Nick Ut Explained

Nick Ut
Birth Name:Huynh Cong Ut
Birth Date:29 March 1951
Birth Place:Bình Quới, Châu Thành, Long An, French Indochina, French Union[1]
Occupation:Photojournalism
Citizenship:American
Credits:Pulitzer Prize
World Press Photo
National Medal of Arts

Huỳnh Công Út, known professionally as Nick Ut (born March 29, 1951),[2] is a Vietnamese-American photographer who worked for the Associated Press in Los Angeles.[3] He won both the 1973 Pulitzer Prize for Spot News Photography and the 1973 World Press Photo of the Year for his 1972 photograph The Terror of War, depicting children running away from a napalm bombing attack during the Vietnam War.[4] In 2017, he retired.[5] Examples of his work may be found in the collection of the National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC.[6]

Biography

Born in Long An, Vietnam (then part of the French Indochina), Ut began to take photographs for the Associated Press when he was 15,[7] [8] just after his older brother Huynh Thanh My, another AP photographer, was killed in Vietnam.[9] His closest friend in the Saigon bureau, Henri Huet, also died in 1971 after volunteering to take the weary Ut's place on an assignment.[10]

After the fall of Saigon in 1975, Ut himself was wounded three different times in the war in his knee, arm, and stomach. He moved to Tokyo and arrived in Los Angeles two years later.[11]

The Terror of War

The Terror of War, also colloquially called Napalm Girl,[12] [13] is Ut's best-known photograph and features a naked 9-year-old girl, Phan Thị Kim Phúc, running toward the camera from a South Vietnamese napalm strike that mistakenly hit Trảng Bàng village instead of nearby North Vietnamese troops on June 8, 1972.[14] Before delivering his film with the photograph, Ut set his camera aside to rush 9-year-old Kim Phuc to a hospital, where doctors saved her life. He said: "I cried when I saw her running... If I don’t help her, if something happened and she died, I think I’d kill myself after that".[15]

The publication of the photograph was delayed due to the AP bureau's debate about transmitting a naked girl's photograph over the wire.[16]

Audiotapes of then-president Richard Nixon in conversation with his chief of staff, H. R. Haldeman, show that Nixon doubted the veracity of the photograph, musing whether it may have been "fixed".[17]

In September 2016,[18] a Norway newspaper published an open letter to Mark Zuckerberg after censorship was imposed on this photograph placed on the newspaper's Facebook page.[19] [20] Half of the ministers in the Norwegian government shared the photograph on their Facebook pages, among them prime minister Erna Solberg from the Conservative Party. Several of the Facebook posts, including the Prime Minister's post, were deleted by Facebook,[21] [22] but later that day, Facebook reinstated the picture and said "the value of permitting sharing outweighs the value of protecting the community by removal".[23] [24]

Family and later career

Ut is a United States citizen and is married with two children in Los Angeles.[25] His photos of a crying Paris Hilton in the back seat of a Los Angeles County Sheriff's cruiser on June 8, 2007, were published worldwide; however, Ut was photographing Hilton alongside photographer Karl Larsen. Two photographs emerged; the more famous photograph of Hilton was credited to Ut despite being Larsen's photo.[26]

After working for the Associated Press for 51 years, Ut retired in 2017.[27] The photography community in Los Angeles held a retirement party to celebrate Ut's career and exhibit his work (including that iconic Pulitzer Prize-winning photo) at The Perfect Exposure Gallery in Los Angeles.[28] [29]

In 2021, Nick Ut was awarded the National Medal of Arts for his work during the Vietnam War.[30] On the eve of receiving the award, Ut published an essay in Newsweek explaining why he decided to accept the medal from President Donald Trump despite political concerns surrounding the January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol.[31] [32] The next day, while out to dinner with a friend, Nick Ut was attacked by a stranger in downtown Washington, D.C.. He fell to the ground, hit the metal fence surrounding the tree, and hurt his ribs, back, and leg. It is unclear whether this attack was for political reasons or just coincidental. After the incident, Ut received many calls asking about his health, including from Kim Phuc.[33]

Accolades

Nick Ut's iconic photograph, The Terror of War, won every major photographic award, such as the Overseas Press Club honored him with the Best Photograph, Daily Newspaper or Wire Service. The George Polk Awards for News Photography, the World Press Photo for Photo of the Year, and the Pulitzer Prize for Spot News Photography. He was the 2014 Lucie Awards honoree for Achievement in Photojournalism. Kerala Media Academy in India presented him with the World Press Photographer Prize in 2019.

