World Press Photo temporarily stops crediting Nick Ut as author of “Napalm Girl” due to controversy

World Press Photo announced that it would temporarily stop crediting Nick Ut or anyone else as the author of the photo "Napalm Girl" due to controversy and doubts about the real author.

The author of the photo is currently unknown, however the organization affirms that the historical value of the work is not affected.

"Napalm Girl" ( " Napalm Girl" or " The Terror of War") is one of the world's most famous photos of the Vietnam War. The person in the photo is 9-year-old Phan Thi Kim Phuc, burned by the US bombing of Trang Bang, Tay Ninh in 1972.

For many years, the photo was credited to photographer Nick Ut (Huynh Cong Ut) of the Associated Press (AP) news agency.

Photo "Napalm Girl."

However, in January 2025, the documentary "The Stringer" by director Bao Nguyen was released, providing evidence that Nguyen Thanh Nghe - a driver and freelance photographer for AP - was the author of "Napalm Girl."

The film, which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival, is based on the testimony of Mr. Nghe’s family, former colleagues, and forensic experts. In the film, he says he sold the photo to AP for $20, without being credited because he was not an official employee.

In early May, AP released its own investigation, determining that Mr. Ut "likely took the photo" and found no solid evidence of another author, so the photo's copyright .

The investigation also showed that Mr. Nghe was the only one out of 10 people at the scene at that time who denied that Nick Ut was the author of the photo./.

(Vietnam+)

Source: https://www.vietnamplus.vn/world-press-photo-tam-ngung-ghi-nhan-nick-ut-la-tac-gia-em-be-napalm-do-tranh-cai-post1038963.vnp