Latest news with #WorldPressPhoto
Boston Globe
6 days ago
- Politics
- Boston Globe
The real legacy of ‘Napalm Girl'
Advertisement To their credit, both AP and World Press Photo undertook Get The Gavel A weekly SCOTUS explainer newsletter by columnist Kimberly Atkins Stohr. Enter Email Sign Up ''Napalm Girl' has become embroidered with media myths — false, dubious, or improbable tales about and/or propagated by the news media,' W. Joseph Campbell wrote in his eye-opening 2016 book, ' Advertisement The photo of the children running from their village is in the same category. Ever since 'Napalm Girl' first appeared, multiple distortions and exaggerations have attached to it. The most pernicious was that the children in the picture had been attacked by Americans. In fact, as contemporaneous news accounts made clear, the napalming of Trang Bàng was a tragic case of friendly fire by South Vietnam. For example, Yet the horror depicted in the photo has Campbell cites other instances of the claim, which keeps recurring. In a story mentioning the photograph as recently as January, Campbell punctures other myths about 'Napalm Girl.' One is that the picture exerted such emotional power that it galvanized American public opinion against the war. Another is that its appearance sped up the US withdrawal from Vietnam. Advertisement Not so. Claims that 'Napalm Girl' stirred Americans to oppose the war have been made again and again. Journalism professor Samuel Freedman's assertion that the 'searing image played no small part in deepening opposition in the United States to the war' is one of many assembled in Campbell's book. But a majority of Americans had turned against the war long before June 1972. As before 'Napalm Girl,' 61 percent of respondents said they opposed the war. That number remained largely unchanged until the war was over. No evidence has ever shown that the photograph had a measurable effect on public opinion. Nor is there any evidence that it shortened the war, another claim that has been made many times — including by Ut, who has told interviewers that the picture 'stopped the war in Vietnam.' In reality, the United States began The tragedy of Trang Bàng was real. The suffering in that photograph was real. But the myth that the image changed history is not. 'Napalm Girl' remains unforgettable — not for the influence it wielded but for the agony it captured. In the end, its true legacy is not about the power of journalism but about the cruelty of war. Advertisement Jeff Jacoby can be reached at
LeMonde
23-05-2025
- Entertainment
- LeMonde
World Press Photo Executive Director Joumana El Zein Khoury: 'The legend surrounding the Napalm Girl photo is being challenged'
In January, the film The Stringer, shown at the Sundance Festival in the United States, sparked controversy by claiming that one of the world's most famous photographs, The Terror of War – better known as Napalm Girl – had been wrongly credited to Nick Ut of the Associated Press (AP) when it was actually taken by another Vietnamese photographer, Nguyen Thanh Nghe. Since then, AP has published its own investigation and decided to maintain credit to Ut. However, World Press Photo, which runs a prestigious annual photojournalism competition and awarded the image in 1973, took a different path: It no longer attributes the image to Ut, though it has not reassigned credit to another photographer. The organization's executive director, Joumana El Zein Khoury, explained the reasoning behind the decision. Why did World Press Photo feel the need to take a position on the 'Napalm Girl' photograph? Our organization has existed for 70 years, and we take questions of transparency and accuracy very seriously. When doubts arise about a prize-winning photo, we have a process in place. So, when the documentary The Stringer was shown in January at the Sundance Festival, we conducted our own investigation. We waited for the AP to release its own findings before going public. And we found that there were valid questions surrounding this photo. We decided to keep the 1973 prize for the photograph, but have suspended the attribution until further evidence emerges.
