Vermicino, Emilio Fede: “There the TV of pain was born, but to tell the joy of saving”

Pain TV was born in Vermicino. “But it was never understood that it was born to exalt solidarity, not despair; to tell the tears, prayers, the desire to save life; to make people understand hope, duty and therefore the joy of saving”. He talks about it with Adnkronos Emilio Fede, director of Tg1 at the time when he told the dramatic attempt to save Alfredino Rampi, the 6-year-old boy who fell into an artesian well in the countryside outside Rome, with an 18-hour live broadcast 23 million viewers. On today’s pain TV, “there is no desire and duty to stay outside, not to become a protagonist. The news is another thing: it is living directly. Who was the protagonist in Vermicino? Who was going down? Or the child trapped in the Well? The chronicle was the story of those who witnessed the end of a life – pauses Faith – The child hooked by an acrobat, the scream ‘I lost it, I lost it …’ and then a deep echo , the last cry of Alfredino who fell for another 50 meters: I die …. I die …. When I tell it, I still live it now and always “. “Vermicino’s story is unprecedented for how it was born, grows and dies – recalls Fede – I had just been appointed director and it was my first meeting for the 1pm edition. An editor told me about Vermicino and reported that a fire brigade team was on their way to get the baby out of the well. So I said: let’s send a camera. ” (by Roberta Lanzara)