According to The Guardian, the World Press Photo organization has temporarily suspended the recognition of the author for one of the world's most famous press photos - " Napalm Baby".
Since its publication in June 1972, the photo has been officially recognized as by author Nick Ut, a Vietnamese photographer working for the Associated Press (AP) in Saigon (now Ho Chi Minh City).
AP news agency and Nick Ut have long maintained that Nick Ut was the one who took the photo. In 1973, the photo won the World Press Photo of the Year award.
However, controversy over the real author of the photo has been discussed for many years. In early 2025, the documentary "The Stringer" premiered at the Sundance Film Festival, announcing that Nguyen Thanh Nghe was the one who took this photo.
"Based on the analysis of the location, distance and camera lines used that day, we determined that photographer Nguyen Thanh Nghe was most likely the photographer," said Joumana El Zein Khoury, director of World Press Photo.
However, the organization did not rule out the possibility that Nick Ut "was in a more favorable position to take a photo".
The Guardian informed, the decision to suspend only applied to the copyright of the photo and did not cancel the World Press Award of 1973. Because, "the World Press Photo Award for the photo of Napalm on an important moment in the 20th century history is still a truth".
In early May, the Associated Press (AP) announced that they had not found "reasonable evidence" to be able to change the author of the photo. They published a 96-page report on the issue - the second in four months - based on an internal investigation.
AP concluded that "it is possible" that Nick Ut took the photo and did not find any evidence that Nguyen Thanh Nghe took the photo on his behalf.
The report pointed out that this issue could not be convincingly proven, due to the passing of time, no important evidence, limitations in technology and the death of related people.
Derl McCrudden, AP's vice president of global news production, said in a statement: "We don't care about whether we have to change the author's name or not, but it has to be based on the truth and evidence. And there is no solid evidence to prove that Nick Ut did not take this photo.
In the documentary "The Stringer", director Bao Nguyen summoned a number of witnesses to reinforce the argument that Nguyen Thanh Nghe sold the photo to Saigon office's photo director, Horst Faas, for 20 USD. Nguyen Thanh Nghe's brother confirmed that he was the one who brought the film to AP.
For World Press Photo, the author's name of the photo "Baby Napalm" will be "unknown".
The organization shared: "This is still a controversial history, and it is likely that the author of the photo will never be fully confirmed. The copyright suspension will remain in place until further evidence is available.
Lao Dong reporter has contacted author Nick Ut but has not received any response.
Discussing this topic with reporters, journalist Tran Viet Van - who has won many international photo awards - said: "This is an unprecedented rare incident in the history of photography. A case that has been turned over after 52 years will be very difficult to find the real truth. I think the real author of the Napalm Baby photo may forever be a mystery, never having the right answer."
According to journalist Tran Viet Van, the author of the photo "Baby Napalm" may change, but the value of that photo will not change over time.
The 1973 World Press Photo Award was presented to Associated Press photographer Nick Ut with The Terror of War (also known as Napalm Baby).
The image of a Vietnamese girl, specifically Phan Thi Kim Phuc, fleeing the napalm bomb attack in Trang Bang, Tay Ninh in 1972 - immediately attracted global attention. The photo shocked the world and had a big impact on peace movements.
This photo, after being posted, also changed the eyes of Americans and the world about the war that the US was waging in Vietnam at that time.