On the 40th anniversary of that Pulitzer Prize-winning photograph in September 2012, Ut became only the third person inducted into the Leica Hall of Fame for his contributions to photojournalism.[34] In 2021, he became the first journalist to receive the National Medal of Arts, the highest award given to artists and arts patrons by the United States federal governments.[35] [36]

OrganizationsYearCategoryResult
2011Lifetime Achievement Award[37]
2017[38]
2021National Medal of Arts
1972News Photography[39]
2019World Photographer Prize[40]
2012Leica Hall of Fame[41]
2016Joseph M. Quinn Award for Lifetime Achievement[42]
2014Achievement in Photojournalism[43]
1972Best Photographs, Daily Newspaper or Wire Service[44]
1973Spot News Photography[45]
1973Photo of the Year[46]

Collections

Ut's work is held in the following permanent collection:

Further reading

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Cùng Nick Út về thăm nơi chôn nhau cắt rốn . Kỳ Quan . vi . Báo Lao Động . June 4, 2018 . March 19, 2024 . March 19, 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240319182041/https://laodong.vn/van-hoa-giai-tri/cung-nick-ut-ve-tham-noi-chon-nhau-cat-ron-610931.ldo . live.
    Web site: Nick Út thăm lại quê xưa . Hoàng Phương . vi . . April 2, 2012 . March 19, 2024 . March 19, 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240319181953/https://thanhnien.vn/nick-ut-tham-lai-que-xua-18569529.htm . live.
  2. Web site: Nick Ut "From Hell to Hollywood" . Leica Gallery Los Angeles . March 19, 2024 . March 19, 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240319162539/https://leicagalleryla.com/gallery-view/nick-ut-from-hell-to-hollywood/ . live.
  3. Book: Hudson, Berkley. Encyclopedia of Journalism. limited. SAGE. 2009. 978-0-7619-2957-4. Sterling. Christopher H.. Thousand Oaks, Calif.. 1060–67.
  4. Web site: Spot News Photography . The Pulitzer Prizes . July 31, 2018.
  5. Web site: Associated Press photographer Nick Ut to retire . . March 13, 2017 . March 19, 2024 . March 19, 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240319160207/https://www.detroitnews.com/picture-gallery/news/nation/2017/03/13/associated-press-photographer-nick-ut-to-retire/99151422/ . live.
  6. Web site: Nick Ut . . May 13, 2024 . May 13, 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240513112220/https://www.nga.gov/collection/artist-info.44453.html . live.
  7. Web site: Nick Ut, Photographer Behind 'Napalm Girl' Picture, Announces March Retirement . Frances Kai-Hwa Wang . . August 23, 2016 . March 20, 2024 . March 20, 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240320124652/https://www.nbcnews.com/news/asian-america/nick-ut-photographer-behind-napalm-girl-picture-announces-march-retirement-n636086 . live.
  8. Web site: Photographer Nick Ut: Witness to History . . November 2, 2009 . March 19, 2024 . March 19, 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240319160304/https://www.voanews.com/a/a-13-2009-01-06-voa53-68809917/363049.html . live.
  9. Web site: The early years covering Vietnam by Pulitzer Prize-winning photographer Nick Ut . . March 30, 2017 . March 19, 2024 . March 19, 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240319110852/https://www.latimes.com/visuals/framework/la-me-nick-ut-vietnam-unfurled-photos-20170329-htmlstory.html . live.
  10. Web site: AP’s legendary "Napalm Girl" photographer Nick Ut to retire . . . March 28, 2017 . March 19, 2024 . March 19, 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240319134943/https://www.denverpost.com/2017/03/13/napalm-girl-photographer-nick-ut-retire/ . live.
  11. Web site: From Vietnam to Los Angeles: Photographer who captured iconic image on one road sees end of another . Anh Do . . August 21, 2016 . March 19, 2024 . March 19, 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240319110829/https://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-nick-ut-adv-snap-story.html . live.
