Daniel is most well known for his reporting during the Vietnam War where he remained while many foreign correspondents fled the country, as well as for his coverage of the Civil Rights Movement during the 1960s.
[4][8] 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.
[9] 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".
[8] Daniel did cover civil rights-related events in Philadelphia, Mississippi, however, where he reported on the murders of Chaney, Goodman, and Schwerner.
"[4] One of Daniel's more notable pieces, published on June 12, 1977, reported the escape of James Earl Ray, the assassin of Martin Luther King, Jr., from Tennessee's Brushy Mountain State Penitentiary.
[17][18] He was known for taking part in UPI antics in Vietnam as he was accused of stealing a statue in a Saigon bar, having been referred to local Vietnamese civilian police for the offense.
"[23] In 1980, after extensive press work in the U.S., Vietnam, and the Dominican Republic, Daniel moved to Washington, D.C., to become UPI's national correspondent and later, the managing editor for international news.