JournalismPakistan.com | Published September 30, 2017
Join our WhatsApp channel
WASHINGTON - It was the evening of September 30, 1962 when Agence France-Presse (AFP) reporter Paul Guihard arrived at the campus of the University of Mississippi.
Tear gas choked the grounds as US marshals clashed with rock-throwing students and others opposed to the admission of the first African-American to the all-white school known as “Ole Miss.”
Before the night was done, the 30-year-old Guihard would be dead, shot in the back by a bullet that pierced his heart.
He was the only journalist known to have been killed during the civil rights movement which roiled the United States in the 1960s.
His murder was never solved.
Guihard’s death, and the stories of 12 American journalists who covered the violence surrounding the 1962 desegregation of the campus, are the subject of a new book, We Believed We Were Immortal, by Dr. Kathleen Wickham, a professor of journalism at the University of Mississippi.
The book, published by Yoknapatawpha Press, was released Friday to mark the 55th anniversary of Guihard’s murder and the rioting at the University of Mississippi against the enrollment of James Meredith, a black US Air Force veteran.
Wickham, in an interview with AFP, said she was drawn to Guihard’s story because it has largely been forgotten.
“I’ve been personally offended that a reporter was killed and nothing was written about it,” she said. “I wanted him to be recognized.”
She was also determined to try to figure out what happened that night to Guihard on the “Ole Miss” campus, where hundreds of US marshals clashed with several thousand opponents of integration until US troops were sent in to restore order.
“I’ve worked on it as an investigation to try to determine who murdered him,” she said. “Because someone out there knows what happened.”
The Civil Rights Division of the US Department of Justice closed its investigation into Guihard’s death in 2011 without filing any charges and Wickham, despite her intensive digging, was unable to reach any definitive conclusions.
“Though theories abound, Paul’s murder remains a mystery,” she writes in the book.
What is clear is that Guihard was deliberately targeted that evening. The .38 calibre bullet that killed him was fired into his back from less than a foot away, according to the autopsy report.
Guihard’s final day
The son of an English mother and a French father, Guihard grew up in St. Malo on France’s west coast and served in the British Army in Cyprus, according to the book.
A burly man with red hair and a red beard, Guihard was a copy editor in AFP’s New York bureau when he was sent to Mississippi to cover the conflict surrounding desegregation, according to the book.
Guihard was accompanied on his final assignment by a photographer, Sammy Schulman, a 56-year-old New Yorker.
After flying from New York to Jackson, Mississippi, Guihard and Schulman rented a white Chevrolet and headed to governor’s mansion, where 3,000 people were attending a rally against integration sponsored by the White Citizens Council, the book recounts.
After the rally, Guihard went to interview the executive director of the White Citizens Council and filed what was to be his last story from the offices of the group, Wickham writes.
Guihard and Schulman then decided to drive to the University of Mississippi in Oxford, about four hours away.
During the drive they listened on the radio to an 8:00 pm speech by President John F. Kennedy, who had ordered US marshals to enforce court rulings that Meredith be allowed to attend classes at the University of Mississippi.
Guilhard and Schulman arrived at the troubled campus around 8.40 pm, shortly after Kennedy’s speech had concluded, and were stopped by a Mississippi State Highway patrolman.
“I can’t guarantee your life or property if you drive in,” Wickham quoted the patrolman as warning the pair.
Guilhard and Schulman acknowledged the warning and continued on to the campus, parking their car and agreeing to meet up again at the vehicle in an hour.
Less than 10 minutes later Guihard was dead. - AFP/Photo: AFP
April 30, 2025: Freedom of expression in Pakistan is under threat, as the 2025 Freedom Network report reveals increased arrests, censorship, and legal restrictions following amendments to PECA, posing serious risks to journalists and democratic values.
April 30, 2025: Dawn has criticized the Indian media's calls for war and condemned the banning of 16 Pakistani YouTube channels, urging a rational response after the Pahalgam attack that left 26 dead.
April 28, 2025: India has banned 16 Pakistani YouTube channels, including major news outlets and individual journalists, following the deadly Pahalgam attack. Tensions escalate as Islamabad demands a neutral probe.
April 23, 2025: Pakistani journalists respond in unison to a post hinting at a possible Indian military strike. Citing the 2019 ‘Swift Retort,’ they warn of a stronger response if provoked again.
April 21, 2025: After being expelled from PTI, MNA Sher Afzal Marwat launches personal attacks on journalists and Aleema Khan, sparking outrage on social media over his offensive remarks.
April 21, 2025: Journalist Sanaullah Khan reveals that the FIA has launched a financial crackdown on YouTubers by freezing the bank accounts of journalists and their family members—raising serious concerns over freedom of expression and legal process.
April 20, 2025: Dr. Nauman Niaz launched his fifteenth book, In A Different Realm: Story of Quadruple and Triple Centuries 1876–2025, at an elegant Islamabad event, reflecting on cricket’s rarest feats and his journey as a scholar of the game.
April 11, 2025: Sindhi journalist AD Shar was brutally murdered in Khairpur, Sindh. His body was found dumped on Handiyari Link Road. PFUJ has declared a three-day mourning period and demanded justice.
April 23, 2025 Discover Dr. Nauman Niaz’s In A Different Realm: Story of Quadruple & Triple Centuries 1876–2025, a profound exploration of cricket's most monumental innings, blending historical analysis with poetic narrative.
April 22, 2025 Once a beacon of hope for Pakistan's cricket revival, the Pakistan Super League now grapples with stagnation and moral compromises. Can this cultural symbol reclaim its lost soul?
April 21, 2025 An Italian newspaper, Il Foglio, successfully published a month-long AI-written insert and praised its irony and analytical abilities, while affirming that AI will complement—not replace—quality journalism.
April 03, 2025 The International Press Institute (IPI) and International Media Support (IMS) invite nominations for the 2025 World Press Freedom Hero and Free Media Pioneer Awards. Recognizing courageous journalists and innovative media, the awards will be presented at IPI’s 75th-anniversary World Congress in Vienna. Submit your nominations by April 30, 2025.
April 01, 2025 Photojournalist Suresh Rajak was burned alive while covering a violent protest in Kathmandu. The IFJ and its affiliates condemn the attack and call for an urgent investigation to hold the perpetrators accountable.