  12. Web site: 50 years later, 'Napalm girl' says iconic photo made it difficult to 'navigate private and emotional life' . Namita . Singh . . June 8, 2022 . March 19, 2024 . March 19, 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240319170907/https://www.independent.co.uk/asia/southeast-asia/napalm-girl-vietnam-war-photo-b2096358.html . live.
  13. Web site: Fifty Years Later, Kim Phuc Phan Thi Is More Than 'Napalm Girl' . Jane . Recker . . June 10, 2022 . March 19, 2024 . March 19, 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240319170400/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/Kim-Phuc-Phan-Thi-Napalm-Girl-180980227/ . live.
  14. Web site: Photographer Who Took Iconic Vietnam Photo Looks Back, 40 Years After the War Ended . Mark Edward . Harris . . April 3, 2015 . March 19, 2024 . March 19, 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240319110830/https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2015/04/vietnam-war-napalm-girl-photo-today . live.
  15. Web site: 'Napalm Girl' photographer Nick Ut looks back at a career that included war’s carnage and Hollywood’s red carpets . . . March 13, 2017 . March 19, 2024 . March 19, 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240319111032/https://www.latimes.com/local/california/la-me-nick-ut-retirement-20170313-story.html . live.
  16. Web site: 'Accidental Napalm' turns 50: the generation-defining image capturing the futility of the Vietnam war . Stephen . Khan . . June 6, 2022 . March 20, 2024 . March 20, 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240320153832/https://theconversation.com/accidental-napalm-turns-50-the-generation-defining-image-capturing-the-futility-of-the-vietnam-war-175050 . live.
  17. News: Collins . Dan . February 28, 2002 . Nixon, The A-Bomb, And Napalm . . March 19, 2024 . March 19, 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240319171716/https://www.cbsnews.com/news/nixon-the-a-bomb-and-napalm-28-02-2002/ . live.
  18. Web site: Ohlheiser . Abby . September 9, 2016 . Facebook backs down, will no longer censor the iconic 'Napalm Girl' war photo . . March 19, 2024 . March 19, 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240319171454/https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-intersect/wp/2016/09/09/abusing-your-power-mark-zuckerberg-slammed-after-facebook-censors-vietnam-war-photo/ . live.
  19. Web site: Facebook Restores Iconic Vietnam War Photo It Censored for Nudity . Mark . Scott . Mike . Isaac . . September 9, 2016 . March 19, 2024 . February 23, 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240223191009/https://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/10/technology/facebook-vietnam-war-photo-nudity.html . live.
  20. Web site: Dear Mark. I am writing this to inform you that I shall not comply with your requirement to remove this picture. . Espen Egil . Hansen . . December 27, 2016 . March 19, 2024 . March 19, 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240319171807/https://www.aftenposten.no/meninger/kommentar/i/G892Q/dear-mark-i-am-writing-this-to-inform-you-that-i-shall-not-comply-with-your-requirement-to-remove-this-picture . live.
  21. Web site: Facebook accused of censorship of 'Napalm girl' picture . Hortense . Goulard . . September 9, 2016 . March 19, 2024 . March 19, 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240319173726/https://www.politico.eu/article/norwegian-prime-minister-facebook-wrong-to-censor-vietnam-war-picture/ . live.
  22. Web site: Facebook deletes Norwegian PM's post as 'napalm girl' row escalates . Alice . Ross . Julia Carrie . Wong . . September 9, 2016 . March 19, 2024 . March 19, 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240319173604/https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2016/sep/09/facebook-deletes-norway-pms-post-napalm-girl-post-row . live.
  23. Web site: The Story Behind the 'Napalm Girl' Photo Censored by Facebook . Time Photo . . September 9, 2016 . March 19, 2024 . February 19, 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240219194850/https://time.com/4485344/napalm-girl-war-photo-facebook/ . live.
