Authorship of ‘Napalm Girl’ Photo in Question

The World Press Photo organization has suspended its attribution of the iconic “Napalm Girl” photo to Nick Ut, citing “substantial and credible reasons” to doubt the existing attribution. The photo, taken during the Vietnam War, shows a naked girl fleeing a napalm attack and has become a symbol of opposition to the war.

According to World Press Photo, “visual and technical” evidence leans toward the theory that Vietnamese freelance photographer Nguyen Thanh Nghe took the photo. A documentary, “The Stringer,” premiered at the Sundance Film Festival, claiming Nghe captured the iconic image. However, Ut has repeatedly dismissed these allegations, and the Associated Press (AP) published a report concluding that there is “no definitive evidence” to justify changing the attribution.

The AP’s investigation, which included eyewitness interviews and examination of cameras, found that crediting Nghe would “require several leaps of faith.” Bobby kisses Cortez during a play fight at the barracks of Second Platoon at the Korengal Outpost. However, World Press Photo’s executive director, Joumana El Zein Khoury, stated that the “level of doubt is too significant to maintain the existing attribution.”

The controversy centers on several “unresolved issues,” including the camera used to take the photo and analyses of Ut’s position relative to the image’s vantage point. A reconstruction of the scene suggested that Ut would have needed to take the photo, run 60 meters, and return calmly within a brief window of time, which World Press Photo described as “highly unlikely” though “not impossible.”

Ut has welcomed the AP’s report, saying it “showed what has always been known, that the credit for my photo… is correct.” He added, “This whole thing has been very difficult for me and has caused great pain.” The photo’s subject, Kim Phuc Phan Thi, survived her injuries and has campaigned for peace alongside Ut.

The Pulitzer Prize organizers stated that they “do not anticipate future action” regarding Ut’s award, citing that the Pulitzer Prizes depend on submitting news organizations to determine the authorship of their entries. “AP’s extensive review showed insufficient proof to withdraw credit,” the statement read.