Pioneering Photojournalist Hal Buell Dies at 92

Buell, who transitioned AP's photo operations into the digital age, was known for his decision to publish iconic Vietnam War image.

Hal Buell, who led The Associated Press' photo operations from the darkroom era into the digital age, has died at the age of 92.
Buell's career spanned four decades and included 12 Pulitzer Prizes and some of the defining images of the Vietnam War.
He made the crucial decision in 1972 to run Nick Ut's photo of a naked young girl fleeing her village after napalm was dropped on it by South Vietnamese Air Force aircraft, which became one of the most haunting images of the Vietnam War.
Buell implemented the transition from a chemical darkroom where film was developed to digital transmission and digital news cameras, and also helped create AP’s digital photo archive in 1997.
After retiring in 1997, Buell wrote books about photography, produced film documentaries for the History Channel and lectured across the United States.