The quality of documentation required by Fortean journalism varies — some articles in the genre are well-researched treatments of genuinely anomalous phenomena, while others repeat claims without rigorous verification.

The Essie Dunbar story appeared in Fortean Times as a case report of premature burial, drawing on the 1955 newspaper accounts.

This publication brought the story to the attention of a broader audience that was specifically interested in anomalous and inexplicable events, and it was the Fortean Times account that Bondeson cited in his book.

The journey of the story — from community oral tradition, to newspaper article, to Fortean magazine, to scholarly book, to internet — traces a path that is common for stories of the anomalous and the inexplicable.

Each stage in the journey brings the story to a larger audience and changes the context in which it is received.