Latest news with #KimPhuc
Toronto Star
3 days ago
- Toronto Star
Everyone must see this photo — thousands of lives depend on it
Her name is Ward Al-Sheikh Khalil. She's the silhouette of a 5-year-old girl who was recorded in the early hours of Monday morning as she escaped through the flames of Israel's latest slaughter. An air strike destroyed the school in Gaza City where Ward had sheltered with other Palestinian families who had been forced from their homes. Ward survived. Her mother, and all but one of her siblings, did not, according to reports from Gaza. Sometimes it takes an image, or one story, to grab hold, and to shock the world into caring. Alan Kurdi was the 2-year-old Syrian boy whose body washed up on the sandy shores of a Turkish beach in September 2015. The rubber boat carrying his family to Greece capsized, like so many other boats transporting desperately fleeing refugees had before. That image of the little boy's lifeless body brought the plight of the humanitarian crisis to the world. The attention was too late, too little and short-lived. But his death saved lives. South Vietnamese forces follow after terrified children, including 9-year-old Kim Phuc, center, as they run down Route 1 near Trang Bang after an aerial napalm attack on suspected Viet Cong hiding places, June 8, 1972. Nick Ut AP Kim Phuc was perhaps the most famous image to break through. The 1972 iconic photo of children fleeing a deadly napalm attack, with Phuc in the foreground, became a defining photo of the Vietnam War and helped finally bring an end to the fighting. It too came too late. But her terrible suffering saved lives. Images now are everywhere, for everything, and this saturation means they do not hold the same power as they did a decade ago and certainly not as they did five decades ago. There have been hundreds, if not thousands of photos and videos and testimonials from Gaza, as heartbreaking as this one. Those in power will condemn the atrocity and promise action that never comes. Saying 'it's complicated' has become synonymous with 'look away.' But take a moment and don't look away. Watch this video of Ward — and try to absorb that horror. The footage is on CBC, BBC, CBS and other media outlets that fact-check to the best standards that are possible in a war that Israel has censored. Foreign journalists are barred from entering Gaza and the brave Palestinian journalists who are on the ground have been targeted by Israel and harassed by Hamas. ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW On Oct. 25, 2023, Canadian journalist and novelist Omar El Akkad wrote this sentence on X: 'One day, when it's safe, when there's no personal downside to calling a thing what it is, when it's too late to hold anyone accountable, everyone will have always been against this.' Beneath was a video of the destruction with the words: 'This is Gaza.' He wrote that before more than 50,000 Palestinians were killed, almost a third of them children. He turned that 'tweet' into a book that is a searing indictment of the West's 'institutional gutlessness.' It's not 'complicated.' And it's too late. But let the image of Ward grab hold and save what lives we still can.
Toronto Star
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Toronto Star
‘Napalm Girl' says she has ‘no doubt' who took famous photo amid controversy
It is one of history's most famous photos, an indelible image of fear and helplessness in a long, brutal war. At its centre is a naked nine-year-old-girl, her clothes and skin burned by napalm, her arms outstretched. Her name is Kim Phuc. She is better known as the 'Napalm Girl.' The photo, officially 'The Terror of War,' won a Pulitzer Prize, was named the World Press Photo of the Year in 1973 and is seen as galvanizing anti-war protests that led to the end of the Vietnam War. Nearly 53 years later, it is under fire as a new documentary alleges the photo was not taken by Associated Press photographer Nick Ut, but a Vietnamese freelancer.
CNA
19-05-2025
- Entertainment
- CNA
Photo group says it has 'suspended attribution' of historic Vietnam picture because of doubts
An organisation that honoured The Associated Press' Nick Ut with its 'photo of the year' in 1973 for a picture of a girl running from a napalm attack in the Vietnam War says it has 'suspended its attribution' to Ut because of doubts over who actually took it. World Press Photo's report on Friday (May 16) adds to the muddle over an issue that has split the photographic community since a movie earlier this year, The Stringer, questioned Ut's authorship. The photo of a naked and terrified Kim Phuc became an iconic symbol of the war's tragedy. After two investigations, The Associated Press said it found no definitive evidence to warrant stripping Ut's photo credit. The AP said it was possible Ut took the picture, but the passage of time made it impossible to fully prove, and could find no evidence to prove anyone else did. World Press Photo said its probe found that two other photographers - Nguyen Thanh Nghe, the man mentioned in The Stringer and Huynh Cong Phuc -'may have been better positioned' to take the shot. 'We conclude that the level of doubt is too significant to maintain the existing attribution,' said Joumana El Zein Khoury, executive director of World Press Photo. 'At the same time, lacking conclusive evidence pointing definitively to another photographer, we cannot reassign authorship, either.' World Press Photo, an organisation whose awards are considered influential in photography, won't attempt to recover the cash award given to Ut, a spokeswoman said. Ut's lawyer, James Hornstein, said his client hadn't spoken to World Press Photo after some initial contact before The Stringer was released. 'It seems they had already made up their mind to punish Nick Ut from the start,' he said. Gary Knight, a producer of The Stringer, is a four-time judge of the World Press Photo awards and was once a consultant to the World Press Photo Foundation. The AP said Friday that its standards 'require proof and certainty to remove a credit and we have found that it is impossible to prove exactly what happened that day on the road or in the (AP) bureau over 50 years ago'. 'We understand World Press Photo has taken different action based on the same available information, and that is their prerogative,' the statement said. 'There is no question over AP's ownership of the photo.' Meanwhile, the Pulitzer Prize that Ut won for the photo appears safe. The Pulitzers depend on news agencies that enter the awards to determine authorship, and administrator Marjorie Miller - a former AP senior editor - pointed to the AP's study showing insufficient proof to withdraw credit. 'The board does not anticipate future action at this time,' she said on Friday.
