"This is not a real article. This is an exercise." Um repórter do NYT teve permissão para assistir a uma simulação de uma emergência pública de saúde na sede do centro de controlo de doenças norte-americano. O ensaio visava avaliar a preparação das autoridades de saúde na eventualidade de uma epidemia de gripe aviária.

"Like an episode of the television program “24,” the drill was supposed to be taking place in real time. So the reporters, freed at 6 p.m. to write up what they had seen, had no idea how it would all play out. Did millions die? Did I? The answer will not be known for months, since the scenario is supposed to play on indefinitely, with new drills meshing with it.
(...)
There were light moments. Top C.D.C. officials could use some remedial geography — they seemed a little unclear about what borough Columbia University is in (hint: it’s the long thin one) and where Borneo is.

And there were movie-within-the-movie moments, like when Dr. Gerberding asked if the C.D.C. had a local State Department liaison, got a noncommittal answer and then insisted: “No, I mean in the real world. Do we?”

Or when the reporters explained that real reporters would have been more confused (and ruder) than the C.D.C. staff members who played reporters in the mock news conference."