The BBC apologized Wednesday for accidentally sending the world into a frenzy regarding the health of Queen Elizabeth.
BBC Urdu reporter Ahmen Khawaja sent out a tweet saying the Queen died overnight at a hospital in London.
Jonathan Munro, BBC's head of newsgathering, warned the staff in an email obtained by The Guardian about potential issues with social media ahead of the drill.
"It's essential that we can rehearse these sensitive scenarios privately," Munro said in his email. "I'd also ask for your help in refraining from any external conversations and all social media activity about this exercise. Your continued discretion will be greatly appreciated."
Because of the reach BBC News has, multiple news agencies followed their lead in reporting that the Queen had died. CNN went out of its way to apologize to its Twitter followers for the false news.
Affiliates, please disregard our previous tweet about Queen Elizabeth. It was sent in error.
— CNN Newsource (@CNNNewsource) June 3, 2015
There are only three other people BBC considers “category-one” public figures, according to The Guardian: Duke of Edinburgh, Prince Charles and the Duke of Cambridge.
It is common practice for news agencies to have obituaries written and coverage planned ahead of time before a prominent person dies.
