Sky News reporter apologizes for rifling through MH17 luggage

“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.”

Murdoch owned Sky News reaches another low, as reporter Colin Brazier rummages the luggage of dead passengers #MH17 https://t.co/bYGWDY5pLD

— (@Daleington9) July 20, 2014

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.”

The full text of the Brazier apology is here.

A survey of Twitter suggests those who judged Brazier have forgiven the lapse:

Colin Brazier piece on his error of judgement moving and sincere. Abuse should stop http://t.co/ulIex6FtXv via @guardian

— Alastair Campbell (@campbellclaret) July 22, 2014

As apologies go – this, from Colin Brazier of Sky – should put the matter to rest. Powerful, sincere and genuine. http://t.co/G1mXUNKBf3

— Nathan Constable (@NathanConstable) July 22, 2014

Colin Brazier's thoughtful, humble apology very good for showing the difficult context in which journalists work: http://t.co/s8VOOdL8pS

— Stig Abell (@StigAbell) July 22, 2014