Daniel began reporting on the civil rights movement between 1960–1966 during his placement in UPI's headquarters in Atlanta. Colleagues noted that his coverage of the civil rights movement was "the story he considered the most important he ever reported." His coverage included stories from Florida, Alabama and Mississippi, among others. Daniel was responsible for coverage of the events related to desegregation occurring in the southern U.S., such as "The Battle of Ole Miss" where riots broke out at the University of Mississippi in protest of the enrollment of the black student, James Meredith. He also covered the Selma to Montgomery marches led by Martin Luther King Jr. in 1965 in protest of the recent, violent incident known as "Bloody Sunday". Daniel did cover civil rights-related events in Philadelphia, Mississippi, however, where he reported on the murders of Chaney, Goodman, and Schwerner. He commented that the populace at the time was "a very dangerous town for any outsiders, not just civil rights workers."