One thing that the film framed in a different light than actual reality was that J Edgar Hoover, the at-the-time director of the FBI, was openly against the Civil Rights Movement, as were many members of the FBI. The film almost made heroes of the two main agents. It framed them to be pro-civil rights, there to solve this case because it was morally wrong, whereas, there was good evidence that they were just there to do their job, no emotional or ethical tie whatsoever.
African-Americans were framed in "Mississippi Burning" as victims, cowardly and helpless, whereas in reality, they were courageous and played a key role in the Civil Rights Movement.
The makers of "Mississippi Burning" seemed to have framed the Ku Klux Klan accurately according to the time period. For example, in the movie, they participated in the burning of churches, lynchings, violence, and the advancement of hate. There are historical records backing up all of these actions. "It was a time when more than one Mississippi judge was said to wear a black robe by day and a white one by night, and while it might be an exaggeration to suggest that most white Mississippians supported the Klan, it is fair to say that few of them - with notable and courageous exceptions - had the temerity to speak against it." - The New York Times
It depicts Mississippi as a corrupt and racist backwoods state. For example, it shows the members of the Neshoba County Police Force doubling as members of the KKK. The movie makes it seem as if the majority of the town was anti-civil rights. As far as the people being framed as rednecks goes, the filmmakers made their point evident by the way the townspeople spoke, their vocabulary, and their overall image.
The movie frames the entire investigation as more of a heroic act from the FBI. It hardly mentions the missing boys, or their purpose of being in Mississippi in the first place. Without a prior knowledge of the Freedom Summer, the viewer wouldn't know the context of the film. We all agreed that while watching the movie, we didn't have the slightest idea even of why the three kids were killed. "Mississippi Burning" also shows the police force as uncooperative, unsupportive, and all around resistant to the investigation process. A first time viewer would think that the FBI and the local/state police didn't work together to solve the case.
