The Stringer questions authorship of ‘Napalm Girl’ photo

Michelle Vueges
3 Min Read
Stringer question 'Napalm Girl' photo

A new documentary called “The Stringer” premiered at the Sundance Film Festival. It challenges the authorship of the famous “Napalm Girl” photograph from the Vietnam War. The iconic image shows 9-year-old Kim Phuc running naked down a road after a napalm attack in 1972.

For decades, the photo has been credited to Associated Press photographer Nick Ut. However, the film claims that Nguyen Thanh Nghe, a Vietnamese freelance cameraman, actually took the picture. Nghe says he sold the photo to the AP for $20.

The documentary features interviews with Nghe, now 86 years old. It also includes testimony from Carl Robinson, a former AP photo editor in Saigon. Robinson says that Horst Faas, the AP’s chief of photography at the time, ordered him to credit the photo to Ut.

The AP has defended Ut’s authorship of the photograph. Learn more about The Stringer HERE.

The Stringer Unravels Authorship debate of iconic war photo

They conducted their own investigation and found no convincing evidence to support Nghe’s claim.

Several other photojournalists who were present that day, including David Burnett, also back up Ut’s account. Ut himself maintains that he took the famous photo. He recalls bringing out a wet print of the image in the AP’s darkroom shortly after capturing it on film.

The filmmakers behind “The Stringer” argue that Nghe, as an outsider and non-employee, may not have been given proper credit due to potential racism or professional politics. They spent years investigating the claim and located Nghe in California. Director Bao Nguyen says the film addresses “uncomfortable truths” and examines journalistic practices.

He dedicated the documentary to his parents, who fled Vietnam during the war, and to refugees with untold stories. The debate stirred by “The Stringer” underscores the complexities of wartime journalism. Decisions made in chaotic moments can have lasting historical impact.

While the AP and many veteran photojournalists still attribute the “Napalm Girl” photo to Nick Ut, the film has prompted a reexamination of one of the most iconic images of the 20th century.

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