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One of some of the most recognizable photographs from the 20th century depicts a nude girl, her hands outstretched, her face contorted in agony, her flesh blistered and flaking. She is dashing towards the photographer as running from a bombing during the Vietnam War. Nearby, additional kids are fleeing away from the bombed village in the region, with a scene featuring dark smoke and troops.

The Worldwide Influence from a Powerful Image

Just after the publication during the Vietnam War, this picture—officially named The Terror of War—turned into a traditional sensation. Seen and debated by millions, it is generally hailed with energizing global sentiment critical of the US war in Southeast Asia. One noted author afterwards commented that this horrifically lasting photograph featuring nine-year-old Kim Phúc in distress possibly did more to heighten global outrage against the war compared to extensive footage of shown atrocities. A renowned English photojournalist who documented the conflict described it the ultimate photo from the so-called the televised conflict. A different veteran photojournalist remarked that the photograph stands as in short, among the most significant images ever made, specifically from that conflict.

The Decades-Long Claim and a Modern Allegation

For over five decades, the photo was assigned to the work of Huynh Cong “Nick” Út, a young South Vietnamese photographer on assignment for a major news agency in Saigon. But a provocative recent film released by a popular platform argues which states the well-known picture—often hailed to be the apex of war journalism—might have been taken by someone else present that day in Trảng Bàng.

As presented in the film, the iconic image was in fact photographed by an independent photographer, who sold the images to the AP. The allegation, and its resulting research, stems from an individual called an ex-staffer, who alleges that a dominant photo chief instructed the staff to alter the image’s credit from the original photographer to Nick Út, the sole agency photographer present during the incident.

This Search for the Real Story

Robinson, now in his 80s, reached out to an investigator a few years ago, asking for support to identify the unnamed photographer. He mentioned how, if he was still living, he hoped to extend an acknowledgment. The journalist reflected on the independent stringers he knew—comparing them to modern freelancers, who, like local photographers at the time, are often ignored. Their efforts is often questioned, and they operate in far tougher situations. They are not insured, they don’t have pensions, they don’t have support, they often don’t have proper gear, making them highly exposed as they capture images in familiar settings.

The journalist asked: Imagine the experience to be the man who captured this photograph, should it be true that he was not the author?” From a photographic perspective, he speculated, it could be extraordinarily painful. As a student of photojournalism, particularly the vaunted documentation of Vietnam, it would be earth-shattering, possibly career-damaging. The respected history of "Napalm Girl" in Vietnamese-Americans is such that the filmmaker who had family left at the time was hesitant to pursue the film. He expressed, I hesitated to disrupt this long-held narrative that credited Nick the picture. Nor did I wish to change the status quo within a population that consistently respected this success.”

The Investigation Develops

But the two the investigator and his collaborator agreed: it was necessary raising the issue. “If journalists are going to keep the world accountable,” noted the journalist, we must be able to address tough issues of ourselves.”

The investigation documents the journalists in their pursuit of their research, from testimonies from observers, to public appeals in today's Saigon, to reviewing records from other footage captured during the incident. Their work lead to a name: a freelancer, employed by NBC during the attack who also sold photographs to foreign agencies independently. In the film, a moved the man, like others advanced in age residing in the United States, claims that he provided the photograph to the AP for $20 and a copy, only to be plagued without recognition over many years.

This Response Followed by Ongoing Analysis

Nghệ appears throughout the documentary, reserved and thoughtful, but his story became incendiary in the world of photojournalism. {Days before|Shortly prior to