Sky News reporter apologizes for rifling through MH17 luggage

’If there was someone to apologize to in person, I would,’ reporter Colin Brazier writes

July 22, 2014

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"If there was someone to apologize to in person, I would," Sky News reporter Colin Brazier writes in today’s Guardian.

"While presenting Sky’s lunchtime coverage of the flight MH17 disaster, I stooped down to look at a piece of debris. It was a child’s suitcase. I put my hand inside and lifted up a water bottle and a set of keys. As I did so my mental circuit-breaker finally engaged and I apologised instantly on-air for what I was doing. Within minutes there was outrage on Twitter."

Both Brazier and Sky News have apologized for the error of judgment.

In the Guardian piece, Brazier goes on to describe what he saw at the MH17 crash site — "a butcher’s yard."

Scattered among the corpses and debris, journalists have reported on the belongings. Writes Brazier, "They told a story of lives – swimming trunks, laptops, duty free, books – snuffed out in an instant."

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