Yahoo
17-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
‘Napalm Girl' may be work of different photographer
The authorship of one of the world's most famous press photographs has been called into question by the organisation that honoured it with 'photo of the year' 50 years ago. Nick Ut won the World Press Photo award for the photograph known colloquially as 'Napalm Girl', but officially titled The Terror Of War, in 1973. The striking image of a naked and terrified Kim Phuc running away from a napalm attack became a symbol of the war's tragedy, and remains one of the most iconic photographs from America's war in Vietnam. World Press Photo announced on Friday, however, that it has 'suspended its attribution' to Ut because of doubts over who actually took it. The body's report adds to the muddle over an issue that has split the photographic community since The Stringer, a movie released earlier this year, questioned Mr Ut's authorship. World Press Photo said its probe found that two other photographers – Nguyen Thanh Nghe, the subject of the film, and Huynh Cong Phuc – 'may have been better positioned' to take the shot. 'We conclude that the level of doubt is too significant to maintain the existing attribution,' said Joumana El Zein Khoury, executive director of World Press Photo. 'At the same time, lacking conclusive evidence pointing definitively to another photographer, we cannot reassign authorship, either.' World Press Photo, an organisation whose awards are considered influential in photography, won't attempt to recover the cash award given to Mr Ut, a spokeswoman said. Mr Ut's lawyer, James Hornstein, said his client hadn't spoken to World Press Photo after some initial contact before The Stringer was released. 'It seems they had already made up their mind to punish Nick Ut from the start,' he said. Gary Knight, a producer of The Stringer, is a four-time judge of the World Press Photo awards and a consultant to the World Press Photo Foundation. After two investigations, Associated Press (AP) – who Mr Ut worked for at the time – said it found no definitive evidence to warrant stripping Mr Ut's photo credit. The AP said it was possible Mr Ut took the picture, but the passage of time made it impossible to fully prove, and could find no evidence to prove anyone else did. On Friday, it said that its standards 'require proof and certainty to remove a credit and we have found that it is impossible to prove exactly what happened that day on the road or in the (AP) bureau over 50 years ago.' 'We understand World Press Photo has taken different action based on the same available information, and that is their prerogative,' the statement said. 'There is no question over AP's ownership of the photo.' Meanwhile, the Pulitzer Prize that Mr Ut was awarded for the photo appears to be safe. The Pulitzers depend on news agencies who enter the awards to determine authorship and Marjorie Miller, an administrator – and a former AP senior editor – pointed to the AP's study showing insufficient proof to withdraw credit. 'The board does not anticipate future action at this time,' she said on Friday. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
Telegraph
17-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Telegraph
‘Napalm Girl' may be work of different photographer, awards body says
The authorship of one of the world's most famous press photographs has been called into question by the organisation that honoured it with 'photo of the year' 50 years ago. Nick Ut won the World Press Photo award for the photograph known colloquially as 'Napalm Girl', but officially titled The Terror Of War, in 1973. The striking image of a naked and terrified Kim Phuc running away from a napalm attack became a symbol of the war's tragedy, and remains one of the most iconic photographs from America's war in Vietnam. World Press Photo announced on Friday, however, that it has 'suspended its attribution' to Ut because of doubts over who actually took it. The body's report adds to the muddle over an issue that has split the photographic community since The Stringer, a movie released earlier this year, questioned Mr Ut's authorship. World Press Photo said its probe found that two other photographers – Nguyen Thanh Nghe, the subject of the film, and Huynh Cong Phuc – 'may have been better positioned' to take the shot. 'We conclude that the level of doubt is too significant to maintain the existing attribution,' said Joumana El Zein Khoury, executive director of World Press Photo. 'At the same time, lacking conclusive evidence pointing definitively to another photographer, we cannot reassign authorship, either.' World Press Photo, an organisation whose awards are considered influential in photography, won't attempt to recover the cash award given to Mr Ut, a spokeswoman said. Mr Ut's lawyer, James Hornstein, said his client hadn't spoken to World Press Photo after some initial contact before The Stringer was released. 'It seems they had already made up their mind to punish Nick Ut from the start,' he said. Gary Knight, a producer of The Stringer, is a four-time judge of the World Press Photo awards and a consultant to the World Press Photo Foundation. After two investigations, Associated Press (AP) – who Mr Ut worked for at the time – said it found no definitive evidence to warrant stripping Mr Ut's photo credit. 'Impossible to prove' The AP said it was possible Mr Ut took the picture, but the passage of time made it impossible to fully prove, and could find no evidence to prove anyone else did. On Friday, it said that its standards 'require proof and certainty to remove a credit and we have found that it is impossible to prove exactly what happened that day on the road or in the (AP) bureau over 50 years ago.' 'We understand World Press Photo has taken different action based on the same available information, and that is their prerogative,' the statement said. 'There is no question over AP's ownership of the photo.' Meanwhile, the Pulitzer Prize that Mr Ut was awarded for the photo appears to be safe. The Pulitzers depend on news agencies who enter the awards to determine authorship and Marjorie Miller, an administrator – and a former AP senior editor – pointed to the AP's study showing insufficient proof to withdraw credit.
