Photographer Nick Ut : A Photograph (Phan Thi Kim Phuc) in Vietnamese...A Click Which Have Every Word
April 24, 2015| Nick Ut | |
|---|---|
| Born | Huỳnh Công Út March 29, 1951 Long An, Vietnam |
| Residence | Los Angeles |
| Nationality | Vietnamese |
| Other names | Nick Ut |
| Citizenship | American |
| Occupation | Photojournalism |
| Notable credit(s) | Pulitzer Prize-winner |
| Children | 2 |
"The Terror of War" by Nick Ut / The Associated Press
Contents
[hide]Biography[edit]
Born in Long An, Viet Nam, Ut began to take photographs for the Associated Press when he was 16, just after his older brother Huynh Thanh My, another AP photographer, was killed in Vietnam. Ut himself was wounded three times in the war in his knee, arm, and stomach. Ut has since worked for the Associated Press in Tokyo, South Korea, and Hanoi and still maintains contact with Kim Phuc, who now resides in Canada.Before delivering his film with the Kim Phúc photo, he took her to the hospital. The publication of the photo was delayed due to the AP bureau's debate about transmitting a naked girl's photo over the wire:
| “ | ...an editor at the AP rejected the photo of Kim Phuc running down the road without clothing because it showed frontal nudity. Pictures of nudes of all ages and sexes, and especially frontal views were an absolute no-no at the Associated Press in 1972... Horst argued by telex with the New York head-office that an exception must be made, with the compromise that no close-up of the girl Kim Phuc alone would be transmitted. The New York photo editor, Hal Buell, agreed that the news value of the photograph overrode any reservations about nudity. | ” |
— Nick Ut[4]
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Nixon connection[edit]
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."[5] Following the release of this tape, Ut commented:| “ | "Even though it has become one of the most memorable images of the twentieth century, President Nixon once doubted the authenticity of my photograph when he saw it in the papers on June 12, 1972.... The picture for me and unquestionably for many others could not have been more real. The photo was as authentic as the Vietnam war itself. The horror of the Vietnam war recorded by me did not have to be fixed. That terrified little girl is still alive today and has become an eloquent testimony to the authenticity of that photo. That moment thirty years ago will be one Kim Phuc and I will never forget. It has ultimately changed both our lives." | ” |
— Nick Ut[6]
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Family and later career[edit]
Ut is a United States citizen and is married with two children. He lives in Los Angeles, and remains an AP photographer. 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 photo of Hilton was credited to Ut despite being Larsen's photo.[7]Phan Thi Kim Phuc
In this Vietnamese name, the family name is Phan. According to Vietnamese custom, this person should properly be referred to by the given name Kim Phuc.
| Phan Thị Kim Phúc OOnt | |
|---|---|
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June 8, 1972: Kim Phuc, center left, running down a road nude near Trang Bang after a South Vietnamese Air Force napalm attack. (Nick Ut /AP)
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| Born | Phan Thị Kim Phúc April 2, 1963 Trang Bang, South Vietnam |
| Residence | Ajax, Ontario |
| Nationality | Canadian |
| Other names | Kim Phuc |
| Ethnicity | Vietnamese |
| Citizenship | Canadian |
| Alma mater | University of Havana, Cuba |
| Occupation | Author, UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador |
| Known for | Being "The Girl in the Picture" (Vietnam War) |
| Religion | Christianity |
| Spouse(s) | Bui Huy Toan |
| Children | Two |
| Awards | Order of Ontario |
Contents
"Vietnam Napalm"
Kim Phuc and her family were residents of the village of Trang Bang, South Vietnam. On June 8, 1972, South Vietnamese planes dropped a napalm bomb on Trang Bang, which had been attacked and occupied by North Vietnamese forces.[2] Kim Phuc joined a group of civilians and South Vietnamese soldiers who were fleeing from the Caodai Temple to the safety of South Vietnamese-held positions. A South Vietnamese Air Force pilot mistook the group for enemy soldiers and diverted to attack. The bombing killed two of Kim Phuc's cousins and two other villagers. Kim Phuc was badly burned and tore off her burning clothes. Associated Press photographer Nick Ut's photograph of Kim Phuc running naked amid other fleeing villagers, South Vietnamese soldiers and press photographers became one of the most haunting images of the Vietnam War. In an interview many years later, she recalled she was yelling, Nóng quá, nóng quá ("too hot, too hot") in the picture. New York Times editors were at first hesitant to consider the photo for publication because of the nudity, but eventually approved it. A cropped version of the photo—with the press photographers to the right removed—was featured on the front page of the New York Times the next day. It later earned a Pulitzer Prize and was chosen as the World Press Photo of the Year for 1972.After snapping the photograph, Ut took Kim Phuc and the other injured children to Barsky Hospital in Saigon, where it was determined that her burns were so severe that she probably would not survive.[3] After a 14-month hospital stay and 17 surgical procedures, however, involving skin transplantations she was able to return home. A number of the early operations were performed by a Finnish plastic surgeon Aarne Rintala (1926–2014).[4][5]
Ut continued to visit Kim Phuc until he was evacuated during the fall of Saigon.[6]
Thumbnails of the film footage showing the events just before and after the iconic photograph was taken.
