The Beholder Has Changed

You already know the photograph. Nick Ut took it in 1972 on a road in Vietnam: a girl running, napalm smoke behind her. It may have shortened a war. Not because it was beautifully composed or appeared in the right publication, but because it was real. The girl existed. The road existed. Light bounc
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#Photography #Opinion #IMayBeWrong #PhotographyTheory #AI

A documentary entitled *The Stringer* attributed the photograph to a Vietnamese freelance journalist, Nguyen Thanh Nghe, who is interviewed in the film. In the film, Carl Robinson, then AP’s photo editor in Saigon, admits to having lied and altered the caption of the image on the orders of his editor-in-chief, Horst Faas. “Nick Ut accompanied me out in the field. But he wasn’t the one who took this photo... It was me,” asserts Nguyen Thanh Nghe. I agree with you that what has been lost is the cultural practice of receiving it, due to the deluge of images.
@smartmedj thanks. I've seen the documentary but I didn't want to get into the controversy since it wasn't the point is my post. For everybody's understanding it was easier to attribute it to Nick Ut.

@photonist Thanks for sharing your thoughts on where or what photography is in this environment infested with AI generated content. I’m by far not as eloquent as you; I just wanted to let you know that I enjoyed your writing and agree with you..

PS: your opening paragraph confuses me seeing the accompanied image. I’m sure the Terror of War is the photograph you’re referring to..

@boeckli thanks. The image is unrelated. I didn't want to reproduce it without the rights, so I used a random photo of mine.