The Napalm Girl saga continues: World Press Photo suspends the attribution of 'The Terror of War' to Nick Út

The photograph known as 'Napalm Girl' has recently sparked significant debate in the media, with a controversy surrounding its authorship to Huỳnh Công "Nick" Út. While the Associated Press (AP) reaffirmed his authorship, World Press Photo now officially suspended the attribution to Út.

The image, officially titled The Terror of War, was captured in 1972 during the Vietnam War. It shows a nine-year-old girl, Phan Thị Kim Phúc, running down a road after suffering burns from a South Vietnamese napalm attack.

The photograph transformed global perceptions of the Vietnam War and is widely recognized for igniting major anti-war protests that contributed to the war's end.

In 1973 the image earned the Pulitzer Prize and was named World Press Photo of the Year. For over 50 years, it has been attributed to Út, a Vietnamese AP staff photographer.

His authorship was first questioned in January 2025 when the documentary The Stringer, directed by Bao Nguyen and supported by visual analysis from Paris-based research group Index, raised questions about Út's authorship.

This documentary presented compelling evidence that the photo actually may have been taken by a Vietnamese stringer for AP, named Nguyễn Thành Nghệ.

After a year-long investigation, the AP maintained its position that Nick Út is indeed the photographer of the image in question.

"The AP has concluded that there is not the 'definitive evidence' required by AP's standards to change the credit of the 53-year-old photograph," stated the organization. You can find its 'Investigation claims' here.

This conclusion contrasts with the statement issued by World Press Photo.

"Guided by our judging procedures we conclude that the level of doubt is too significant to maintain the existing attribution," stated Joumana El Zein Khoury, the group's executive director.

"At the same time, lacking conclusive evidence pointing definitively to another photographer, we cannot reassign authorship either.

"We have officially suspended the attribution of The Terror of War to Nick Út. This suspension will remain in place unless further evidence can clearly confirm or refute the original authorship."

Following the release of The Stringer documentary, World Press Photo initiated its own investigative analysis into the authorship of The Terror of War.

The assessment incorporated insights from the documentary as well as AP's in-depth internal inquiry. World Press Photo approached the assessment "collegially, transparently, and with the intention of understanding - not accusing."

It is important to note that World Press Photo's role is not to serve as a final judge or arbiter; instead, it plays a critical role in "acknowledging doubt, placing events in historical context, and understanding the layers of narrative." This approach is vital in the fields of photojournalism and documentary photography.

The photograph will now carry the following revised note:
"Due to this current doubt, World Press Photo has suspended the attribution to Nick Út.

"The available visual evidence and the likely camera used on that day indicate that photographers Nguyễn Thành Nghệ or Huỳnh Công Phúc may have been better positioned to take the photograph. Importantly, the photograph itself remains undisputed, and the award for the photograph stands.

"Only the authorship is under review. This remains contested history, and it is possible that the author of the photograph will never be fully confirmed. The suspension of the authorship attribution stands unless it is proved otherwise."

For more insights, you can read the 'Summary of investigative analysis' by World Press Photo, released on 16 May 2025. The report explores the background, methodology and unresolved issues (including Út’s position, technical clues, and another possible author), and ends with a conclusion.

We will have to wait and see if future developments will provide identification clues about the photographer of The Terror of War.

Also, we are waiting on an answer regarding the ongoing question of whether this image was captured with a Leica M2 or a Pentax, as AP recently stirred controversy by questioning that assumption.

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If you want to read more about the 'Napalm Girl' saga, check out our news about the Controversial documentary challenges the authorship of one of the most famous historical photographs ever taken, and Sorry, Leica – iconic 'Napalm Girl' photo may have been taken on a Pentax camera.