The vilest story ever?

In the three and a half years I have written this blog I have come across many vile stories on growth sceptic themes. But this one from the BBC, one of the world’s most prestigious news organisations, is a contender for title of the worst ever.

According to a BBC news report rising prosperity is leading Ugandans to engage in child sacrifice. The story is based on an item on Newsnight, a premium programme broadcast by the network.

The report says:

“The Ugandan government told us that human sacrifice is on the increase, and according to the head of the country’s Anti-Human Sacrifice Taskforce the crime is directly linked to rising levels of development and prosperity, and an increasing belief that witchcraft can help people get rich quickly.”

Not only is this view left unchallenged it is explicitly endorsed in the BBC’s coverage.

It does not explain how, if affluence leads to child sacrifice, why such practices are not prevalent in Britain as it is far richer than Uganda. Or if rapid growth is key then presumably it should be more pervasive in China which has a much higher growth rate.

It looks like the BBC would prefer it if Africans accepted dire poverty as their lot.

If anyone knows of any other contenders for vilest story ever please let me know.