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The Queen isn't dead: BBC apologises after rogue tweet sends everyone in a spin The Queen isn't dead: BBC apologises after rogue tweet sends everyone in a spin
(about 7 hours later)
The BBC was forced to deliver an embarrassing apology to Buckingham Palace after a rogue tweet sent by a reporter wrongly announced the death of the Queen, prompting a global news alert. A day of W1A-style confusion at the BBC resulted in the corporation delivering an embarrassing apology to Buckingham Palace after a rogue tweet sent by a reporter wrongly announced the death of the Queen, prompting a global news alert.
Buckingham Palace issued a statement confirming that the Queen was in good health after a series of tweets from the account of BBC Urdu reporter, Ahmen Khawaja, one of which read: “Queen Elizabrth (sic) has died.” The BBC had planned a “low-key rehearsal” for the announcement of a “category one” death, a classification reserved for the Queen and other senior royals.
Khawaja’s account also issued a “breaking news” tweet which claimed that “#Queen Elizabeth is being treated at King Edward 7th Hospital in #London. Statement due shortly.” Discretion was of the essence, BBC staff were told. But Ahmen Khawaja, a BBC Urdu reporter, had other ideas. During the exercise, her Twitter account sent a tweet which read: “Queen Elizabrth [sic] has died.”
The rogue tweets were sent while the corporation was staging a “category one obituary rehearsal” rehearsal for reporting the death of the Sovereign. Khawaja, a 31-year old presenter and multimedia producer who has worked at the BBC for a year and was previously a researcher at Al-Jazeera, also issued a “breaking news” tweet which claimed that “#Queen Elizabeth is being treated at King Edward 7th Hospital in #London. Statement due shortly.”
Khawaja, who now faces disciplinary proceedings at the BBC, deleted her original tweet describing it as a “false alarm”. Within minutes, the shocking “news” had crossed the world. The CNN Newssource Twitter feed reported the Queen’s hospitalisation. The erroneous report was also picked up by the German newspaper Bild and the editor of India’s Hindustan Times. CNN deleted its tweet claiming the Queen had been admitted to hospital
In a further tweet sent minutes later, Khawaja suggested that her phone had been “left unattended at home.” She wrote: “Silly prank, Apologies for upsetting anyone!” Alerted to the social media storm, Buckingham Palace issued a statement confirming that the Queen was in good health. But it emerged that, entirely coincidentally, the Queen had made a private medical visit to the King Edward VII Hospital in London for a routine check-up.
CNN deleted its tweet claiming the Queen had been admitted to hospital But the damage was done. The CNN Newssource Twitter feed, which reported the Queen’s hospitalisation, was forced to send out a message: “Affiliates, please disregard our previous tweet about Queen Elizabeth. It was sent in error.” Alerted to the meltdown her tweets had caused, Khawaja sought to clear up her mess. She deleted her original tweet describing it as a “false alarm”. Then she suggested that her phone had been “left unattended at home”. She wrote: “Silly prank, Apologies for upsetting anyone!”
The erroneous report was also picked up the German newspaper Bild and the editor of India’s Hindustan Times. The BBC, sensitive to causing royal offence since the “Queengate” affair, which cost the BBC1 controller Peter Fincham his job after an investigation into footage that misrepresented the Queen, swung into crisis management mode.
During a day of W1A-style confusion at the BBC, it emerged that, entirely coincidentally, the Queen had made a private medical visit to the King Edward VII Hospital in London for a routine check-up.  The Palace confirmed that the Queen remained in good health in order to quell social media speculation. Khawaja was not present during the royal obituary rehearsal, which tested technical preparations for a death announcement and featured presenters announcing the sombre news, but she would have been aware of it. Tweeting was certainly not part of the exercise.
The BBC said it had been carrying out a “category one obituary rehearsal” when the reporter mistakenly sent the tweet. The BBC’s “category one” of public figures is reserved for the Queen, the Duke of Edinburgh, Prince Charles and the Duke of Cambridge. Khawaja would be “investigated under BBC disciplinary procedures,” a source said. The corporation has contacted the Palace to express its regret over the incident. (Getty) The BBC said in a statement: “During a technical rehearsal for an obituary, tweets were mistakenly sent from the account of a BBC journalist saying that a member of the Royal Family had been taken ill. The tweets were swiftly deleted and we apologise for any offence.”
Khawaja would have been aware of the rehearsal, which involved presenters and tested technical preparations for a death announcement, although she was not believed to have been at the BBC when the tweets were sent. Khawaja would be “investigated under BBC disciplinary procedures,” a source said. The corporation has contacted the Palace to express its regret over the incident.
The BBC said in a statement: “During a technical rehearsal for an obituary, tweets were mistakenly sent from the account of a BBC journalist saying that a member of the Royal Family had been taken ill. The tweets were swiftly deleted and we apologise for any offence.” Jonathan Munro, head of BBC newsgathering, had confirmed details of the “low-key” rehearsal in an email to staff. He wrote: “It’s essential that we can rehearse these sensitive scenarios privately. BBC tours have been suspended, and the blinds from public areas including reception and the media café will remain dropped. 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.”
The error will concern BBC bosses since preparations for the death of the monarch are a matter of the highest sensitivity. (Getty) Khawaja would be “investigated under BBC disciplinary procedures,” a source said. The BBC had made contact with the Palace to express its regret over the incident. A Palace spokesman said: “I can confirm that the Queen this morning attended her annual medical check-up at the King Edward VII Hospital in London. This was a routine, pre-scheduled appointment.”
Jonathan Munro, head of BBC newsgathering, had confirmed details of the rehearsal in an email to staff.  The exercise was a “low-key rehearsal for the way in which television might cover a category one obituary”.
Munro wrote: “It’s essential that we can rehearse these sensitive scenarios privately. BBC tours have been suspended, and the blinds from public areas including reception and the media café will remain dropped. 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.”
The error will concern BBC bosses since preparations for the death of the monarch are a matter of the highest sensitivity. Presenters regularly run “drills” for the announcement and procedures for making any announcement on social media are regularly updated to the rehearsal error is not repeated.
All BBC channels will stop their programming when the monarch passes and show the BBC1 feed for the announcement. Comedy programmes will not be aired until after the State Funeral.
The last BBC scandal involving the Palace prompted BBC One controller Peter Fincham to resign in 2007 after an investigation into footage he had screened that misrepresented the Queen.