I know that everyone in the world is following this story at the moment — and that many people have been following it for weeks and weeks — but I have to comment on the way that CNN has pulled the whole thing together and turned it into a multimedia experience.

If you’re waiting for me to say something snarky here, you’re going to be disappointed.

Basically, I think this is one of those rare instances where all the media hype, all the hyperbole, and all the gadgedtry actually pays off. It’s all very compelling on television and online … but only, of course, because everything seems to have broken exactly right for everyone involved. Without the happy conclusion to this ordeal, we’d all be having very different conversations this morning, and this is something that I don’t imagine is lost on many people.

Stories here, here, and here.