Authorship of iconic ‘Napalm Girl’ photo suspended amid new claims

But The Stringer, a documentary that premiered at Sundance in January, suggests otherwise. It argues the photo was actually taken by Nguyen Thành Nghe, a driver for NBC who also freelanced photos to AP. The film as per a report by The Guardian argues Nghe never received credit because he wasn’t AP staff. The claim has reignited debate over the true origin of the famous image.

The documentary sparked “deep reflection” within World Press Photo, leading to a months-long investigation from January to May 2025. Today (May 16), the group announced the results: “Based on analysis of location, distance, and the camera used on that day,” they found that “photographers Nguyễn Thành Nghệ or Huỳnh Công Phúc may have been better positioned to take the photograph than Nick Út,” as reported by The Guardian.

Pulitzer Prize-winning photographer Nick Ut, center, flanked by Kim Phuc, left, holds the” Napalm Girl”, his Pulitzer Prize winning photo as they wait to meet with Pope Francis during the weekly general audience in St. Peter’s Square at The Vatican, May 11, 2022. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia, file)

World Press Photo clarified that the suspension applies only to authorship and does not affect the award. “The photograph itself remains undisputed,” the group stated. “And the World Press Photo award for this significant photo of a major moment in 20th century history remains a fact.”

Joumana El Zein Khoury, executive director of World Press Photo, added: “Based on these findings and according to our values of accuracy, trustworthiness and diversity, we draw conclusions with regards to attribution. It is important to state that the picture itself is undisputed and it is without question that this photograph represents a real moment in history that continues to reverberate in Vietnam, the United States, and globally.”

The AP conducted its own internal review, releasing a 96-page report this month, its second on the matter in four months. The agency said it found “no definitive evidence” to warrant reassigning credit. “It makes no difference to us if we changed the credit, but it has to be based on facts and evidence,” The Guardian quoted Derl McCrudden, AP’s vice-president of global news production as saying. “And there is no definitive evidence proving that Nick Ut did not take this picture.”

The AP’s investigation used interviews, surviving negatives, camera analysis, and a 3D reconstruction of the scene. While it acknowledged “inconsistencies on both sides,” it concluded that accepting Nghe’s claim would require “several leaps of faith.”

As per The Guardian report, The Stringer features testimony from Nghe’s brother, his daughter Jannie, and veteran AP photo editor Carl Robinson, who connected the filmmakers to the story. Witnesses said Nghe sold the photo to Saigon bureau chief Horst Faas for $20 and a print. Forensic analysts from the French NGO Index told filmmakers it was “highly unlikely” Ut took the photo, based on other images he submitted that day.

Nghe, who surprised audiences by appearing at the Sundance premiere, reaffirms his claim in the film. Ut has consistently defended his authorship and told AP the controversy “has been very difficult for me and has caused great pain.”

World Press Photo concluded: “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.”