Less publicized is film shot by British television cameraman Alan Downes for the British ITN news service and his Vietnamese counterpart Le Phuc Dinh who was working for the American station NBC, which shows the events just before and after the photograph was taken[9][10][11] (see image on right). In the top-left frame, a man (possibly Nick Út) stands and appears to take photographs as a passing airplane drops bombs. A group of children, Kim Phúc among them, run away in fear. After a few seconds, she encounters the reporters dressed in military fatigues,[citation needed] including Christopher Wain who gave her water (top-right frame) and poured some over her burns.[12] As she turns sideways, the severity of the burns on her arm and back can be seen (bottom-left frame). A crying woman runs in the opposite direction holding her badly burned child (bottom-right frame). Sections of the film shot were included in Hearts and Minds, the 1974 Academy Award-winning documentary about the Vietnam War directed by Peter Davis.[13]
Adult life
Forgiveness made me free from hatred. I still have many scars on my
body and severe pain most days but my heart is cleansed. Napalm is very
powerful, but faith, forgiveness, and love are much more powerful. We
would not have war at all if everyone could learn how to live with true
love, hope, and forgiveness. If that little girl in the picture can do
it, ask yourself: Can you?
“
”
Kim Phuc Foundation
In 1997 she established the first Kim Phuc Foundation in the US, with the aim of providing medical and psychological assistance to child victims of war.[17] Later, other foundations were set up, with the same name, under an umbrella organization, Kim Phuc Foundation International.In 2004, Phúc spoke at the University of Connecticut about her life and experience, learning how to be "strong in the face of pain" and how compassion and love helped her heal. [18]
On December 28, 2009, National Public Radio broadcast her spoken essay, "The Long Road to Forgiveness," for the "This I Believe" series.[15] In May 2010, Phúc was reunited by the BBC with ITN correspondent Christopher Wain, who helped to save her life. On May 18, 2010, Phúc appeared on the BBC Radio 4 programme It 's my Story.[17] In the programme, Phúc related how she was involved through her foundation in the efforts to secure medical treatment in Canada for Ali Abbas, who had lost both arms in a rocket attack on Baghdad during the invasion of Iraq in 2003.[12][19]
Recognition
In 1996, Phúc gave a speech at the United States Vietnam Veterans Memorial on Veterans Day. In her speech, she said that one cannot change the past, but everyone can work together for a peaceful future. Rev. John Plummer, a Vietnam veteran, who believed he took part in coordinating the air strike with the South Vietnamese Air Force (though Plummer's entire chain of command and declassified documents indicate otherwise[20]) met with Phúc briefly and was publicly forgiven.A Canadian filmmaker, Shelley Saywell, made a documentary about their meeting. There is also a blog entry that shares this story.[21] On November 10, 1994, Kim Phúc was named a UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador. Her biography, The Girl in the Picture, was written by Denise Chong and published in 1999. In 2003, Belgian composer Eric Geurts wrote "The Girl in the Picture," dedicated to Kim Phúc. It was released on Flying Snowman Records, with all profits going to the Kim Phuc Foundation. On October 22, 2004, Phúc was awarded an honorary Doctorate of Law from York University in Toronto, Ontario, for her work to support child victims of war around the world. She was also awarded the Order of Ontario. On October 27, 2005, she was awarded another honorary degree in Law from Queen's University in Kingston, Ontario.[22] On June 2, 2011 she was awarded the honorary degree of Doctor of Laws from the University of Lethbridge.[23]
The Girl in the Picture
The Girl in the Picture: The Kim Phuc Story, the Photograph and the Vietnam War by Denise Chong is a 1999 biographical and historical work tracing the life story of Kim Phúc. Chong’s historical coverage emphasizes the life, especially the school and family life, of Kim Phúc from before the attack, through convalescence, and into the present time.The Girl in the Picture deals primarily with Vietnamese and American relationships during the Vietnam War, while examining themes of war, racism, immigration, political turmoil, repression, poverty, and international relationships through the lens of family and particularly through the eyes and everyday lives of women. Kim Phúc and her mother, Nu, provide the lens through which readers of The Girl in the Picture experience war, strife, and the development of communism in Vietnam. Like Chong's first book, The Girl in the Picture was shortlisted for the Governor General's Literary Award for nonfiction.[24]
क्या मीडिया बचा सकता था गजेंद्र की जान?
