Facebook deletes Norway PM's post as 'napalm girl' row escalates

[Independent voter]

Supposedly Napalm Girl had her clothes burn off by napalm. I'm sure something bad must have scared her but I don't think it was napalm because she still has her hair and seems uninjured otherwise.

But this story isn't about napalm girl. It's about how a newspaper or blog in Norway posted Napalm Girl to their Facebook page and the algorithm deleted it because of the naked girl, I'm guessing.

Now a politician in Norway has had her post of Napalm Girl deleted. There's outrage over large American companies forcing their will on Europeans.





https://www.theguardian.com/technolo...-girl-post-row

[NSFW] Contains nudity - Napalm Girl image

Facebook has deleted a post by the Norwegian prime minister in an escalating row over the website’s decision to remove content featuring the Pulitzer-prize winning “napalm girl” photograph from the Vietnam war.

Erna Solberg, the Conservative prime minister, called on Facebook to “review its editing policy” after it deleted her post voicing support for a Norwegian newspaper that had fallen foul of the social media giant’s guidelines.

Solberg was one of a string of Norwegian politicians who shared the iconic image after Facebook deleted a post from Tom Egeland, a writer who had included the Nick Ut picture as one of seven photographs he said had “changed the history of warfare”.

Norwegian PM Erna Solberg.

Egeland was subsequently suspended from Facebook and his standoff with the social media giant was reported by the daily newspaper Aftenposten, which used the same image in its reporting of the story and itself came under pressure from Facebook to delete the picture.

Aftenposten’s editor-in-chief, Espen Egil Hansen, said the newspaper had received a message from Facebook asking it to “either remove or pixelize” the photograph. He refused and wrote an open letter to Mark Zuckerberg saying he was failing to live up to his role as “the world’s most powerful editor”.

In her intervention on Friday, the Norwegian prime minister wrote that the photograph, entitled The Terror of War and featuring the naked nine-year-old Kim Phúc running away from a napalm attack, had “shaped world history”.

Solberg added: “I appreciate the work Facebook and other media do to stop content and pictures showing abuse and violence ... But Facebook is wrong when they censor such images.”


Before being deleted by Facebook this morning, her post went on to say the website’s decision “helps to curb freedom of expression”, adding: “I say no to this form of censorship.”

Solberg said: “It is highly regrettable that Facebook has removed a post from my Facebook page. What they achieve by removing such images, good as the intentions may be, is to edit our common history. I wish today’s children will also have the opportunity to see and learn from historical mistakes and events. This is important.

“I hope Facebook uses this opportunity to review its editing policy, and assumes the responsibility a large company managing a broad communication platform should take.”

On the decision to delete the prime minister’s post, Hansen told the Guardian: “At least they don’t discriminate, we have to give them credit for that.”

The CEO of Aftenposten’s publisher, Schibsted Media Group, said Facebook had tried to stop the newspaper publishing “one of the most important photos of our time”. Rolv Erik Ryssdal added: “It is not acceptable. Facebook’s censorship is an attack on the freedom of expression – and therefore on democracy.”

Ryssdal said Facebook was increasingly powerful in Norway’s media market, capturing NOK 1.5bn (£137m) of advertising while paying “only crumbs in taxes back to society”.

“Schibsted Media Group believes it is very important that the Norwegian media industry now gather to create an independent alternative to the American giants’ enormous power in the advertising market,” he said. “We are talking about the prerequisite for independent journalism. Facebook’s treatment of Aftenposten is another proof of the importance of this.”


A Facebook spokeswoman said: “While we recognise that this photo is iconic, it’s difficult to create a distinction between allowing a photograph of a nude child in one instance and not others. We try to find the right balance between enabling people to express themselves while maintaining a safe and respectful experience for our global community.

“Our solutions won’t always be perfect, but we will continue to try to improve our policies and the ways in which we apply them.”

The posts would have been reported by a user to Facebook’s community standards team, who would then have made the decision to remove them, rather than being removed automatically by algorithm.

[shadowmouse]

and seems uninjured otherwise.

Google first, put foot in mouth later: http://www.people.com/article/napalm...uc-forgiveness

Not only was the story rather well known back in the day, but there were rather widely publicized articles recently.

The scars that covered 65 percent of her body were not only disfiguring – making her believe no one would ever love her – they hurt. A lot.

[Kapadons]

It's Facebook right to remove ANY image they want to. Don't like it? Don't use Facebook. Plenty of other social media sites to use.


Also, it's a photograph of a nude child. What a bunch of sick ass perverts fighting to make sure it is seen.

