Dispute Over Iconic 'Napalm Girl' Photo Challenges Decades-Old Attribution

A Sundance documentary questions whether Nick Ut, long credited with the Pulitzer-winning photo, was the true photographer, sparking debate over journalistic ethics and historical accuracy.

The documentary 'The Stringer,' premiered at Sundance, claims Vietnamese freelancer Nguyen Thanh Nghe, not Nick Ut, took the famous 'Napalm Girl' photo in 1972.
Nghe alleges he sold the image to the Associated Press for $20 and was denied proper credit, a claim supported by former AP photo editor Carl Robinson in the film.
The AP conducted a six-month investigation and maintains Nick Ut is the rightful photographer, citing eyewitness accounts and historical evidence.
The film employs forensic analysis and interviews with witnesses, suggesting Ut was too far from the scene to have taken the photo, though the AP disputes these findings.
The controversy highlights broader issues of power imbalances in journalism, particularly the treatment of freelancers and the ethics of credit attribution in media.