Sky News admitted it was “inappropriate” for one of its reporters to go through a Malaysian Airlines Flight 17 victim’s luggage on air.
Sky News’s Colin Brazier even commented when he was poking through the luggage, “We shouldn’t really be doing this, I suppose,” The Guardian reported.
Brazier picked up and moved around items from inside a victim’s suitcase, a video of the segment shows.
Huffington Post also has a brief clip of Brazier’s on-air rummaging.
Sky News apologized for Brazier’s actions. In a statement published by The Guardian, the network acknowledged getting “a handful”of complaints and said
“Today whilst presenting from the site of the MH17 air crash Colin Brazier reflected on the human tragedy of the event and showed audiences the content of one of the victims’ bags. Colin immediately recognised that this was inappropriate and said so on air. Both Colin and Sky News apologise profusely for any offence caused.”
Outside of the poor taste and invasion of privacy shown by Sky News, the reporter also likely interfered with and disrupted a crime scene, iMediaEthics notes.
Brazier’s report from the crash scene was live.
iMediaEthics has written to Sky News for comment.
Numerous tweeters criticized the actions.
Dear Sky News, stop rummaging through #MH17 belongings. You’re corrupting a crime scene. Idiots. Have some respect.
— Craig Chappell (@TheLegal_Eagle) July 20, 2014
Bad move Colin Brazier. Cannot believe that someone would go through a victims belongings live on the news #skynews what were you thinking?
— David Gandy (@dmgandy) July 20, 2014
Colin Brazier at #skynews, I found it appalling when you were going through #MH17 victim’s luggage and personal belongings! Poor loved ones
— Dr Ijlal Haider (@oldhallpersian) July 20, 2014
Monumental error of judgement as Sky reporter rummages through #MH17 victim’s personal belongings live on TV http://t.co/XYzgecA9hx
— Keith Burnet (@keithburnet) July 20, 2014
Tweets about “sky news belongings”
UPDATE: 7/21/2014 11:12 AM EST iMediaEthics received the following statement from Sky News:
“Today whilst presenting from the site of the MH17 air crash Colin Brazier reflected on the human tragedy of the event and showed audiences the
content of one of the victims’ bags. Colin immediately recognised that this was inappropriate and said so on air. Both Colin and Sky News apologise profusely for any offence caused.”