AP does not change copyright of 'Napalm Girl' photo

AP released a 96-page report on May 6 after nearly four months of investigating whether photographer Nick Ut was actually the author of the photo. Napalm Baby Pulitzer Prize-winning, one of the iconic photographs of the 20th century, or not.

"Through extensive image analysis, witness interviews and examination of all available photos taken on June 8, 1972, it is likely that Mr. Ut took this photograph. There is no documentation to prove that anyone else took it," AP spokeswoman Lauren Easton said in a statement.

The AP investigation comes after the documentary The Stringer released at the Sundance Film Festival in January claimed that the photo was taken by another person named Nguyen Thanh Nghe.

"We left out nothing that we knew, and we did it with all due respect to the people involved. Changing the copyright is not an issue for us, but it needs to be based on facts and evidence. And there is no credible evidence that Nick Ut did not take this photo," said Derl McCrudden, AP vice president.

Photographer Nick Ut (center) holds a photo of the Napalm Girl standing next to Kim Phuc (left) in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican in May 2022. Photo: AP

AP added that they could not conclusively prove that Nick Ut was the author of the photo due to the time it took, limited technology, and the death of several people involved in the photo. But the news agency affirmed that it had found no evidence that Nguyen Thanh Nghe had taken the photo. The AP report stated that of the 10 people present at the scene that day, Nguyen Thanh Nghe was the only one who believed that Ut did not take the photo.

Photographer Nick Ut, who claims to be the author of the photo Napalm Boy said on May 6 that he was pleased with the findings of the AP investigation.

"This whole thing has been very distressing and upsetting to me. I'm glad the report has cleared things up," he said.

Production Team The Stringer praised AP's investigative efforts, saying it was "glad" that the agency agreed that the issues raised in the documentary about the photo's origins were "worthy of consideration."

“We welcome the seriousness with which they conducted their investigation,” the group said in a statement on May 6.

Napalm Baby The photo captured the image of a nine-year-old girl named Kim Phuc screaming and running naked after a napalm attack. The photo has become one of the most iconic images of the Vietnam War.

Source: https://baoquangninh.vn/ap-khong-thay-doi-tac-quyen-buc-anh-em-be-napalm-3356954.html