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'Dateline' Will Focus on George Ryan's Death Row Clearing

Former Illinois Governor George Ryan (state of Illinois photo)
Former Illinois Governor George Ryan (state of Illinois photo)

By AP/KWMU

Chicago, ILL. – Friday night's episode of "Dateline" on NB-C will show a film about former Governor George Ryan's decision to commute 167 death sentences in Illinois a few years ago.

The film is called "Deadline" and will air virtually uncut during a two-hour episode.

The film was shot during the last three months of Ryan's term. It follows the turbulent debate that erupted when Northwestern University journalism students showed that innocent men had been condemned to death row.

In all, 13 men were eventually were found to have been wrongly convicted. Ryan, a Republican and former supporter of the death penalty, declared a moratorium on capital punishment in the state.

Ryan says he'll watch the show from his home in Kankakee and then participate in a panel discussion airing live on MSNBC.

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