The World Press Photo organization has announced the suspension of attribution for a historic photograph taken during the Vietnam War, raising questions about the authorship of the image that became a poignant symbol of the conflict. That famous photo depicts a naked and terrified Kim Phuc. It caught the public imagination like few other images, ultimately winning a Pulitzer Prize for its photographer, Nick Ut. Notwithstanding the skepticism about the attribution, the Pulitzer Prize is safe.
On May 16, 2025, at 3:38 pm, David Bauder, a media writer for The Associated Press, reported on this development. Bauder goes on to quote Nick Ut’s attorney, James Hornstein, who is understandably worried. In the piece, he takes issue with the motives behind World Press Photo’s decision. “It seems they had already made up their mind to punish Nick Ut from the start,” Hornstein stated.
World Press Photo’s executive director, Joumana El Zein Khoury, explained that the organization concluded, “We conclude that the level of doubt is too significant to maintain the existing attribution.” She acknowledged the lack of conclusive evidence pointing to another photographer, noting, “At the same time, lacking conclusive evidence pointing definitively to another photographer, we cannot reassign authorship, either.”
The Associated Press investigation ruled that there was not enough evidence to remove credit from Ut. A spokesperson for the agency remarked that they “require proof and certainty to remove a credit and we have found that it is impossible to prove exactly what happened that day on the road or in the (AP) bureau over 50 years ago.”
Marjorie Miller, a former senior editor and administrator at The Associated Press, indicated that the board does not anticipate future action regarding the photo’s attribution at this time.
Gary Knight, the producer of “The Stringer,” has an extraordinary background. He is a four-time juror of the World Press Photo awards and shared his perspective on the chaotic scene. One of the biggest challenges he noted was how to attribute authorship. On a broader scale, he expressed alarm over the process that produced this decision.
Even as the debate rages over the iconic photograph’s authorship, its legacy endures. The now-iconic image of Kim Phuc called attention to the war’s devastating humanitarian legacy. It’s incredible to see how it still stirs such passion through the decades.
