Documentary questions AP credit for famous ‘Napalm Girl’ photo

Controversy Surrounds “Napalm Girl” Photo Credit

The Associated Press is reaffirming its credit for the famous “Napalm Girl” photo taken during the Vietnam War, even as a new Netflix documentary presents an alternate claim about its origin.

For over five decades, Vietnamese-born Associated Press photographer Nick Ut has been acknowledged for capturing the 1972 image titled “Horror of War,” which features a 9-year-old Phan Thu Kim Phuc fleeing from a napalm attack. This poignant photograph earned Ut and the AP a Pulitzer Prize.

However, the Netflix film “The Stringer: The Man Who Took the Picture” suggests that it was not Ut who clicked the shutter, but rather a stringer named Nguyen Thanh Ng. In the documentary, Gu—presumably referring to another source—asserts, “Nick Ut accompanied us on the mission but did not take any photos of it.”

The documentary brings to light the perspective of AP photo editor Carl Robinson, who was on the ground in Vietnam when the photograph was taken. Robinson states that while Ut captured the girl from the side, Ng took the iconic image from the front. He also reveals that his decision to credit Ut was made out of fear of losing his job under photojournalist Horst Firth, leading to deep regret on his part.

In a heartfelt moment in the film, Robinson meets Ng and apologizes, saying, “I’m sorry I stole your name.”

In early research, the Associated Press acknowledged that while it is possible Ut took the photo, they can’t confirm it due to factors like time passing, key figures passing away, and limitations of technology at that time. Although there are emerging questions, the AP noted that there’s no concrete evidence suggesting Ng took it either. An AP spokesperson reiterated, “The Associated Press’ standards require that photo credits be removed when conclusive evidence shows that the person claiming to have taken the photo did not take it.”

In response to the documentary, Ut’s lawyer, James Hornstein, stated that it lacks new evidence, asserting, “no negatives, no contact sheets, no prints, no contemporaneous notes, no photo archives” dispute Ut’s ownership of the photograph. He emphasized that skepticism about Ut’s authorship mainly comes from a small group, including Robinson and a few others, whereas no independent journalists present at the time support this alternative narrative.

Hornstein expressed surprise at the lack of widespread support for the claims against Ut, explaining that if there were credible evidence that challenged his authorship, it would not have remained isolated among a handful of individuals. He argued that the extensive coverage and scrutiny of the photograph over the years underscore the weight of historical record against the claims in the documentary.