tack The Times devoted both its front and back pages to the inspiring leader in the form of a double page spread of Mandela saluting adoring crowds.
In another moody cover The Independent leads with a quote from the former leader, “To be free is not merely to cast off one’s chains, but to live in a way which respects and enhances the freedom of others.”
The Sun meanwhile opts to lead with ‘Mandela Dead, anti-apartheid warrior loses his final battle’.
The Daily Mail opts to lead with ‘Death of a Colossus’ describing the man as a ‘giant who taught the world the meaning of forgiveness.’
On the front page of the Daily Mirror a splash read simply ‘Mandela dead, the world mourns as anti-apartheid hero dies at home aged 95.’
The Independent’s sister title, i, reports that Barack Obama led world tributes to the ‘father of the Rainbow Nation’.