Yahoo
21-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
World Press Photo suspends credit for ‘Napalm Girl' image
[Source] World Press Photo has suspended the credit of Associated Press photographer Nick Ut for the iconic Vietnam War photograph commonly known as 'Napalm Girl,' citing unresolved questions about its authorship. The decision follows renewed scrutiny raised by a recent documentary that challenges Ut's long-standing attribution. The 1972 image, officially titled 'The Terror of War,' shows 9-year-old Phan Thi Kim Phuc running naked on a road after a napalm bombing. It won the Pulitzer Prize and World Press Photo of the Year in 1973 and became one of the most searing symbols of the Vietnam War. Authorship in doubt The controversy stems from 'The Stringer,' a 2025 documentary directed by Bao Nguyen. The film presents testimonies and visual analysis suggesting that freelance photographers Nguyen Thanh Nghe or Huynh Cong Phuc may have captured the image, not Ut. Nghe claims he sold the photo to the AP for $20 but never received formal credit. Trending on NextShark: In response, World Press Photo launched an internal investigation and reviewed archival materials, camera angles and witness statements. The organization concluded that the doubts were substantial enough to suspend Ut's credit, though it has not reassigned authorship due to lack of definitive evidence. AP stands by Ut Ut has denied the claims, saying he remembers taking the photo and helping Phan Thi Kim Phuc get medical care. His attorney, James Hornstein, criticized World Press Photo's decision, telling The Art Newspaper that Ut 'cannot fathom why the World Press Photo Foundation would rescind his rightful award 52 years after making it.' In a statement to the Associated Press, Hornstein added, 'It seems they had already made up their mind to punish Nick Ut from the start.' Trending on NextShark: The AP has conducted two reviews of its own, reaffirming Ut's credit. In a statement, the AP said it found no compelling evidence to override decades of attribution, but acknowledged that the passage of time limits further verification. Phan Thi Kim Phuc has also spoken in support of Ut. 'He took the picture, and he saved my life,' she told The Guardian. 'Without him, I would have died.' Historical stakes Trending on NextShark: While the image's historical significance remains uncontested, the suspension reflects ongoing debates about ownership, credit and accuracy in journalism. World Press Photo said it will maintain the suspended status until new evidence clearly confirms or refutes Ut's authorship. This story is part of The Rebel Yellow Newsletter — a bold weekly newsletter from the creators of NextShark, reclaiming our stories and celebrating Asian American voices. Trending on NextShark: Subscribe free to join the movement. If you love what we're building, consider becoming a paid member — your support helps us grow our team, investigate impactful stories, and uplift our community. Subscribe here now! Trending on NextShark: Download the NextShark App: Want to keep up to date on Asian American News? Download the NextShark App today!
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
World Press Photo suspends Nick Ut's credit for iconic 'Napalm Girl' Vietnam War image
More than 50 years after Nick Ut's Pulitzer Prize-winning image of a nine-year-old Phan Thi Kim Phuc fleeing a napalm attack in the South Vietnamese village of Trảng Bàng, a prestigious photography organisation has cast fresh doubt over who actually took it. World Press Photo, which awarded the image its 1973 Photo of the Year, recently announced that it has suspended its attribution to Ut, following the release of a new documentary, The Stringer, that challenges the long-accepted account of the photo's origins. The organisation said its independent investigation raised questions regarding Ut's role and suggested that two Vietnamese photographers, Nguyen Thanh Nghe - highlighted in The Stringer - and Huynh Cong Phuc, may have been better positioned to take the image. Related Culture Re-View: A photograph changes the course of the Vietnam War From skater girls to climate illusions: Meet the winners of the 2025 Sony World Photography Awards The Stringer, which premiered at Sundance in January earlier this year, claims Nghe sold the photo to AP's Saigon bureau chief for $20 and a print, and forensic experts from the French NGO Index also weighed in, concluding it's 'highly unlikely' that Nick Ut took the photo based on comparisons with other images credited to him that day. '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.' Ut will not be asked to return his cash prize from the World Press Photo 1973 Photo of the Year. The Associated Press, where Ut worked at the time, have said that after conducting two internal investigations it couldn't find any definitive proof to strip Ut's credit and no compelling evidence anyone else took the photo. '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.'
Euronews
20-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Euronews
Who really took the Napalm Girl photo? Iconic image credit 'suspended'
More than 50 years after Nick Ut's Pulitzer Prize-winning image of a nine-year-old Phan Thi Kim Phuc fleeing a napalm attack in the South Vietnamese village of Trảng Bàng, a prestigious photography organisation has cast fresh doubt over who actually took it. World Press Photo, which awarded the image its 1973 Photo of the Year, recently announced that it has suspended its attribution to Ut, following the release of a new documentary, The Stringer, that challenges the long-accepted account of the photo's origins. The organisation said its independent investigation raised questions regarding Ut's role and suggested that two Vietnamese photographers, Nguyen Thanh Nghe - highlighted in The Stringer - and Huynh Cong Phuc, may have been better positioned to take the image. The Stringer, which premiered at Sundance in January earlier this year, claims Nghe sold the photo to AP's Saigon bureau chief for $20 and a print, and forensic experts from the French NGO Index also weighed in, concluding it's 'highly unlikely' that Nick Ut took the photo based on comparisons with other images credited to him that day. '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.' Ut will not be asked to return his cash prize from the World Press Photo 1973 Photo of the Year. The Associated Press, where Ut worked at the time, have said that after conducting two internal investigations it couldn't find any definitive proof to strip Ut's credit and no compelling evidence anyone else took the photo. '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.'
