Facebook thanks Norway's prime minister after Vietnam War photo storm
Oslo - Facebook has thanked Norwegian Prime Minister Erna Solberg for helping the social networking giant "get it right," after it decided to overturn a controversial ban on a famous Vietnam War-era photo following accusations of censorship.
The 1972 photo of a young girl running naked down a road after a napalm bombing had been removed Thursday from a page used by Norway's largest newspaper, Aftenposten, and later from Solberg's personal Facebook page when she shared it.
The paper responded Friday by publishing the photo along with an open letter to Facebook chief executive Mark Zuckerberg questioning the decision to ban the photo.
Facebook initially cited its rules against nudity, but was roundly criticized of censorship. Late Friday, the photo was reinstated.
Solberg told broadcaster TV2 that she received an email at the weekend from chief operating officer Sheryl Sandberg who had thanked her for raising "important issues."
"These new platforms have become the basis for how we communicate and they have a moral obligation when they have become so important,"Solberg told TV2.
Facebook on Friday said it acknowledged "the history and global importance" of Nick Ut's 1972 photo that was awarded a Pulitzer Prize, saying it would no longer be blocked on its platform, eventhough such an image of a naked child "might even qualify as child pornography."
- DPA
