Media Coverage

The story of Emmett Till was told through multiple publications, but Jet magazine was the best known publication for having multiple issues that hold articles and images about the death of Till. The image of Till's body being published in the magazine brought up a lot of controversy in the newsroom. There were two sides of argument for posting such a gruesome photo. The world needed to know what these two white men did to this innocent 14 year-old, but the mutilated body was hard to look at.


Jet magazine made sure that the White American Press had this story brought to their attention to bring on what was going on in Mississippi.

Black reporters and the African American community were scared to speak out, with the fear that would end up like Till. Black reporters had to be careful when they were broadcasting the news to the media. Even after Till's memorial, folks started to leave immediately so that they would insure that nothing bad would happen to them.


There were a few brave people that testified during the murder trial and to try and help the all-white jury see that Milam and Bryant were guilty. The testimony of Moses Wright, Emmett's great uncle that opened the door when Bryant came by at 2:30 AM to take away Emmett was an important part of the trail that provided background for what transpired before he was taken away and killed.

Mamie Till participated in anti-lynch rallies and was involved in multiple interviews to show that lynching needed to be abolished. White American Press started to take notice and the story spread to other publications nationwide.