After outcry, Facebook will reinstate iconic Vietnam War photo
after a napalm attack
Facebook will reverse course and allow users to post the iconic "Napalm Girl" image hours after facing fierce criticism for censoring one of the most famous war photographs in history.
"After hearing from our community, we looked again at how our Community Standards were applied in this case," a spokesperson for Facebook said in a statement. "Because of its status as an iconic image of historical importance, the value of permitting sharing outweighs the value of protecting the community by removal, so we have decided to reinstate the image on Facebook where we are aware it has been removed."
The photograph, which depicts a naked girl fleeing a napalm attack during the Vietnam War, was said to have violated Facebook's ban on images of naked children.
Facebook says the picture will be available to share "in the coming days." It also promised to work to "improve our polices to make sure they both promote free expression and keep our community safe."
The editor of a top Norwegian newspaper on Thursday addressed an open letter to Zuckerberg saying he was "upset, disappointed -- well, in fact even afraid" about Facebook's impact on media freedom.
Espen Egil Hansen said his newspaper, Aftenposten, received a demand from Facebook to remove the iconic Vietnam War photo.
"Less than 24 hours after the email was sent, and before I had time to give my response, you intervened yourselves and deleted the article as well as the image from Aftenposten's Facebook page," Hansen wrote.
Kim Phuc, the Vietnamese girl pictured in the 1972 photo, was not available for comment. But Phuc's personal manager, Anne Bayin, said she supports the use of the image.
"Kim is saddened by those who would focus on the nudity in the historic picture rather than the powerful message it conveys," Bayin said in an email to CNNMoney. "She fully supports the documentary image taken by Nick Ut as a moment of truth that captures the horror of war and its effects on innocent lives."
Related: Facebook ditches humans in favor of algorithms for trending news
His complaint highlights growing concern about Facebook's vast and expanding influence over news and other content seen by more than a billion people around the world.
"You create rules that don't distinguish between child pornography and famous war photographs," Hansen wrote to Zuckerberg. "Then you practice these rules without allowing space for good judgment."
Earlier Friday, Facebook (FB, Tech30) said it recognized that the photo is iconic, but stressed that it's "difficult to create a distinction between allowing a photograph of a nude child in one instance and not others."
AP photojournalist Nick Ut took the famous photo in 1972. It won a Pulitzer Prize.
after a napalm attack
Facebook will reverse course and allow users to post the iconic "Napalm Girl" image hours after facing fierce criticism for censoring one of the most famous war photographs in history.
"After hearing from our community, we looked again at how our Community Standards were applied in this case," a spokesperson for Facebook said in a statement. "Because of its status as an iconic image of historical importance, the value of permitting sharing outweighs the value of protecting the community by removal, so we have decided to reinstate the image on Facebook where we are aware it has been removed."
The photograph, which depicts a naked girl fleeing a napalm attack during the Vietnam War, was said to have violated Facebook's ban on images of naked children.
Facebook says the picture will be available to share "in the coming days." It also promised to work to "improve our polices to make sure they both promote free expression and keep our community safe."
The editor of a top Norwegian newspaper on Thursday addressed an open letter to Zuckerberg saying he was "upset, disappointed -- well, in fact even afraid" about Facebook's impact on media freedom.
Espen Egil Hansen said his newspaper, Aftenposten, received a demand from Facebook to remove the iconic Vietnam War photo.
"Less than 24 hours after the email was sent, and before I had time to give my response, you intervened yourselves and deleted the article as well as the image from Aftenposten's Facebook page," Hansen wrote.
Kim Phuc, the Vietnamese girl pictured in the 1972 photo, was not available for comment. But Phuc's personal manager, Anne Bayin, said she supports the use of the image.
"Kim is saddened by those who would focus on the nudity in the historic picture rather than the powerful message it conveys," Bayin said in an email to CNNMoney. "She fully supports the documentary image taken by Nick Ut as a moment of truth that captures the horror of war and its effects on innocent lives."
Related: Facebook ditches humans in favor of algorithms for trending news
His complaint highlights growing concern about Facebook's vast and expanding influence over news and other content seen by more than a billion people around the world.
"You create rules that don't distinguish between child pornography and famous war photographs," Hansen wrote to Zuckerberg. "Then you practice these rules without allowing space for good judgment."
Earlier Friday, Facebook (FB, Tech30) said it recognized that the photo is iconic, but stressed that it's "difficult to create a distinction between allowing a photograph of a nude child in one instance and not others."
AP photojournalist Nick Ut took the famous photo in 1972. It won a Pulitzer Prize.
