Baby Jessica: The Girl who Fell Down a Well and Changed News Forever

In this episode of The Compendium, we dive into the incredible story of Baby Jessica, the 18-month-old girl who fell down a well and became trapped for 58 hours. But probably more interesting than Jessica's 1987 well rescue, this event marked a pivotal moment in the history of 24-hour news coverage. That's right; it's all Jessica's fault. Learn how this incident revolutionised CNN's approach to breaking news and the lasting impact it has had on news media and public news consumption, and of course, we’ll find out what happened to Baby Jessica.

Resources and Further Reading

1. “Los Angeles Times article” by Jesse Katz
2. "Death on the CNN Curve" by Lisa Belkin
3. YouTube footage of Baby Jessica’s rescue
4. “30th anniversary interview with Jessica McClure” by Olivia B. Waxman
5. “People Magazine’s coverage of Baby Jessica” by Steve Helling

Host & Show Info

• Hosts: Kyle Risi & Adam Cox
• Intro Music: Alice in dark Wonderland

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