Al Roker and The Sing Sing Chronicles Take Home News & Documentary Emmys

On June 25, the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences recognized Al Roker of NBC News’ TODAY for a lifetime of distinguished broadcast journalism. TODAY’s long-running weather and feature anchor, Roker is also co-host of the third hour of TODAY. The Academy also awarded this year’s Emmy for Best Documentary to The Sing Sing Chronicles, a story about the decades-long exoneration of a wrongly convicted man. 

Al Roker’s Lifetime Achievement Award 

In his nearly half a century in the NBC family, Roker has brought a unique voice to American television screens. Known for both his humor and his humanity, Al has always covered the weather as a force that impacts people’s lives. Whether it be the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, the ongoing effects of climate change, or simply a sunny Fourth of July forecast, he has always put people front and center, both on and off camera. 

“After the fact, he's there to lend a hand,” Dylan Dreyer says. Craig Melvin agrees, saying “He feels their pain and that comes through on the screen.” “Al is his own force of nature,” says Savannah Guthrie. “He’s certainly the hardest-working person in our business,” notes Lester Holt. 

Remembering his start in the business, Al recalls closed doors but, crucially, a few open ones. One of those doors opened to NBC affiliate WKYC in Cleveland back in 1978. He credits all of his success to those opportunities, plus the mentorship of figures like Willard Scott, along with the untiring energy of hundreds of talented people behind the scenes at TODAY.

With typical grace and wit, Al accepted the honor with gratitude and a wink. “I’m just another indication of either an end-of-career or end-of-life award,” he quips. “Either way, I am so thankful to be the recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Emmy and thank everyone that I’ve worked with who held me up and helped me achieve this great honor.”

The Sing Sing Chronicles wins Best Documentary

Marking the first time NBCUniversal has earned this prestigious honor, NBCUniversal News Group’s The Sing Sing Chronicles took home the 2025 News and Documentary Emmy Award for Best Documentary. 

A story revealing just how slowly the wheels of justice can turn, The Sing Sing Chronicles follows the decades-long efforts of Dateline Senior Investigative Producer Dan Slepian to uncover the wrongful convictions of six innocent men. 

The story began in 2002 when Slepian met a woman in a prison lobby while reporting on a different wrongful conviction story. She asked for his help, insisting her son had been wrongfully convicted. Slepian then began a 22-year correspondence with Jon-Adrian “JJ” Velazquez who was serving 25-to-life at New York’s notorious Sing Sing prison. Convicted of the murder of a retired police officer, Velazquez soon gave Slepian concrete reasons to doubt the state’s case. 

“JJ’s letters weren’t just pleas,” Slepian says. “They were thoughtful, calm, and full of specific flaws in the case. He made me want to know more.” 

It was the beginning of a long campaign not simply to unearth the truth, but to compel the justice system to recognize it. Reporting on the story first began on Dateline NBC in 2002. Velazquez also put the reporter in touch with five other men incarcerated in Sing Sing based on shaky convictions, all of whom were eventually exonerated and released. JJ himself was the last to find freedom.

Slepian hopes that JJ’s story encourages audiences to recognize the importance of persistence and awareness. He said, “I hope people understand how easy it is to look away and how much it matters when someone doesn’t. JJ’s story isn’t just about one man’s fight for freedom. It’s about the cost of indifference and the power of persistence. He’s living proof that truth doesn’t die, even when it’s buried.” 

At its heart, The Sing Sing Chronicles exemplifies storytelling that drives impact, and a culture built on collaboration, accountability, and respect. 

Produced by NBC News Studios in collaboration with MSNBC Films and Trilogy Films, the four-part docuseries charts new ground both for NBCUniversal and in the documentary space as a whole.