  24. Web site: Facebook reverses move to censor 'napalm girl' photo . AFP . . September 10, 2016 . March 20, 2024 . March 20, 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240320153905/https://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-09-10/facebook-reverses-move-to-censor-napalm-girl-photo/7832894 . live.
  25. Web site: 'From hell to Hollywood': Nick Ut, 'Napalm Girl' photographer, hangs up press pass . John . Rogers . . March 14, 2017 . March 20, 2024 . March 20, 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240320172631/https://www.thestar.com/news/world/from-hell-to-hollywood-nick-ut-napalm-girl-photographer-hangs-up-press-pass/article_5722b7c7-fa27-5e03-aed0-842e9ea812e3.html . live.
  26. Web site: Photographer Karl Larsen sues ABC over Paris Hilton photo . Harriet . Ryan . . January 20, 2009 . March 19, 2024 . March 19, 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240319114752/https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2009-jan-20-me-paris-hilton-photo20-story.html . live.
  27. Web site: 'Napalm Girl' Photographer Nick Ut Retires After 51 Years in Photojournalism . Lakshmi . Gandhi . . March 29, 2017 . March 19, 2024 . March 19, 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240319114729/https://www.nbcnews.com/news/asian-america/napalm-girl-photographer-nick-ut-retires-after-51-years-photojournalism-n739711 . live.
  28. Web site: Pulitzer Prize-winning ‘Napalm Girl’ photographer Nick Ut retires after 51 years . OCR Staff . . April 4, 2017 . March 19, 2024 . March 19, 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240319121512/https://www.ocregister.com/2017/03/29/pulitzer-prize-winning-napalm-girl-photographer-nick-ut-retires-after-51-years/ . live.
  29. Web site: Nick Ut - Los Angeles . The Perfect Exposure Gallery . March 28, 2017 . March 19, 2024 . March 19, 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240319123105/http://www.theperfectexposuregallery.com/exhibit/nick-ut/ . dead.
  30. Web site: President Donald J. Trump Awarded the National Medal of Arts and National Humanities Medal . . January 14, 2021 . March 20, 2024 . March 20, 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240320141308/https://trumpwhitehouse.archives.gov/briefings-statements/president-donald-j-trump-awarded-national-medal-arts-national-humanities-medal/ . live.
  31. Web site: Nick Ut: Why I Accepted Trump's Medal Of Arts . Nick Ut . . January 13, 2021 . March 19, 2024 . March 19, 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240319110717/https://www.newsweek.com/nick-ut-why-i-accepted-trumps-medal-freedom-1561181 . live.
  32. Web site: Donald Trump Handed Out National Medal Of Arts To Latest Honorees As Congress Moved To Impeach Him For The Second Time . Ted . Johnson . . January 14, 2021 . March 19, 2024 . March 19, 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240319130820/https://deadline.com/2021/01/donald-trump-handed-out-national-medal-of-arts-to-latest-honorees-as-congress-moved-to-impeach-him-for-the-second-time-1234673866/ . live.
  33. Web site: Pulitzer-Winning Photographer Attacked in DC Day After Accepting Award at White House . Darcy . Spencer . . January 16, 2021 . March 19, 2024 . March 19, 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240319135613/https://www.nbcwashington.com/news/national-international/pulitzer-winning-photographer-attacked-in-dc-day-after-accepting-white-house-award/2543596/ . live.
  34. Web site: Leica Gallery Los Angeles Debuts "From Hell to Hollywood" by Pulitzer Prize-Winning Photographer Nick Ut . Leica Camera . . April 11, 2019 . March 19, 2024 . March 19, 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240319175220/https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/leica-gallery-los-angeles-debuts-from-hell-to-hollywood-by-pulitzer-prize-winning-photographer-nick-ut-300830666.html . live.
  35. Web site: AP photographer Nick Ut receives National Medal of Arts . . January 13, 2021 . March 19, 2024 . March 19, 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240319120320/https://www.ap.org/media-center/press-releases/2021/ap-photographer-nick-ut-receives-national-medal-of-arts/ . live.
