An image of White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt has unexpectedly gone viral, but not because of what it shows. Instead, it’s the removal of the photo that’s caught everyone’s attention.
The picture, taken during a Thanksgiving-themed press briefing, shows Leavitt and her son as they both look down at “Waddle” the turkey. It was captured by AFP photographer Andrew Caballero-Reynolds, and initially passed largely unnoticed.
But soon, reports emerged suggesting the White House was unhappy with the image, as it was considered “unflattering.” It was pulled from AFP’s library and later removed from Getty Images. This raised some questions, but AFP insists the decision was entirely their own.
AFP responds after removing the photo
According to AFP’s Director of Communications, Grégoire Lemarchand, the agency had been “made aware” of concerns from the White House, but said there was no outside influence over the final call.
“During high-volume events like White House briefings, our desk often receives a large influx of photos directly from the photographer’s camera, which are moved quickly by the editor on duty to ensure timely delivery,” he said, the Daily Beast reported, according to UNILAD:
“Upon a subsequent review of the day’s production, our editor-in-chief determined that this specific image did not meet our editorial standards. The angle was poor and, more importantly, we already had a selection of superior images from the same event available on the wire.”
But if the goal was to quietly move on from the image… that didn’t exactly happen. Once news of its removal spread, the photo took on a life of its own online. Social media users began sharing it widely, many pointing out that it had barely drawn attention before.
“Nothing makes the internet hunt for a photo faster than being told they can’t see it,” one user wrote, according to VT. Another added: “God forbid someone from the White House should have a realistic photo taken of them.” A third wrote: “The audacity these people have calling anyone a snowflake is off the charts.”