Title
Honoring WURD Radio for being nationally recognized as a nominee for an NAACP Image Award for its limited podcast series "Exonerated: The Cost of Wrongful Conviction," which explores life after wrongful conviction in Philadelphia, exemplifying local journalism's mission to explain, clarify, and nuance the diverse experiences of Philadelphians.
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WHEREAS, Philadelphia's WURD Radio has, since 2002, proudly broadcast "unapologetically Black" progressive programming, "focused on empowering, educating, informing and inspiring anyone committed to the liberation of Black people in Philadelphia and beyond" as the only Black-owned and operated radio station in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania; and
WHEREAS, in reaction to decades of concerted, deliberate mass incarceration, the people of Philadelphia have consistently backed criminal justice reform efforts with their votes and dollars, electing officials across the executive, legislative, and judicial branches and funding organizations that have sought to correct mass jailing's excesses, including through the work of identifying and overturning wrongful convictions; and
WHEREAS, WURD Radio, the Pennsylvania Innocence Project, and Marrone Law Firm, joined forces to offer Philadelphians a glimpse of the life of the wrongfully convicted after incarceration through capturing the stories of William Bailey, Lance Felder, William Johnson, and John Miller in the limited podcast series "Exonerated: The Cost of Wrongful Conviction"; and
WHEREAS, "Exonerated" was nominated in the "Outstanding Podcast Scripted/Limited Series/Short Form" category in the 57th NAACP Image Awards, making WURD Radio the only local broadcast station nominated for a 2026 NAACP Image Award; and
WHEREAS, the work of local journalism is to explain, clarify, and nuance the diverse lives and experiences of Philadelphians with greater context, charity, and attention to detail than the national, corporate press; and
WHEREAS, Ashanti Martin, James P...
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