Talk about rude. Kick the Reuters contingent out of the WH press corps. Were they hoping to catch the president saying something about someone at the meeting?????
I think the note is rather humorous. And the POTUS should know that someone could catch it on camera. I must assume that he did not care. I wonder how many photogs actually could read Kerry's cue cards during the debates, but they refused to further embarrass him.
I think that's the whole point of the editor trying to take the blame. To keep the photographer from losing his White House privileges. However, if I was in charge of the White House press room, I'd never let another Reuters photog within 10 miles until they fired the editor that thought the photo was "interesting" enough to send out over the wires.