  36. Web site: Nick Ut, photojournalist who made famed Vietnam War 'napalm girl' image, attacked in D.C. . Minyvonne . Burke . . January 17, 2021 . March 19, 2024 . March 19, 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240319134026/https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/nick-ut-photojournalist-who-made-famed-vietnam-war-napalm-girl-n1254517 . live.
  37. Web site: David Ono to Show 'The Power of a Picture' . . June 1, 2012 . March 20, 2024 . March 20, 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240320150158/https://rafu.com/2012/06/david-ono-to-show-the-power-of-a-picture/ . live.
  38. Web site: Past Community Awardees By Year . Asian American Journalists Association Awards . March 20, 2024 . March 20, 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240320150725/https://awards.aaja.org/past-awardees-year . dead.
  39. Web site: Past Winners . . March 20, 2024 . March 20, 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240320141952/https://www.liu.edu/polk-awards/past-winners#1972 . live.
  40. Web site: Nick Ut selected for Kerala Media Academy award p6 briefly with his pic . Staff Reporter . . January 28, 2018 . March 20, 2024 . March 20, 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240320142403/https://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-kerala/nick-ut-selected-for-kerala-media-academy-award-p6-briefly-with-his-pic/article22540044.ece . live.
    Web site: Nick Ut the main attraction of the Photo feast . Press Trust of India . . March 11, 2018 . March 20, 2024 . March 20, 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240320142504/https://www.business-standard.com/article/pti-stories/nick-ut-the-main-attraction-of-the-photo-feast-118031100705_1.html . live.
  41. Web site: Nick Ut’s journey through the lens . Dinuli . Francisco . . September 3, 2023 . March 19, 2024 . March 19, 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240319175317/https://archives1.sundayobserver.lk/2023/09/03/montage/nick-ut%E2%80%99s-journey-through-lens . live.
  42. Web site: Hollywood Reporter Tops Southern California Journalism Awards With 35 Noms . THR Staff . . May 25, 2016 . March 20, 2024 . March 20, 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240320135844/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/hollywood-reporter-tops-southern-california-897166/ . live.
    Web site: Lifetime achievement award for photographer Nick Ut . Lauren . Easton . . June 27, 2016 . March 20, 2024 . March 20, 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240320124133/https://blog.ap.org/announcements/lifetime-achievement-award-for-photographer-nick-ut . live.
  43. Web site: Lucie Foundation unveils its 2014 honorees . Sarah . Allen . . October 15, 2014 . March 20, 2024 . March 20, 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240320143358/https://www.1854.photography/2014/10/lucie-foundation-2014-awards/ . live.
  44. Web site: I took the picture that changed the war: Nick Ut . Jasodhara . Banerjee . . October 1, 2018 . March 20, 2024 . March 20, 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240320143826/https://www.forbesindia.com/article/recliner/i-took-the-picture-that-changed-the-war-nick-ut/51441/1 . live.
    Web site: Awards Recipients . . March 20, 2024 . March 20, 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240320144002/https://opcofamerica.org/opc-awards-contest-rules/archive-award/ . live.
  45. Web site: Pulitzers Go to Washington Post, Frankel, ‘Championship Season’ . John . Corry . . May 8, 1973 . March 20, 2024 . March 20, 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240320140540/https://www.nytimes.com/1973/05/08/archives/pulitzers-go-to-washington-post-frankel-championship-season.html . live.
  46. Web site: 1973 Nick Ut . . March 20, 2024 . March 20, 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240320153812/https://www.worldpressphoto.org/collection/photo-contest/1973/nick-ut/1 . live.

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