The War On News

A record of government actions against journalism and fact-based reporting, from the first press laws to today

Incident

United States: Tallahatchie County, Mississippi sheriff segregates Black reporters at the Emmett Till murder trial, September 1955

United StatesRSF 2026 rank: 64th of 180

Engraving of an empty press briefing room with a lectern and rows of chairs

When the murder trial of Roy Bryant and J.W. Milam opened in Sumner, Mississippi, on September 19, 1955, Tallahatchie County Sheriff Clarence Strider assigned Black reporters covering the trial, along with Michigan congressman Charles Diggs, to a separate table at the side of the courtroom rather than seats among the white press.12

What happened

Roy Bryant and J.W. Milam went on trial for the murder of 14 year old Emmett Till in the Tallahatchie County courthouse in Sumner, Mississippi, with the trial opening on September 19, 1955. Tallahatchie County Sheriff Clarence Strider, who was also gathering evidence in the case, assigned Black reporters covering the trial, together with Michigan congressman Charles Diggs, to a card table at the side of the courtroom rather than seats among the white press. Photographer Ernest Withers, who covered the trial, recalled Strider describing the arrangement as twenty two seats for white spectators and four for Black spectators, with the two groups not to be mixed. Journalist John Herbers, who also covered the trial, said Strider's conduct in the courtroom was aimed less at the underlying case than at keeping the room fully segregated. Strider's dealings with reporters shifted over the course of the case, from an early promise that the killing would be investigated to open resistance once national coverage of the trial brought Tallahatchie County criticism from outside Mississippi.12345

What reason was given

Stated justification

Sheriff Strider described the courtroom arrangement to the press as twenty two seats for white spectators and four for Black spectators, saying, "we don't mix 'em down here."3

What changed for reporting

Black reporters covering the trial, along with Congressman Diggs, were confined to a card table at the side of the courtroom rather than seated among the white press, and Strider's cooperation with reporters gave way to open resistance once national coverage of the case brought the county outside criticism.4

Timeline

1955

19 September 1955
United States: Tallahatchie County, Mississippi sheriff segregates Black reporters at the Emmett Till murder trial, September 1955

Who acted

NameRole in this incidentOffice at the time
Clarence StriderenforcedSheriff of Tallahatchie County, Mississippi

Sources

  1. American Experience: The Murder of Emmett Till (film transcript)American Experience: The Murder of Emmett Till (film transcript), reporting. Source record
  2. American Experience: Sheriff Clarence Strider (profile)American Experience: Sheriff Clarence Strider (profile), reporting. Source record

Claims and evidence

Each numbered claim quotes the source it rests on.

  1. The trial of Roy Bryant and J.W. Milam for Emmett Till's murder opened on September 19, 1955, in Sumner, Mississippi, according to PBS's American Experience.On September 19th, less than three weeks after Emmett's body was found, Roy Bryant and J.W. Milam's trial for murder opened in Sumner, MississippiAmerican Experience: The Murder of Emmett Till (film transcript), American Experience: The Murder of Emmett Till (film transcript).Claim 859, checked 2026-09-26.
  2. Tallahatchie County Sheriff Clarence Strider assigned Black reporters covering the trial, along with congressman Charles Diggs, to a card table at the side of the courtroom, according to PBS's American Experience.Strider consigned black reporters and Detroit Congressman Charles Diggs to a card table on the sidelines.American Experience: The Murder of Emmett Till (film transcript), American Experience: The Murder of Emmett Till (film transcript).Claim 860, checked 2026-09-26.
  3. Photographer Ernest Withers recalled Sheriff Strider describing the seating as "22 seats over here for you white boys" and "four seats over here for you colored boys," saying "we don't mix 'em down here," according to PBS's American Experience.We got 22 seats over here for you white boys. And we've got four seats over here for you colored boys. We don't mix 'em down here.American Experience: The Murder of Emmett Till (film transcript), American Experience: The Murder of Emmett Till (film transcript).Claim 861, checked 2026-09-26.
  4. Sheriff Strider's dealings with reporters covering the case shifted from cooperation to resistance once national coverage brought the county outside criticism, according to a PBS American Experience profile of Strider.Strider trumpeted to the local press that the case would be investigated, but changed his mind once the case gained nationwide attention and scorn.American Experience: Sheriff Clarence Strider (profile), American Experience: Sheriff Clarence Strider (profile).Claim 862, checked 2026-09-26.
  5. An all white jury acquitted Roy Bryant and J.W. Milam of Emmett Till's murder, according to a news broadcast reproduced in PBS's American Experience.In the Emmett Till Murder trial, the all white jury has acquitted the two white defendants accused of killing the 14-year-old Negro youth.American Experience: The Murder of Emmett Till (film transcript), American Experience: The Murder of Emmett Till (film transcript).Claim 863, checked 2026-09-26.