About this item
An NBC Dateline producer's cinematic account of his two-decade journey navigating the broken criminal justice system to help free six innocent men. In 2002, Dan Slepian, a veteran producer for NBC's Dateline, received a tip from a Bronx homicide detective that two men were serving twenty-five years to life in prison for a 1990 murder they did not commit.. Haunted by what the detective had told him, Slepian began an investigation of the case that eventually resulted in freedom for the two men and launched Slepian on a two-decade personal and professional journey into a deeply flawed justice system fiercely resistant to rectifying - or even acknowledging - its mistakes and their consequences.. The Sing Sing Files: One Journalist, Six Innocent Men, and a Twenty-Year Fight for Justice is Slepian's account of challenging that system.
About the Author
Dan Slepian is an award winning journalist at NBC News and a veteran producer of its signature newsmagazine, Dateline. Over more than two decades at NBC, Slepian has spearheaded dozens of documentaries, hidden camera investigations, and breaking news reports. Referred to as "A TV News Gumshoe" by The New York Times, Slepian's investigations have helped solve cold cases, assisted in exonerating the wrongfully convicted, and sparked changes in laws. Slepian was a 2024 Pulitzer Prize finalist for his eight-episode podcast, "Letters From Sing Sing," which documents his 20-year journey investigating the wrongful conviction of Jon-Adrian "JJ" Velazquez. The podcast hit #1 on Apple's top charts the day of its release. Slepian conceived, developed and produced "Justice For All", an NBC News/MSNBC series about the criminal justice system. The week-long event included the Emmy nominated first town hall from a maximum security prison as well as Dateline's Emmy nominated "Life Inside," an impactful and emotional hour about mass incarceration in which Slepian and anchor Lester Holt spent two nights inside Louisiana's notorious Angola prison. In February 2021, NBC premiered Dateline's first docuseries, "The Widower," an epic five hour network primetime series airing over three nights detailing Slepian's 13-year investigation into Thomas Randolph, an eccentric murder suspect who had been married six times, and four of his wives are dead. In May 2019, Dateline debuted its first-ever podcast with Slepian at its helm. The eight episode series "13 Alibis" chronicles Slepian's investigation into a confounding murder case, and helped exonerate an innocent man. In 2018, Slepian was granted exclusive access to film rapper Meek Mill on the day of his highly publicized release from prison. Dateline's special, "Dreams and Nightmares" featured Lester Holt's exclusive interview with Meek just hours after his release. Most notably, Slepian is known for his in-depth reporting about the criminal legal system and specifically, wrongful convictions. His documentaries on the topic have earned him a total of eleven Emmy nominations. As a volunteer, Slepian works with incarcerated men at Sing Sing prison where he helped create "Voices From Within," a video featuring deeply personal testimonials intended to help reduce gun violence. Slepian introduced the project, which is now a program at the prison, during a TEDx talk at Sing Sing. Before joining NBC News, Slepian began his career with the Phil Donahue talk show.