[Krawu]

To be perfectly fair, while that image was certainly worth the Pulizer it won, it's also really fucked up. Regardless of what exactly has caused the people in it to flee in obvious terror like that, and while I don't approve FB removing it - especially if there was a point to the whole thing, I can understand why they wouldn't want it to be visible by just anyone.

Any anyone doubting that this was indeed a napalm attack should watch the entire video of the villagers fleeing the raging inferno in the background that was once their home. We actually know who the girl in the picture is, and she did have severe burns on her back.

[zenkai]

But this story isn't about napalm girl. It's about how a newspaper or blog in Norway posted Napalm Girl to their Facebook page and the algorithm deleted it because of the naked girl, I'm guessing.

Having not researched the story, that's what I am guessing. Not sure why it's too hard just to blank out the no no spots and re-post it.

[phitness]

It's Facebook right to remove ANY image they want to. Don't like it? Don't use Facebook. Plenty of other social media sites to use.


Also, it's a photograph of a nude child. What a bunch of sick ass perverts fighting to make sure it is seen.

If you think that's what the picture was about you're probably the most unintelligent person on this forum.

[Ryme]

Having not researched the story, that's what I am guessing. Not sure why it's too hard just to blank out the no no spots and re-post it.

Probably thoughts of journalistic integrity or something. I think the value of the picture was served when it was new, I wouldn't have been against it being covered up a bit now especially considering the medium it's going into.

[Independent voter]

The US was not responsible for the attack, reading the wiki page.

Yet everyone assumes it was a US attack.

But this thread is more about Facebook and Norway going toe to toe.

[Jingoism]

Facebook is shit and quickly turning into myspace 2.0, not shocked. Glad to see them fucking up.

[Kapadons]

If you think that's what the picture was about you're probably the most unintelligent person on this forum.

I understand what it was about. It's still, at the end of the day, a photo of a nude child. Facebooks response was perfect. Essentially saying " we censor all child nudity, that doesn't change because the girl is running from a napalm attack"

- - - Updated - - -

The US was not responsible for the attack, reading the wiki page.

Yet everyone assumes it was a US attack.

But this thread is more about Facebook and Norway going toe to toe.

Facebook would win. They could stop allowing Facebook in Norway and Facebook wouldn't give 2 shits.

[Kapadons]

Sounds a bit too PC to me. Getting offended over nudity, wth?

CHILD nudity. And I'm not offended. It's just not something that I personally like staring at.i understand some people do.

But for me at least, the context of the picture doesn't change the content of the picture. Sorry.

[Renyo]

CHILD nudity. And I'm not offended. It's just not something that I personally like staring at.i understand some people do.

But for me at least, the context of the picture doesn't change the content of the picture. Sorry.

And that doesn't mention how big of an asshole the original taker of the photo must be. "Hey those people are running from a napalm attack, this girl is badly burned. Instead of helping her, let me take a picture of her and mass distribute it for my own means"

Most victims of war or other tragedies actually want reporters to take pictures of them. They can help solve the situation by getting attention. This picture may have changed some minds. The girl who is now a woman also wants the picture to be seen, she is sad that it is not allowed on facebook according to reports.

[Deleted]

so, they delete the "napalm girl"

BUT:

mass murdering, rape, animal cruelty, torture and soft porn (depends on how they conceal that nipple..) is okay by Facebook.

its even okay to be shared everywhere, its okay for even kids to see stuff like that..

but a kid who is naked, because her clothes is burned of with napalm, is NOT okay, because she naked and most likely underage..


yeah.. i wouldn't even recommend Facebook to ANYBODY..

[Venant]

Why aren't there more images like this out there of the Obama drone strikes?

[Kapadons]

so, they delete the "napalm girl"

BUT:

mass murdering, rape, animal cruelty, torture and soft porn (depends on how they conceal that nipple..) is okay by Facebook.

its even okay to be shared everywhere, its okay for even kids to see stuff like that..

but a kid who is naked, because her clothes is burned of with napalm, is NOT okay, because she naked and most likely underage..


yeah.. i wouldn't even recommend Facebook to ANYBODY..

I'm not on Facebook, do they really show mass murdering,rape, animal cruelty, and torture? My wife has Facebook and I've never seen any of that on hers.

[jackofwind]

Supposedly Napalm Girl had her clothes burn off by napalm. I'm sure something bad must have scared her but I don't think it was napalm because she still has her hair and seems uninjured otherwise.

The ignorance is strong in this one.

- - - Updated - - -

Yet everyone assumes it was a US attack.

No they don't.

[Kapadons]

Most victims of war or other tragedies actually want reporters to take pictures of them. They can help solve the situation by getting attention. This picture may have changed some minds. The girl who is now a woman also wants the picture to be seen, she is sad that it is not allowed on facebook according to reports.

