Hi there,

The media can be the greatest force for peace on Earth. Instead, all too often, it’s wielded as a weapon of war. That's why we have to take the media back. Thanks to a group of generous donors, all donations made today will be DOUBLED, which means your $15 gift is worth $30. With your contribution, we can continue to go to where the silence is, to bring you the voices of the silenced majority – those calling for peace in a time of war, demanding action on the climate catastrophe and advocating for racial and economic justice. Every dollar makes a difference. Thank you so much!

Democracy Now!
Amy Goodman

Non-commercial news needs your support.

We rely on contributions from you, our viewers and listeners to do our work. If you visit us daily or weekly or even just once a month, now is a great time to make your monthly contribution.

Please do your part today.

Donate

Award-Winning Prison Journalist Released After 44 Years

HeadlineJan 18, 2005

Award winning prison journalist Wilbert Rideau has been freed from jail after 44 years. After he was jailed in 1961 for killing a bank teller, Rideau learned to read and write. He eventually started his own publication called “The Lifer” and became editor of the Angolite. In 1977 the Angolite became the first prison publication ever nominated for the National Magazine Awards. He also wrote and narrated an award-winning National Public radio documentary and directed the Oscar-nominated documentary “The Farm.” In 1999 Rideau said “I didn’t want a criminal act to be the final definition of me. I picked up a pen and tried to do something good. It allowed me to weave meaning into what would have been a meaningless existence. It also gave me a chance to try to make amends.”

The original content of this program is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License. Please attribute legal copies of this work to democracynow.org. Some of the work(s) that this program incorporates, however, may be separately licensed. For further information or additional permissions, contact us.

Non-commercial news needs your support

We rely on contributions from our viewers and listeners to do our work.
Please do your part today.
Make a donation
Top