The authorship of one of the most iconic photographs of the 20th century, commonly known as Napalm Girl, is now under question. A recent documentary has raised these claims, suggesting that it wasn’t Nick Ut who took this photo after all.
The black-and-white image, officially titled The Terror of War, has for decades been attributed to Nick Ut, a Vietnamese photojournalist with the Associated Press. The 1972 photo shows a naked nine-year-old girl, Phan Thi Kim Phuc, running from a napalm attack. It won the World Press Photo of the Year award and helped define public perception of the Vietnam War.
[Related Reading: Nick Ut, author of iconic “Napalm Girl” photo, attacked in Washington D.C.]
But according to The Stringer, a documentary that premiered at Sundance in January, another photographer may be behind this image. The documentary mentions Nguyen Thành Nghe, a freelancer who was working as a driver for NBC at the time. The film argues that Nghe sold photos to the AP, but never received proper credit because he was not on staff.
The Stringer features testimony from several individuals, including Nghe’s family members and former AP colleagues, who claim he sold the image to Saigon bureau photo chief Horst Faas for $20 and a print. The documentary also presents forensic analysis by experts with the French NGO Index, who concluded it was “highly unlikely” that Ut was the photographer based on technical details in the photo and others credited to him that day.
In response to these claims, World Press Photo has suspended the official authorship attribution. The internal investigation concluded that, “based on analysis of location, distance, and the camera used on that day, photographers Nguyễn Thành Nghệ or Huỳnh Công Phúc may have been better positioned to take the photograph than Nick Út.”
“The photograph itself remains undisputed,” the group said, “and the World Press Photo award for this significant photo of a major moment in 20th century history remains a fact.”
Joumana El Zein Khoury, the executive director of World Press Photo, added:
“It is important to state that the picture itself is undisputed and it is without question that this photograph represents a real moment in history that continues to reverberate in Vietnam, the United States, and globally.”
The Associated Press Stands with Nick Ut
The Associated Press, however, stands by its long-held attribution. Earlier this month, the AP released its second report on the matter in four months. said Derl McCrudden, an AP vice president who heads global news production, said in a statement.
“We left nothing uncovered that we’re aware of and we’ve done it with a great deal of respect to everybody involved. It makes no difference to us if we changed the credit, but it has to be based on facts and evidence. And there is no definitive evidence proving that Nick Ut did not take this picture.”
Despite the controversy, Ut continues to assert his authorship. “This whole thing has been very difficult for me and has caused great pain,” he told the AP. “I’m glad the record has been set straight.”
Still, World Press Photo now lists the author of The Terror of War as officially unknown. “This remains contested history, and it is possible that the author of the photograph will never be fully confirmed,” the organization said.
[via The Guardian; Image credits: LBJ Library photo by David Hume Kennerly via Wikimedia Commons]