I get that. I just don't know if I, in the exact moment, of people fleeing in terror could have kept the bigger picture outlook and not done something.

[Deleted]

I'm not on Facebook, do they really show mass murdering,rape, animal cruelty, and torture? My wife has Facebook and I've never seen any of that on hers.

if you absolutely want to see it, i can show you some videos of it

but i am getting less and less of it, since those idiots who share this kind of stuff, is getting right off from my "friends list"
no matter what that is..

dont care who you are, if you share this kind of stuff, you are off..

[Deleted]

You mean to tell me a American Company is deleting pictures that do not make the US look like the good guy? Colour me shocked! Whats next RT is just Kremlin propaganda?

[Polyxo]

Supposedly Napalm Girl had her clothes burn off by napalm. I'm sure something bad must have scared her but I don't think it was napalm because she still has her hair and seems uninjured otherwise.

But this story isn't about napalm girl. It's about how a newspaper or blog in Norway posted Napalm Girl to their Facebook page and the algorithm deleted it because of the naked girl, I'm guessing.

Now a politician in Norway has had her post of Napalm Girl deleted. There's outrage over large American companies forcing their will on Europeans.





https://www.theguardian.com/technolo...-girl-post-row

[NSFW] Contains nudity - Napalm Girl image

Facebook has deleted a post by the Norwegian prime minister in an escalating row over the website’s decision to remove content featuring the Pulitzer-prize winning “napalm girl” photograph from the Vietnam war.

Erna Solberg, the Conservative prime minister, called on Facebook to “review its editing policy” after it deleted her post voicing support for a Norwegian newspaper that had fallen foul of the social media giant’s guidelines.

Solberg was one of a string of Norwegian politicians who shared the iconic image after Facebook deleted a post from Tom Egeland, a writer who had included the Nick Ut picture as one of seven photographs he said had “changed the history of warfare”.

Norwegian PM Erna Solberg.

Egeland was subsequently suspended from Facebook and his standoff with the social media giant was reported by the daily newspaper Aftenposten, which used the same image in its reporting of the story and itself came under pressure from Facebook to delete the picture.

Aftenposten’s editor-in-chief, Espen Egil Hansen, said the newspaper had received a message from Facebook asking it to “either remove or pixelize” the photograph. He refused and wrote an open letter to Mark Zuckerberg saying he was failing to live up to his role as “the world’s most powerful editor”.

In her intervention on Friday, the Norwegian prime minister wrote that the photograph, entitled The Terror of War and featuring the naked nine-year-old Kim Phúc running away from a napalm attack, had “shaped world history”.

Solberg added: “I appreciate the work Facebook and other media do to stop content and pictures showing abuse and violence ... But Facebook is wrong when they censor such images.”


Before being deleted by Facebook this morning, her post went on to say the website’s decision “helps to curb freedom of expression”, adding: “I say no to this form of censorship.”

Solberg said: “It is highly regrettable that Facebook has removed a post from my Facebook page. What they achieve by removing such images, good as the intentions may be, is to edit our common history. I wish today’s children will also have the opportunity to see and learn from historical mistakes and events. This is important.

“I hope Facebook uses this opportunity to review its editing policy, and assumes the responsibility a large company managing a broad communication platform should take.”

On the decision to delete the prime minister’s post, Hansen told the Guardian: “At least they don’t discriminate, we have to give them credit for that.”

The CEO of Aftenposten’s publisher, Schibsted Media Group, said Facebook had tried to stop the newspaper publishing “one of the most important photos of our time”. Rolv Erik Ryssdal added: “It is not acceptable. Facebook’s censorship is an attack on the freedom of expression – and therefore on democracy.”

Ryssdal said Facebook was increasingly powerful in Norway’s media market, capturing NOK 1.5bn (£137m) of advertising while paying “only crumbs in taxes back to society”.

“Schibsted Media Group believes it is very important that the Norwegian media industry now gather to create an independent alternative to the American giants’ enormous power in the advertising market,” he said. “We are talking about the prerequisite for independent journalism. Facebook’s treatment of Aftenposten is another proof of the importance of this.”


A Facebook spokeswoman said: “While we recognise that this photo is iconic, it’s difficult to create a distinction between allowing a photograph of a nude child in one instance and not others. We try to find the right balance between enabling people to express themselves while maintaining a safe and respectful experience for our global community.

“Our solutions won’t always be perfect, but we will continue to try to improve our policies and the ways in which we apply them.”

The posts would have been reported by a user to Facebook’s community standards team, who would then have made the decision to remove them, rather than being removed automatically by algorithm.

Uh, it was definitely napalm. There are additional pictures where her skin is literally soughing off.