In the latest in a long list of examples of why sub-editors are vital in the newsroom the Huffington Post has accidentally said that 92-year-old nature broadcaster Sir David Attenborough likes to get nude.

The role was frequently one of the first casualties when news organizations dived head first into the digital age and we’ve been served with continuous examples of why they’re important ever since.

The UK arm of the Huffington Post offered up the latest illustration on Monday when it diminished the dignified tone of a video showing Attenborough’s appeal to world leaders to take action on climate change by describing the famous natural historian as a ‘naturist’, .i.e. someone who likes to bare all in public.

We've deleted an earlier version of this video that incorrectly described Sir David Attenborough as a 'naturist.' We of course meant to describe him as a naturalist. We regret the error. — HuffPost UK (@HuffPostUK) December 3, 2018

The media outlet quickly tweeted an apology. “We of course meant to describe him as a naturalist. We regret the error,” it read. However they had already conjured up all sorts of images in peoples minds.

"Oh shit, Blue Planet's about to start!" pic.twitter.com/IzFQMfZMyp — Mouth of Sauron (@simon_lindsell) December 3, 2018

The apology has since gone viral, racking up more than 5,000 likes, 10 times more than the video. "Not sure we wanted that mental image, we have grown up with him,” one person responded, while another said: "I bet you don't regret it. Look at all the hits. Cheeky”.

READ MORE: Keep calm and… count butterflies, says David Attenborough amid Brexit ‘squabbles’

Attenborough was speaking in Katowice, Poland, as part of the UN’s people’s seat initiative.

“Right now we are facing a manmade disaster of global scale, our greatest threat in thousands of years: climate change,” the BBC broadcaster said. “If we don’t take action, the collapse of our civilizations and the extinction of much of the natural world is on the horizon.”

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