दक्षिण वियतनाम की एक सड़क पर नंगी भागती किम फुक (Kim Phuc) की उस तस्वीर
को कौन भूल सकता है। नौ साल की किम के साथ कुछ और बच्चे भाग रहे हैं। सड़क
के अंतिम छोर पर बम धमाके के बाद उठा हुआ काले धुएं का गुबार है। युद्ध की
तबाही का यह काला सच दुनिया के सामने नहीं आता, अगर फोटोग्राफर निक ने
हिम्मत करके वह तस्वीर न ली होती। निक ने न सिर्फ तस्वीर ली, बल्कि किम को
उठाकर अस्पताल भी ले गए। जहां किम का इलाज हुआ और वह बच गई। आज किम के दो
बच्चे हैं और वो टोरंटो में रहती हैं। किम ने अपने चालीसवें जन्मदिन पर कहा
था कि इस तस्वीर के जरिये मैं दुनिया के लिए उम्मीद हूं। इस फोटो को
पुलित्ज़र पुरस्कार मिला था।
एक और तस्वीर है सूडान की। भूख ने एक छोटी बच्ची को चलने से भी लाचार बना दिया है। वह ज़मीन पर पड़ी हुई है और उससे कुछ दूरी पर एक बड़ा सा गिद्ध (vulture) घूर रहा है। केविन कार्टर की यह तस्वीर जब 1993 में न्यूयार्क टाइम्स में छपी तो दुनिया भर में हंगामा मच गया। लोग पूछने लगे कि उस बच्ची का क्या हुआ। क्या फोटोग्राफर ने उसे बचाने का प्रयास किया। यह पत्रकारिता के इतिहास का सबसे विवादित प्रसंग है, जिसके कई पहलू हैं। इस फोटो ने भूख की भयावह तस्वीर पूरी दुनिया के सामने रख दी थी। कार्टर को भी इस फोटो के लिए पुलित्ज़र पुरस्कार मिला।
ये दो अलग-अलग स्थितियां हैं। एक स्थिति में फोटोग्राफर अपने किरदार की मदद करता है और दूसरी स्थिति में मदद नहीं करता, मगर दोनों को पुलित्ज़र पुरस्कार मिलता है। दोनों ही स्थितियों में पूरी दुनिया हिल जाती है। जैसे जंतर-मंतर पर गजेंद्र की आत्महत्या ने किसानों की आत्महत्या के प्रति पूरे देश की उदासीनता को झकझोर दिया है। सब के सब एक्सपोज़ हो गए हैं। ढाई लाख से ज्यादा किसानों की आत्महत्या के सरकारी रिकार्ड को हम बस एक कागज़ का आंकड़ा मानने लगे थे। गजेंद्र की तस्वीरों ने आत्महत्या करने वाले लाखों किसानों को पूरे देश के सामने ज़िंदा कर दिया है।
एक और तस्वीर है सूडान की। भूख ने एक छोटी बच्ची को चलने से भी लाचार बना दिया है। वह ज़मीन पर पड़ी हुई है और उससे कुछ दूरी पर एक बड़ा सा गिद्ध (vulture) घूर रहा है। केविन कार्टर की यह तस्वीर जब 1993 में न्यूयार्क टाइम्स में छपी तो दुनिया भर में हंगामा मच गया। लोग पूछने लगे कि उस बच्ची का क्या हुआ। क्या फोटोग्राफर ने उसे बचाने का प्रयास किया। यह पत्रकारिता के इतिहास का सबसे विवादित प्रसंग है, जिसके कई पहलू हैं। इस फोटो ने भूख की भयावह तस्वीर पूरी दुनिया के सामने रख दी थी। कार्टर को भी इस फोटो के लिए पुलित्ज़र पुरस्कार मिला।
ये दो अलग-अलग स्थितियां हैं। एक स्थिति में फोटोग्राफर अपने किरदार की मदद करता है और दूसरी स्थिति में मदद नहीं करता, मगर दोनों को पुलित्ज़र पुरस्कार मिलता है। दोनों ही स्थितियों में पूरी दुनिया हिल जाती है। जैसे जंतर-मंतर पर गजेंद्र की आत्महत्या ने किसानों की आत्महत्या के प्रति पूरे देश की उदासीनता को झकझोर दिया है। सब के सब एक्सपोज़ हो गए हैं। ढाई लाख से ज्यादा किसानों की आत्महत्या के सरकारी रिकार्ड को हम बस एक कागज़ का आंकड़ा मानने लगे थे। गजेंद्र की तस्वीरों ने आत्महत्या करने वाले लाखों किसानों को पूरे देश के सामने ज़िंदा कर दिया है।
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