Nick Ut, Who Took the Photo, Won the Pulitzer Prize
A Documentary Claims It Was Taken by a Local Stringer
A controversy has recently emerged over the true author of the "Napalm Girl" photograph, which revealed the horrors of the Vietnam War to the world 53 years ago. On May 18, Yonhap News, citing the New York Times and The Guardian, reported that the World Press Photo (WPP) Foundation, which selected the image as the "Photo of the Year" in 1973, has decided to suspend the attribution of the photographer for the "Napalm Girl" photo. As a result, the official photographer information is now listed only as "Author disputed (AP)."
This photo, known as the "Napalm Girl," was taken on June 8, 1972, in a village in the southern Trang Bang area, where fierce fighting was taking place between the North Vietnamese Army and the South Vietnamese Army. At the moment the napalm bomb was dropped, a girl was captured running naked out of the village in terror. AP·Yonhap News
This photo was taken on June 8, 1972, in a village in the southern Trang Bang area, where fierce fighting was taking place between the North Vietnamese Army and the South Vietnamese Army. At the moment the napalm bomb was dropped, a girl was captured running naked out of the village in terror. This photo, reported by the Associated Press, has been regarded as one of the most iconic war photographs in history, vividly portraying the brutality of war. It is also known to have played a significant role in fueling global anti-war sentiment. The photo, titled "The Terror of War," was previously credited to Nick Ut, a photojournalist with the AP's Saigon (now Ho Chi Minh City) bureau, who went on to win the Pulitzer Prize the following year.
Authorship Dispute Emerged Only in January This Year
The authorship controversy surfaced belatedly in January this year, approximately 53 years after the photo was released. The claim was raised in the documentary "The Stringer," which argued that the photographer was not Ut, but Nguyen Thanh Nguyen, a stringer for NBC. According to the documentary, Nguyen, who drove Ut to the scene that day, took the photo and sold it to the Associated Press for $20. The documentary further claims that the AP published the photo under Ut's name because Nguyen was not an AP staff member at the time.
Photojournalist Nick Ut (center), Pulitzer Prize winner, holding the 'Napalm Girl' while meeting Pope Francis at St. Peter's Square in the Vatican around May 2022. Photo by AP and Yonhap News
As the controversy grew, the Associated Press responded with an internal investigation, stating that "it is highly likely that Nick Ut took the photo, and there is no evidence that Nguyen captured it." However, the WPP, which had awarded the photo its Photo of the Year prize, gave more weight to the documentary's claims. After conducting its own four-month investigation, the WPP concluded, "Based on a comprehensive analysis of the location, the distance from the subject, and the camera used on the day, it is more likely that Nguyen Thanh Nguyen was in a more appropriate position than Nick Ut." As a result, the attribution was changed from "Nick Ut" to "Author disputed."
However, the WPP stated that only the attribution would be changed, and the award itself would remain. The WPP explained, "There is no controversy regarding the photo itself, and our decision to honor this image, which captured one of the most significant historical moments of the 20th century, stands." Jumana El Zein Khoury, the head of WPP, also said, "No one can deny that this photo captures a historic moment that resonated not only in Vietnam and the United States, but around the world."
The WPP announced that it would withhold attribution until more concrete information about the actual photographer is available. The WPP stated, "There is a possibility that the true author of this photo may never be confirmed, but due to the current controversy, we are withholding attribution," adding, "This decision will remain in place until new evidence emerges."
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