The photo Fran doesn't want people to see
The photograph was taken when Hollande visited a school in Denain in northern France where he was presiding over a round-table discussion on recent reforms that changed school hours.
It coincided with the start of the new school term for the majority of French schoolchildren. He is pictured sitting in front of a blackboard, on which is written "Aujourd'hui, c'est la rentrée" ("Today it's back to school") with a wide grin and rather gormless facial expression.
The original picture was captioned: "During a visit to Denain Michelet school, September 3 2013, François Hollande smiles chairing a panel discussion on the reform of school timetables established by the government."
Hollande, who sold himself as Monsieur Normal during his presidential election campaign, once had a reputation for being one of the country's wittiest politicians, but has suppressed his humorous side since being elected, for fear of being perceived to lack gravitas.
Fran is affectionately known as 'Flanby' in France, suggestive of a popular, jello-like, caramel-based desert.
Reuters sent a "picture kill" notice to its clients, asking them not to use the image. The image, however, was quickly picked up and reposted on Twitter and Facebook, where the agencies were accused of bowing to pressure.
AFP insisted it had not come under any pressure from the Elysée palace to withdraw the picture, taken by Denis Charlet, one of AFP's photographers, who shot several other frames in the same series showing Hollande in a more serious pose.
Philippe Massonnet, director of information at AFP, told Le Nouvel Observateur magazine: "AFP was not put under any pressure from the head of state: it was an editorial decision taken by our editorial team in Paris in all independence, after an internal debate," adding: "
"The authorities never ask us to do this kind of thing."
The editorial debate was reportedly sparked by a "little buzz" caused on social media sites.
"It was decided to 'kill' the shot because we decided, in retrospect, that it brought nothing to the series [of images] in terms of information," said Massonnet, who added that the decision to withdraw the photograph was part of the daily photo-editing process. "Choices have to be made. With war photographs, for example, we may decide not to distribute bloody or degrading images.
"Unlike certain media, when we make a mistake, we correct it. We modify our texts and we 'kill' our photographs."
Thomson Reuters in London said it was looking into the issue of the retraction and would respond shortly.
On Facebook, one commentator wrote: "But why? He looks so cute." Another replied: "If you want to drag an unwilling country into a dangerous and very bloody war, you don't want to look CUTE!"
Le Point magazine said the photograph made Hollande look like a clown, while news website Rue89 said the president looked "simple-minded".
François doesn't want to be known as 'Flamby' anymore. With one dirty little war in northern Africa already under his belt and another likely in Syria, Fran now wants to be taken seriously and remembered as a 'fearsome terrorist hunter-killer.'
"Unflattering" pictures of politicos like the one above are common but photographers seldom give them out or submit them to agencies. They would soon be "dis-invited" and that means less income or looking for another job.
If you've ever been to press conferences of politicos, you'd notice that photographers take _many_ pictures of these people, because they have crazy micro-expressions which are normally not noticed, like the photo above, and it takes some shots to get an acceptable picture. From observation, normies seldom have issues on pictures beyond eyes shut when photographed while talking.